Sep 12: Every day, cyber threats are emerging, and IT security professionals are always on their toes in such a scenario. Though the attempt is to stop the attacker from breaking into the network, however, always doing it is not possible. Knowing the culprit behind the attack is possible, which helps prevent more damage to the company’s network. With Internet Protocol Address Intelligence or IP Intelligence, it is possible to engage in digital forensics, especially when dealing with traffic based on a VPN. IP Intelligence is extremely beneficial to fighting cyber threats for any company.
What Is IP Intelligence?
IP Intelligence focuses on different users based on characteristics like geolocation data, masked or anonymous data, and characteristics of IP address. It is possible to find such information through the IP address of a user. If you do not know your IP address yet, use What Is My IP to understand the concept better.
Through IP intelligence, it is possible to know more about a user. It includes information such as from where the user is accessing the network and whether the user has used a masked identity to perform an activity. Such information comes in extremely handy to protect the company’s network. Let us now analyze how IP Intelligence can protect the company’s network.
The Role Of IP Intelligence In Protecting Your Company’s Network
IP Intelligence plays a critical role in unrevealing the users and other associated characteristics. With the help of such information, it is possible to protect the company’s network. Here are a few ways in which IP Intelligence can prove to be helpful.
1. Helps Identify A VPN User
The very nature of VPN is to give anonymity to its users. It is problematic when a user uses VPN to commit a crime. However, most of the reputed VPNs require the users to give information during the registration process, which includes billing information. Such information leaves a paper trail of the user and can be used to identify a VPN user. However, unveiling a masked user who uses VPN requires a sophisticated tool.
2. Helps Distinguish Between Corporate And Public Users
Most corporate users using the company’s network are often considered harmless. However, sometimes, a competitor can try to access the company’s network. They might be a public user masking themselves as a corporate user. This requires clear inspection. It is because sometimes, public traffic needs to be considered too. Blocking a public user directly is, therefore, not an option.
Sometimes, public internet access can happen from an airport or a library. In such a situation, all users use Wi-Fi that supports the same IP address. In such a situation, additional authentication can be done with the help of IP address intelligence.
3. Defense Against Malicious Traffic
IP address changes rapidly in today’s time, increasing the possibility of malicious attack. DDoS and other malware activities are powerful enough to penetrate the different layers of security. It can consume valuable processing power. IP intelligence is crucial in fighting such attacks by providing context-based security. It is intelligent enough to identify the IP addresses and associated security categories.
4. Contextual Awareness
IP intelligence works towards providing contextual awareness. It analyzes the IP requests to identify the threats that can come from multiple sources. Mainly it works in alignment with the global threat-sensor network. This network is handy in identifying IP addresses associated with malicious activity. IP intelligence works on different protection categories: Windows exploits, web attacks, botnets, scanners, denial of service, reputation, phishing, and proxy.
5. Automated Blocking With Threat Reporting
Equipped with predictive risk analyses with the latest intelligence, IP intelligence works towards both inbound and outbound communication through malicious IP addresses. IP intelligence identifies these malicious IP addresses, provides reports, and automatically blocks the connection.
IP Intelligence helps companies to take informed based actions. It protects against IP threats and improves the visibility of threats coming from multiple sources. Also, it optimizes the protection to include all the latest updates with real-time data. Furthermore, it can engage in automated blocking when configured, along with reporting the threats. To sum it up, it is handy to protect the company’s network sophisticatedly. Not many companies currently use IP Intelligence; however, it is the need of the hour. With everything going digital, cyber threats are looping. Therefore, all the necessary precautions should be taken.