The Internet Protocol (IP) address is how web apps find you online, meaning anyone with your IP address can locate your device. Is that a threat? Of course not. But as expected, threat actors use it to attack victims. How does this happen with only a string of numbers separated by dots?

So, what can someone do with your IP address? Here, you'll learn all about it. Without further ado, let's get started.

Can Someone Know Your IP Address?

Have you ever wondered if your boss, the government, or a random folk knows your IP address? Well, yes and hardly, no. It's possible as far as you connect your device to the internet or use it to receive content over a network.

Moreover, you're likely using an Internet Service Provider's (ISP) network to access internet resources. These providers typically assign a public IP address: an identity that details a broad horizon of your device's location.

Some apps query your IP address to know your device location to help them serve tailored content. That's not harmful. But similarly, hackers can also put up websites or apps containing links that grab a victim's IP address. Exposing your IP address to others should pose little to no harm. But it's one piece of detail threat actors can leverage to attack you or your organization.

What Can People Do With Your IP Address?

We've established that IP address exposure doesn't pose a threat, but there might be a turn of events if it lands in the wrong hands, like cybercriminals.

Below are what someone can do with your IP address in the long run.

1. Hack Into Your Computer

A cyber attacker can hack into your PC and steal your private information—this is more practically possible if they have your device's local IP address. Nonetheless, it's not impossible with public IPs, too.

Hackers can exploit the vulnerability in the transmission control and internet protocol (TCP/IP) interface to hijack their victim's activities using their IP address. So your IP can give hackers information about open and vulnerable TCP ports on your computer. How the attackers achieve this is beyond the scope of this article, but it's usually through automated IP scanning.

Consequently, they can manipulate packets of information to inject spyware into a victim's computer and steal personal credentials.

2. Attack Your Company Server

Most companies use a private IP address. Although this is usually a hard nut to crack for hackers, they can still use your company's IP to disrupt its systems—especially if its server's firewall is weak.

Firstly, this requires that the attacker initially gains access to your company's private network and probably grabs locally shared IP. They might do this via phishing and social engineering; this is why you should avoid clicking untrusted external links in emails or SMSes. The attack becomes worse if your company's primary server shares the local network with the rest of the staff.

Although the IP address itself doesn't leak sensitive information, there are quite a few tweaks the hacker can use to install malware into the server via TCP. Once malware comes into the picture, it may take over the server and help the hackers perpetrate their goals.

3. Use Your IP Address to Stalk You

Since your IP address gives websites and apps information about your network location, right about anyone that's tech-savvy can use this information to trace where you are. And sadly, it's hard to tell if someone is spying on you via your IP or not.

As said, websites or apps only need your IP address to deliver content accurately. So they typically don't go the extra mile to figure out your actual location. Stalkers might want to do so to trace your footsteps using lookup tools.

Even if your IP doesn't lead stalkers to your doorstep, it's how they get an idea of your commutes. So they're likely to know where you connect from after all. And as far as you use the internet, they can update their feed anytime to see where you last visited.

4. Denial of Service

Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) is one of the most brutal attacks that may result when hackers target your IP to comport an attack. The purpose of this type of attack might be unclear sometimes, but it usually has financial motives. Hence, it typically targets organizations and rarely individuals.

The concept is to prevent you or your organization from accessing essential services online to disrupt your services. How can someone use a DDOS against you through your IP address?

Well, it's simple theoretically. But there's a lot the hacker does behind the scene. Basically, once a hacker has your IP address, they can channel heavy traffic towards your computer or server, causing it to go offline, hence, inaccessible.

5. Use Your IP Address for Malicious Deals

Someone with your IP address can transact on your behalf on the internet by using your IP address. This concept is easy to understand once you know how shared proxies and VPNs work.

Further, the attacker's action might implicate you depending on how they used your IP while impersonating you. For instance, if someone uses your IP for fraud, to seal implicative deals, or to download illegal content, you might get blocked from accessing certain services on the internet.

How to Mask IP Address and Stay Safe

So, you've learned how threat actors might use your IP address against you. How can you protect yourself from impending attacks since anyone can know your IP address?

• Use premium proxies or VPN services to mask your IP and browse the web anonymously.
• Avoid clicking untrusted external links in emails or SMSes.
• Use private browsers like Tor to surf the web.
• Using public Wi-Fi might also help prevent stalkers from knowing your location.

Besides someone misusing your IP address for malicious reasons, there are several other reasons to hide your IP address while surfing the internet.

Is It Bad if Someone Knows Your IP?

Getting hacked through your IP address should be the least of your worries. Unfortunately, it might happen. Moreover, cybercriminals would leverage any available vulnerability to get at their victims.

But while hackers can use the IP route to attack their victims, attacks usually spring from other origins besides the IP address. You might not worry about your IP address if you're only a daily internet user. However, you might consider masking your IP if you need anonymity due to your daily sensitive internet routine. Therefore, rather than focusing your efforts on IP protection only, be vigilant generally on the internet and watch out for other threats.