Your I.P. Address Can Be Troublesome

By- Surya Pratap

IP (Internet Protocol) address, is a specific address which identifies a device in internet,...do you know this source... can be troublesome to you and your connected devices.

In essence, IP address are the identifier that allows information to be sent between devices on a network, as they contain location info which makes devices accessible for connection and communication, Since internet needs a way to differentiate between devices like computers, routers, and websites. IP addresses provide a way of doing so and constitute an essential part of the internet

• What is an I.P. ??

An I.P. is a string of no's separated by periods..... they are expressed in set of no's for eg - 192.168.3.78 ........... each no has range from 0 tom 255. They are produced mathematically by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), a branch of Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANIN), a non-profit organization in U.S. established in 1998, Internet Identifies your I.P. and connects it with the I.P. of the device or source which you want to connect 

You can find your I.P. (in your pc) by typing in cmd prompt - ipconfig

• Why is it Troublemaker ??

Although User may get to know your I.P. when you try to connect with him/her...... but can use your I.P. to send you fishy internet traffic...... by emails, images.......

Your I.P. is nothing more but you..... If somebody finds your I.P. .......He/She can stalk you by fishing and find your location.... what you search in your browser and can Poison your DNS... can make reach at your passwords and even can reach at your contacts and can even cause them harm as well... If you are using Internet/Online Banking they can swipe away the cash out by identifying your passwords ....... Many Countries like Belarus and mostly China and North Korea... The government keeps a track on their I.P.'s and they know everything about their public activities and have a track on them..... if anything is wrong with them..... they are took under instant action.

• How to be safe ??

Even though... I.P. can't be changed or hidden... but there are some points that can help you to be safe from leaking your data

• Don't Share your I.P. - Although it's stupid to ask but yes, if someone asks for your I.P. then no need to tell him even if he's close to you... a study suggest that most of the hackers are the closest ones of victims.
• No Device Sharing -  When was the last time you gave your phone or pc , etc.... Don't do as they can find your I.P. .... it will be worthless if you have took all other safety measures... only pass on during emergency.
• Unknown Contacts -  Do not open email's which are unauthorized or spam ...or unnecessary video calls eg: in skype, meet etc. as they can find your I.P.  easily.
• Know if you are stalked -  It's Hard.... but you can.... If you are known that you're being stalked online.. contact your nearest Cybersecurity Department......There are some symptoms of stalking eg- Loss of more Internet data, Fast Battery Discharge, Lots of spam emails, More viruses in your computer, pc, Not able to join websites which you could join before.
• Internet off please - Use Internet when you're working... Many just let them open... which let's the attacker to enter into your system and mess it.

• Is VPN safe ??

VPN also stands for, Virtual Private Networks...... in simple terms it hides your I.P. which can protect you from stalking and you can join it from other country server. eg If you are in India and there is a favorite show which you are not able to watch from country.... so you can join other country's server using a VPN and watch it........it protects your I.P. and also you can watch content which is restricted in your region. 

But don't be too happy.... VPN can make you anonymous but if your VPN server gets hacked (i.e.; the source or application from which you are using your VPN gets hacked).... your data may be available to attacker.... so use a VPN that's safe,, and my suggestion don't use free VPN as they are the most one which are attacked or some are even fraudsters who make you join there VPN and take you info and use or sell it. and since there is a saying (nothing is free).

So I Hope that you may now understand how important is your I.P. and how you can protect it.