Your IP address is the first thing cybercriminals look at when trying to scam or hack into your system.
Your IP address is a unique identifier—a unique string of numbers—assigned to your device when you connect to the internet.
And when obtained by malicious people, it can be exploited and used to harm you in many ways.
How Cybercriminals Can Use Your IP Address
In this article, we’ll go through the top 5 ways cybercriminals can use your IP address—and the top 5 ways to protect yourself from these threats.
1. Tracking Your Location
Your IP address immediately reveals your approximate geographical location—often down to your city or town. Now, other people knowing what city you live in may not seem like a big deal at first.
But it can be used to conduct phishing attacks and scams. For example, fake callers can pose as legitimate organizations from your city and lure you into revealing even more sensitive information.
More elaborate hackers can even use it as a stepping stone to further pinpoint you for even more serious threats, such as direct stalking.
2. Launching DDoS Attacks
A Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack refers to the act of flooding your network with traffic, causing it to slow down to the point of unusability—or even crash completely.
This is often used against businesses. When their internet access is down, their business slows down to a halt, leading to financial losses.
On smaller scales, it can be used to harass individuals as well. Online gamers, for example, sometimes launch DDoS attacks against other players they feel extremely frustrated with.
It’s one of the oldest plays in the book—and is still widely used today. In 2024, for example, there were 550% more DDoS attacks than in 2023.
3. Hacking into Your Devices
If a hacker knows your IP address, they can use it as a starting point to determine and exploit vulnerabilities in your network (your router and the devices connected to it).
Sometimes, these vulnerabilities are so large that they can even access your computer files or spy on you through your webcam. They can then steal or delete your data or even plant malware into your computer.
4. Using Your IP for Illegal Activities
If cybercriminals hijack your IP address, they can then use it to commit fraud and identity theft.
They’ll commit illegal activities like scams using your IP address—and once law enforcement gets involved, they’ll track down these network activities back to your IP address, framing you in the process.
So not only do the actual criminals get away scot-free, you’ll also have to deal with the legal headache for them as well.
5. Selling Your IP Address to Third Parties
But even if they don’t attack you directly, they can still let other people harm you and make money off it. It’s very common for large batches of IP addresses to be sold on the dark web.
Typical buyers by spammers (or scammers, rather), other cybercriminals, and even advertisers—yes, even big established companies and advertisers!
How to Protect Yourself
So how do you protect your IP address from getting exploited—or even obtained in the first place?
1. Secure Your Network and Devices
Every application and device connected to your network is a potential gateway for hackers. Ensure everything is secure by:
- Using Virtual Private Networks to assign you a different IP address, masking your actual IP address in the possible. This is particularly useful when you’re connecting to public Wi-Fi (where everyone connected to the network can see your IP address).
- Changing the default passwords on your internet router.
- Keep all software and devices (operating systems, routers, and all applications), up to date. Many updates include security patches for vulnerabilities.
- Use a firewall to monitor network traffic and block suspicious instances of activity.
- Disable remote access on your router unless absolutely necessary.
- Use proxy servers or the Tor network to reroute your network activity multiple times, making it far harder to track.
2. Be Cautious with Online Activity
Every piece of information we share on the internet can be used against you. So share wisely by:
- Avoid sharing personal information on social media (such as location, family details, and of course, financial data).
- Regularly check your social media online accounts for activity that you don’t remember doing—this is a sign someone has already breached your account.
- Use strong passwords and two-factor or multi-factor authentication (2FA/MFA).
- Keep anti-malware software active and updated on your devices (Windows Defender is plenty for Windows users, for example).
- Be careful of clicking on links in emails or messages from unknown sources, as they might be phishing attempts or malware downloads.
3. Monitor Your IP Address for Suspicious Activity
There are actually online services that let you check for internet activity linked with your IP address. There, you’ll see if there has been unauthorized use.
You may even see if your IP address has been flagged or even blacklisted for suspicious actions. With this knowledge, you can take action early.
4. Educate Yourself on Cybersecurity Best Practices
Cybersecurity goes far beyond hiding your ISP, however. So, educate yourself on the other best practices when it comes to cybersecurity.
And since tech is constantly evolving, keep up with the news as well. There might be new ways hackers can get into your system—or new ways to protect yourself.
Final Thoughts
So many people wonder: What is my IP address? How does it work? Is it important?
And the answer is yes, it’s very important.
And while the IP address is typically changed regularly and automatically by routers (or when it is restarted), it still stays the same long enough for people to attack you.
So, while it may seem like a hassle to go through extra loops to protect your IP address, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. So stay vigilant, secure, and proactive about your privacy—it’ll allow you to use the internet with peace of mind.
