A malicious IP address appears to be a harmless string of numbers, but it can actually reveal valuable information about your device and location. Attackers use this to target you with malware, phishing attacks or scams. The IP can also serve as a channel to the attacker’s command-and-control server.
Malicious IPs aren’t always blacklisted, which makes it difficult for firewalls and other cybersecurity solutions to block them effectively. Some of the challenges include:
Often, malicious IP addresses have low popularity – meaning they don’t get much traffic compared to well-known IPs. As such, they tend to blend in with legitimate sources and may be ignored by security tools.
Malicious IP Address Lookup: Protecting Your Network from Threats
Another challenge is detecting suspicious activity from dynamic IPs that change periodically. This can be due to a lack of visibility on the cloud or when an IT department changes an employee’s assigned IP address.
To solve this challenge, it’s essential to incorporate tracking and multiple threat intelligence sources when assessing an IP’s reputation. Additionally, analyzing the DNS lookup name and destination port can provide valuable insights into the IP’s behavior. For example, an empty DNS name or the use of destination ports commonly used for phishing or spam can flag a malicious IP.
Using machine learning to identify malicious or suspicious IPs helps to fortify networks and systems against threats. For example, Voros’ research on Sophos AI visualized clusters of malicious activity across the IP space based on physical infrastructure, which allowed for detection of never-before-seen IPs.
