Omegle is a well-known online chat and video calling site, mostly famous as a platform for content creators pulling pranks or amusing the people they connect with. If you're active on social media, chances are you've come across a video where the content creator spooks the chatter(s) on the other side of the screen by revealing their location.
So how does this trick work? How can someone on Omegle find out where you live? And how can you keep yourself safe when using Omegle?
How Your Location Can Be Tracked on Omegle
Before demystifying the trick, let's first understand how Omegle functions internally. Omegle is a peer-to-peer video or text chatting platform. For the uninitiated, peer-to-peer or P2P means that whoever you are chatting with directly connects to you via User Datagram Protocol (UDP) without any mediator or proxy.
Pranksters utilize this P2P mechanism of Omegle to trace your IPv4 address as you connect to them with free network sniffing software like Wireshark and then use IP geolocation sites to figure out your general location, PIN code, and other nitty-gritty stuff.
While, in theory, it may seem complex and borderline wizardry to those not well-acquainted with networking, in reality, the steps are easy to replicate. Let's look at how the entire process works.
Tracing an IP Address on Omegle
The first step to finding someone's location is to obtain their IPv4 address. This can be done in a multitude of ways. The most common and stealthy way of tracing someone's IP address is by inspecting the traffic sent to and from the Omegle site. By contrast, a more direct method would be to use OSINT tools like grabify to generate a phishing link. This method would take a good amount of persuasion to get the target to click on the link, so it's not always effective, but when it works, it fetches sensitive information like IP address, geolocation, device model, and software version.
To inspect traffic, network packets need to be captured with a network sniffer application. Wireshark and tcpdump are crowd favorites. On Linux, you can also use in-built utilities like netstat.
Extracting an IP Address From Network Packets With Wireshark
At first, Wireshark or a similar application is loaded up and set to monitor mode. It begins to listen for and capture incoming and outgoing traffic. The captured traffic is then filtered to single out UDP connections made to Omegle. Inspecting the filtered packets will allow you to read the data transmission from your IP to the stranger's IP address in plain text.
Tracking Location with IP Geolocation
IP Geolocation is the primary technique for finding out the general location of an IP Address.
Each ISP is assigned a specific range of IP addresses. Those IP ranges are further classified based on region. A geolocation website searches for an IP address against a database of IP range-to-area mappings, and when a match is found, it returns the general location assigned to the IP address you provided as input. Generally, the resultant location is a random point in a region with an IP address similar to the input IP, or it could be a routing junction of your ISP. The fact of the matter is it's an approximate location.
Should You Be Concerned About Geotracking on Omegle?
While the thought of having your PIN code read out to you by a complete stranger is daunting, in reality, they do not have access to any sensitive information or know where you live. They just have an estimated location where IP addresses like yours are online. So, it's not you who is being tracked, but the area where your IP range is online.
While a prank like this is indeed spooky, it is nothing to be afraid of, and you are safe. Be aware of the same information if you choose to use an Omegle alternative.
How to Protect Yourself on Omegle
Protecting yourself online is your sole responsibility. While it may seem challenging, your safety on the web relies on practicing basic internet hygiene and having your wits about you as you surf. Especially on a platform like Omegle, which is often targeted by scammers.