Are you wondering how you could use your IP address to harden your information security? We live in a world full of technological wonders that keep changing our lives. There are so many new advancements that would have been unimaginable in the past, but today they are just a part of our everyday lives. Who would’ve ever believed you could use your phone to control various devices in your home, from your fridge to your vacuum cleaner?
We even have Elon Musk making plans to expand our reach and colonize Mars. If we know anything about this entrepreneur and TIME’s 2021 person of the year, it is that he usually manages to accomplish whatever he sets his mind to. Can you imagine living on Mars or even visiting it for holidays? Your answer is probably something along the lines of “Not in my lifetime.” While that might seem hard for you to imagine, it would’ve been the same for your grandparents trying to imagine smartphones or smartwatches.
The world is changing, and we are here to reap the benefits. But, the benefits weren’t the only thing we got because of these technological advancements, as the cybercriminals and fraudsters have also decided to find ways of exploiting them. Luckily, this only encouraged various companies to step up their cybersecurity strategy and implement different tools such as IP fraud scores to protect themselves and their customers. For that, you could check solutions such as IP Fraud Checker, Scamalytics, Bolt, or Riskified.
How can IP addresses help you stay safe online?
While there are different tools, you can implement to stay safe online, one of the oldest and still one of the most common methods is IP address analysis.
What exactly is an IP address?
Most of us have heard about the IP addresses but never actually knew what it is. The extent of your knowledge was probably just knowing that you have it. Get ready to change that. An IP address or internet protocol address is a unique numeric value that is assigned to a device, and it helps identify it on the Internet. It is assigned to every device connected to the Internet, from our computers and smartphones to IoT devices in our homes. Without it, not only our devices wouldn’t be able to communicate with each other, but we wouldn’t be able to use the Internet at all. The Internet, websites, networks, and apps just wouldn’t be able to differentiate between all the connected devices and determine to whom to send requested data.
How do you utilize an IP address for online safety?
Even though the technology is advancing even faster than we expect, leaving us wondering what marvels next await us, sometimes the old methods provide the best answers. We all have an IP address, so what is better to use to identify the threats?
Through IP address analysis and IP fraud score, you can gather more information about your user and use it to determine who they are and their intentions towards you. It can be helpful in other areas than just cybersecurity, such as marketing, improving a website’s personalization, e-commerce, or even determining a user’s location to ensure you are offering your service to the correct users. For example, streaming services such as Disney+ use IP addresses to determine if you are located outside the accepted Disney+ countries. This can be a hassle when traveling, but it is constantly expanding, which means that it is not going to be a problem for much longer.
IP analysis can ensure you provide your services to legitimate users to protect them and your business from online threats when it comes to cybersecurity. It analyzes various elements of IP addresses, assigning them points depending on how risky they are. All these points are added up to an overall IP fraud score determining users’ risk score. This can help recognize any red flags that might indicate fraudulent behavior and prevent dangerous actors from accessing your website or network.
Whether it is geolocation, Internet service providers, or even open ports, IP addresses reveal more factors than you thought, and all of them can be used to ensure your online safety. Cybercriminals and fraudsters won’t give up trying to exploit as many people and businesses as possible, so it is imperative we use all the tools at our disposal to stay safe.
Photo credit: The feature image has been done by Standret.
