What is an IP Address?
Your computer's "street address"
IP addresses are everywhere. As long as there’s an internet connection, there's an IP address involved. This is why it’s important for you to learn the basics about IP addresses in order to better understand your digital surroundings.
This post aims to do just that, educate you about IP addresses. Let’s hop right in!
What’s an IP Address?
An IP address, or Internet Protocol address, is a numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network. This label helps to identify a device across different (or in the same) networks. You can think of it like your computer’s street address.
Types of IP Addresses
IPv4: Stands for Internet Protocol version 4, consists of four sets of numbers separated by points (like 192.168.1.1). IPv4 is widely used despite it having a limited number of unique addresses (about 4.3 billion), which will eventually lead to IPv4 address exhaustion1.
IPv6: Stands for Internet Protocol version 6, consists of eight groups of hexadecimal digits separated by colons (like 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334). IPv6 was made as a response to the inevitable threat of IPv4 address exhaustion, as it’s big length combined with a hexadecimal (instead of a numerical) approach allows for a quasi-unlimited number of IPv6 addresses. IPv6 also offers some security benefits, like IPsec protocol support and some protection against IP or port scanning attacks2.
How your IP Address can be used against you
IP addresses are used to approximate the physical location of a device.
This information can be exploited to track a user's movements and habits through location tracking.
Websites log IP addresses, enabling them to monitor user activity.
This logging of IP addresses adds up over time, and turns into a digital profile about users.
Advertisers use your IP address for targeted ads.
An IP address can either be used as an user identifier (to know where to serve targeted ads) or as a user logger (to store known data about a user under a “profile”).
Internet Service Providers can track users' online activities.
ISPs might sell this data or be subject to government requests. This data might also be breached in case of any security vulnerabilities or data breaches.
Malicious actors can exploit IP addresses for cyberattacks or hacking attempts.
Your IP address can used by a hacker to track you in the case of a targeted attack.
So, what to do?
Using a VPN or a proxy helps mask your device's actual IP address. Instead of directly connecting to websites or services, your internet traffic is routed through a server located elsewhere. This server's IP address is what's visible to the websites, hiding your original IP. It adds a layer of anonymity, making it harder for websites, advertisers, or your ISP to track you through your IP address. Keep in mind that using a VPN shifts the trust from your ISP to your VPN provider. This is why you should always choose a reputable trusted VPN. More about VPNs here.
— You made it! Through this post you’ve learnt what an IP address is, some information about the two types of available IP addresses, some of the ways your IP address can be used against you and a simple way to mitigate the risks involved in that. We hope you’ve learnt something through our writing, bye!
IPV4 addresses will run out eventually as more and more people get connected to the internet.
Attackers frequently look for open ports as starting points to launch network attacks. A port scan is TCP or UDP traffic that is sent to a range of ports. These ports can be in sequence or random, from 0 to 65535. Port scans examine a computer to find the services that it uses.