What can somebody do with your IP address?

When you connect to the internet, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) assigns you an IP address. Websites use This unique digital identifier to send data back to your device. Without it, websites couldn’t communicate with you. However, your IP address also creates a digital footprint. This is why it is crucial to ask: What can somebody do with your IP address?

Websites often link your IP address to your name, preferences, purchases, and other personal data. This allows companies like Google and Meta to track your behavior across platforms. These profiling practices threaten your privacy, making it essential to hide your IP address using a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

The risks don’t stop there. Peer-to-peer (P2P) connections in gaming, video messaging, or applications like BitTorrent expose your IP address to other users. This opens the door to cyberattacks. Once hackers know your IP address, they can probe your network for vulnerabilities. They can attack your devices to steal data or infect you with malware.

This guide explains everything you need to know about IP privacy. We’ve analyzed IP address risks and explained how to use a VPN to improve internet safety. Your IP address is your digital fingerprint – learn how to protect it before it’s exploited!

What is an IP address?

An IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a unique identifier assigned to you by your ISP. All networks have an outwardly visible IP address (public IP address) assigned to the user from a pool of IP addresses controlled by the ISP.

The public IP address is unique to each network. This ensures that data can be routed back to that network from the internet.

Networks consist of private IP addresses in addition to public IP addresses. Private IPs are assigned to each device connected to a network, allowing data from the Internet to be routed to the appropriate device.

Imagine, for example, that you are watching Netflix on your laptop while your partner does some Amazon shopping on their smartphone. The public IP address ensures that data from Amazon and Netflix comes to your house. Private IP addresses allow your router to forward the traffic to the correct device on your home wifi network.

What can somebody do with your IP address?

Once a website (or individual) has your IP address, they can communicate with your network. This allows websites to send you data and fulfill the services you requested. However, it also creates essential privacy and security risks that you need to know about.

Here are the risks of an exposed IP address:

1. Location tracking (geo-tracking)

Public IP addresses reveal information about your geographic location. They can also reveal your Internet Service Provider. This allows websites and online services (including advertisers) to use IP addresses for location tracking. Your IP address may reveal your geographic location (down to your city or neighborhood).

Websites use your IP to monitor you online. They can use your IP address to track each time you visit a website. Using tracking scripts, they can also use your IP address to follow you online. As a result, businesses – and the third-party advertising companies they work with – can serve personalized location-based ads.

Cybercriminals can also use your IP address to get information about your whereabouts, which can cause serious privacy concerns.

2. Personalized ads and marketing

Websites and advertisers constantly track user IP addresses online. They use them to serve personalized ads based on browsing history, preferences, and location. This is called geotargeting.

Location-based ad personalization techniques include geotargeting, geofencing, and radius targeting. All of these advertising techniques cause users to see ads for nearby services and stores, increasing the effectiveness of advertising campaigns by making them more relevant to the users who see them.

3. Online activity tracking

Your IP address is one of the primary datasets used to track you online. Websites, ISPs, government agencies, and other unwanted parties (eavesdroppers, cybercriminals, and hackers) use it to monitor the websites you visit, resulting in significant privacy invasions.

It also allows websites to engage in nefarious practices such as price gouging.

4. Location-based pricing and price gouging

Have you ever tried to book a flight or a hotel and noticed that the price has increased when you revisit the website?

Websites exploit your IP address to track you each time you visit their website. When you make the same inquiry twice, the website knows you are serious about purchasing, which can lead to negative consequences.

For example, the website may increase the price each time you return. This creates a sense of urgency because it makes you believe you must act quickly to secure the lower price. In reality, this is called dynamic pricing, and it is leveraging your IP address against you to:

1. Serve you the highest price possible based on your location. People living in affluent areas may see higher prices than those living in neighborhoods, regions, or countries that have less spending power.
2. Increase the price of goods or services to force you to make the purchase sooner.

Related: How to book cheaper hotels with a VPN

5. Denial-of-service attack (DoS/DDoS attack)

A DDoS attack is a type of cyberattack that floods an IP address with traffic to overwhelm it and prevent it from communicating. Hackers use this type of attack to bring websites and services to a grinding halt.

DDoS attacks can also be used to victimize individuals – such as gamers. When a hacker attacks a gamer using a DDoS attack, it knocks them out of the match or tournament. This gives the hacker an easy win, which can be lucrative when playing games for cash prizes.

6. Phishing attacks

Cybercriminals may engage in phishing attacks based on IP address location. This allows hackers to target individuals based on where they live, making phishing attacks more personalized and convincing. It also allows hackers to purposely target affluent areas with their phishing schemes.

7. Impersonation

Once a hacker has your IP address, they could infiltrate your network, infect your devices with malware, add your devices (including IoT devices) to a botnet, and take over your internet-connected devices to impersonate you. Once a hacker has a foothold in your network, they can communicate via your IP address to impersonate you and engage in illegal activities. They could communicate with people you know to defraud them more easily or use the data they steal from your network to commit identity theft and fraud.

Hackers could also engage in illegal activities from your IP address. As a result, you could be suspected of criminal activities you didn’t commit.

Related: The best identity theft protection services

8. Copyright infringement and piracy

Your IP address can be used to monitor all your online web visits and activities. This includes attribution of illegal streaming, torrenting, and other potential copyright violations. Copyright trolls often track the IP addresses of users accessing torrent repositories. This can allow copyright holders or their legal representatives to send legal notices or prospective invoicing letters.

9. Device hacking

Your IP address provides direct access to your home Wi-Fi network, which includes everything a hacker needs to start probing it for vulnerabilities.

If any of your devices (routers, smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktop computers, NAS drives, servers, smart home devices, IoT devices, etc.) are found to have a vulnerability, hackers will be able to compromise them. This can allow hackers to infect you with malware, take over your devices, steal data, and hack into your accounts.

10. IP address sales on the Dark Web

If your IP address falls into a cybercriminal’s hands, they could sell it alongside other information on the dark web. Hackers often harvest valuable personal information for phishing and other cyberattacks and sell it on the Dark Web to create a profit. This allows other hackers to purchase your IP address and other personal info that can be used for malicious purposes, including identity theft.

11. IP bans

If you’ve ever had an online account suspended or terminated, you may have experienced an IP ban. Websites, game servers, and other online platforms monitor user activity, and if a user violates rules, community guidelines, or Terms of Service, they may face an account ban.

Many platforms block the user’s IP address from accessing their servers to enforce such bans. This type of ban applies to the entire network using that IP address, meaning everyone on the same network is affected. For instance, if your home network is banned, no one using your Wi-Fi can access the website or service.

An IP ban can sometimes be unfair. If your Internet Service Provider (ISP) assigns you a dynamic IP address – an IP address that a different customer previously used – you could inherit an IP that was previously banned.

This situation is more common than you might think because ISPs have a pool of dynamic IP addresses that they assign and reassign to different customers over time. This could prevent you from accessing a service even if you haven’t done anything wrong.

How someone can find your IP address

There are many ways that someone can find your IP address. Once they know it, you can do little to stop them from attempting to exploit it. This is why it is crucial to hide your IP address by using a VPN to hide it from websites and other internet users.

Below, we have included all the ways someone could get your IP address:

1. By connecting to your Wi-Fi network

If you allow someone to enter your house and connect to your Wi-Fi network, they can easily check your IP address and make a note of it. After that, they could target your IP address to probe for vulnerabilities and gain access to your network. This is one of the main reasons why it is vital to secure your Wi-Fi network with a strong password and be careful about who you allow to join the network.

2. Harvesting it when you surf the web and visit websites

Every time you visit a website, you are allowing that website to see your IP address. Even social media platforms and online forms can see your IP address. If you accidentally click on a malicious link or navigate to a website that a hacker controls, they will have your IP address. This is why you should always hide your IP address when searching the web and visiting unknown sites.

3. Clicking on Ads

If you click on an advert, you will provide your IP address to the marketing company that supplied it and the website it links you to. Clicking on ads can also expose your IP address to cybercriminals because many ads and popups are malicious (which means they are used for phishing, data theft, or spreading malware).

4. Email headers

When you send an email, the header contains metadata, including your IP address. This information can be used to locate your home network, allowing hackers to probe your wifi for vulnerabilities. If you have any gaps in your firewall or vulnerable devices, hackers could get a foothold inside your network, where they will attempt to penetrate additional devices to engage in data theft and other malicious activities.

5. Using online forums

Posting online on forums or online communities can expose your IP address to anyone accessing the website’s logs. This makes it essential to use trusted forums, or you could hand over your IP address to unwanted third parties.

6. P2P File Sharing (Torrenting)

Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing using the BitTorrent protocol and torrenting is one of the most dangerous things you can do online. Connecting P2P reveals your IP address to every other user in the swarm. This massively increases your exposure to cyberattacks because you never know who you might meet. This is why it is vital always to use a VPN when torrenting.

7. Physical access to your device

If somebody borrows your device, they can access your IP address. They could quickly run an IP checking tool online or find your IP address by checking network settings. Once they have your IP address, they could attack your network to find a way in and begin eavesdropping on your devices.

8. Social Engineering Attacks

Social engineering attacks use spearphishing to target victims using topics that seem relevant to them. The victim receives messages with dodgy links or with messages that request personal information. If the victim responds or clicks the malicious link, they will reveal personal information to the hacker, including their IP address.

9. IP Grabbers

Hackers and data snoops use “IP grabber” tools to capture your IP address when you click a malicious link. This is why you must be careful about the links you click. If you accidentally click a link that causes your IP address to be harvested, it could lead to cyberattacks on your home network.

How can I protect my IP address? Use a VPN

Unwanted third parties, including cybercriminals, websites, marketing companies, and advertisers, can track your home IP address. Revealing your IP address to any of these unwanted third parties carries risks. This includes tracking, profiling, geotargeting, and the threat of hackers and cyberattacks. We strongly recommend protecting your IP address using a VPN to stay safe online.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is the most effective way to hide your IP address from websites and other internet users. A VPN is an online privacy tool with encryption to conceal your location.

When you connect to a VPN server, it changes your IP address by replacing it with one belonging to the VPN. This ensures that all your online activities seem to originate from the VPN’s IP address. As long as you always use the VPN, nobody will ever detect your IP address again. This is why those seeking robust online privacy should always use a VPN.

How a VPN works to hide your IP address

A VPN encrypts your internet traffic and routes it through a secure proxy server. This improves your privacy by hiding your activities from ISPs, government agencies, hackers, public Wi-Fi hotspots, and other local networks (including workplaces and schools).

With a VPN enabled, your online activities become entirely confidential. The VPN uses an encrypted tunnel to hide your IP address from other users when you torrent, use P2P messaging apps, access social media, use online forums, or do any other task that usually provides your public IP address to third parties.

A VPN protects your IP address and lets you bypass geoblocking and censorship. By connecting to a server in another country, you can spoof your location and access region-specific content.

For example, you can connect to a US server to watch American Netflix or a UK server to stream British TV like BBC iPlayer. This feature, called location spoofing, is one of the most useful benefits of a VPN besides online privacy.

What are the best VPNs to hide your IP address?

A VPN capable of hiding your IP address must provide secure apps with strong encryption, DNS leak protection, a kill switch, and a no-logs policy.

Studies have revealed that many VPNs lack vital security features such as AES encryption. Using an inferior VPN will give you a false sense of security. This is why you must stick to recommended VPNs that have been thoroughly tested.

To make your life easier we used an in-depth VPN testing methodology to find the most reliable VPNs to hide your IP address. Our top picks offer superb value for money, apps for all devices, and all the features you need to gain online privacy and freedom of access.

Here are the best VPNs to hide your IP address:

1. NordVPN: Best overall VPN to hide your IP address. NordVPN is known for its robust security features like AES-256 encryption, a no-logs policy, and advanced tools like Double VPN and Tor over VPN, NordVPN ensures your IP address is always private. You can test it risk-free using its 30-day money-back guarantee.
2. Surfshark: Best value VPN to hide your IP address. Durfshark offers unlimited simultaneous connections, which makes it excellent for families. It has strong AES encryption, and it blocks ads and malware. Apps for all platforms include a kill switch. , Has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
3. IPVanish: A fast VPN with servers in 50+ countries. Provides a choice of VPN protocols and a no-logs policy. IPVanish is ideal for users wanting to hide their IP address effectively. Plus it has a wide choice of US servers to watch US Netflix and to bypass blackout games.
4. ExpressVPN: Known for its lightning-fast speeds, strong no-logs policy, and RAM-only servers. ExpressVPN guarantees privacy by hiding your IP address across a wide range of devices. Servers in 100+ countries work to unblock popular streaming sites.
5. PureVPN: Cheap and reliable. With a verified no-logs policy, AES-256 encryption, and dedicated IP options, PureVPN has everything you need to safeguard your IP address.
6. CyberGhost VPN: Ideal for beginners. Features user-friendly apps, streaming-optimized servers, and a system-level kill switch.  CyberGhost VPN is perfect for users looking to hide their IP address and access IPs in over 100 different countries. 45-day money-back guarantee.
7. ProtonVPN: A highly advanced and secure VPN. ProtonVPN offers strong encryption, a strict no-logs policy, and Secure Core servers for added anonymity. Perfect for torrenting thanks to its port forwarding feature.

How to secure your home network

Hiding your IP address whenever you access the internet will massively improve your online privacy and make it much harder for hackers to discover your network. This makes using the internet much safer. With a VPN enabled, you don’t have to worry about hackers and fraudsters targeting your home network.

Using a VPN is the best way to improve your privacy and online security. However, it needs to be part of a broader cybersecurity strategy. Below, we have included other tips and tricks that you should adopt to improve your security and harden your network against cyberattacks.

1. Update router firmware

Start by logging into your router and checking that the firmware is up-to-date. You can research your specific router model to learn how to update the software if necessary. Router manufacturers release updates to patch vulnerabilities and improve performance. Updates should be turned on by default, but we recommend checking in your router’s admin panel to ensure that updates are turned on.

2. Secure your router’s administration panel

We advise changing the default password used to access your router’s administration panel. This will stop hackers from being able to log in to your router. Many routers ship with a default password such as “Admin”. This makes it too easy for hackers to log in to your router, which could allow them to weaken network security settings and gain access to your devices.

3. Update your network name (SSID)

Changing your network’s default SSID (network name) is a good idea. A personalized SSID makes your network less identifiable and can help avoid revealing unnecessary details to nearby users.

4. Enable your router’s firewall

Check that the router’s firewall is turned on. The firewall acts as a critical defense by blocking unwanted traffic and preventing unauthorized access to your network.

5. Enable device firewalls

Always enable a strong firewall on individual devices like laptops and desktop computers for added protection. Windows has a built-in firewall, so ensure it is turned on and configured correctly.

6. Check for open ports

Keeping unnecessary ports open can expose your network to vulnerabilities. If you have previously opened ports (for port forwarding or other purposes), it is a good idea to close them again.

All incoming ports should be closed unless you need to provide remote access to resources on your LAN. For most users, the only ports typically required for internet communication are:

• 53: DNS
• 80: HTTP
• 443: HTTPS
• 8080: Alternative HTTP

It is true that if you are using a VPN protocol such as OpenVPN or WireGuard, certain ports are required for the VPN to function:

• UDP 1194: The default port for OpenVPN
• UDP 51820: The default port for WireGuard

However, you usually don’t need to open these ports in your router. Modern VPN clients handle connections dynamically using techniques like NAT traversal or TAP drivers. This will establish a secure VPN connection without requiring manual port configuration. In other words, the VPN application handles the opening and closing of ports on the fly to ensure network security.

7. Set a strong wifi password

Create a secure password for your Wi-Fi network. Use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Also, set a strong Wi-Fi password and use secure encryption (WPA3 or WPA2). Protect network devices by using strong passwords and updating important software, including the operating system, regularly.

Other tips for protecting your IP address

• Use a Proxy server: A proxy server hides your IP address from websites by giving you a different outbound IP. The best way to get a secure proxy is by subscribing to a VPN. VPNs provide access to robust proxy servers in many different countries. This lets you hide your IP address and change your location to access regional services.
• Use Tor browser: Tor browser sends your traffic through multiple servers (nodes) to hide your IP address. This makes it hard for anyone to trace your activities back to you. However, although Tor is great for privacy, it slows down your internet. This is why we recommend using a VPN instead. A VPN hides your IP address behind a secure proxy while giving you faster speeds.
• Update your privacy settings: We recommend that you check privacy settings on your devices, browsers, social media accounts, and other accounts. Limit what information you provide and who can see your information.
• Request a dynamic IP address from your ISP: Most ISPs assign dynamic IP addresses that change regularly, making it harder for hackers to track you. If your IP is static, you might want to contact your ISP to request a dynamic one.
• Use mobile data: Using mobile data instead of wifi hides your home IP address. However, this exposes your mobile device’s public IP instead. To secure your mobile connection, always use a VPN on your phone or tablet.

What are the different types of public IP addresses?

There are two main types of IP addresses: IPv4 and IPv6. IPv4 is the most common type and is the type most often assigned to residential networks by Internet Service Providers. It uses a 32-bit address scheme and accounts for around 4.3 billion unique IP addresses worldwide.

IPv6 is a newer IP address standard that was introduced in 2012. It uses a 128-bit address scheme which increases the size of an IPv6 address. As a result, the IPv6 schema can provide a larger number of IP addresses. This means that IPv6 is available to continue accommodating the growing number of devices connected to the internet worldwide.

Public vs. Private IP addresses

When you communicate online, your network uses two different kinds of IP addresses.

• Your ISP assigns you a public IP address (also called an external IP address). This IP address is called public because it is visible over the Internet. It allows devices, networks, websites, and other internet services outside your network to communicate with you.
• A private IP address (or internal IP address) is used within your local network. It isn’t visible on the public internet. Instead, it is used to send data back to the right device on a network, ensuring that each user gets the data they requested from the internet.

How can I find my IP address?

If you want to know what your home IP address is, you can check it easily by using our IP address checking tool.

Knowing your home IP address is useful because it allows you to check that your VPN is working correctly. When you connect to a VPN it should hide your IP address from the websites you visit. This includes the IP address-checking tools you use.

When you connect to a VPN and navigate to the link provided, you should see the IP address of the VPN server location. If the VPN is working correctly, you should not be able to see your real home IP address in any of the results (IP leak test, DNS leak test, and WebRTC leak test).

If you want to find the private IP address for the device you are using, you can go to your device’s network settings.

What should I do if someone has my IP address?

If you are afraid that someone has already got your IP address, follow the steps below. If someone has your IP then could attack your network. Hackers may probe for vulnerabilities, attempt to add your devices to a botnet, or block your access to the internet using DDoS attacks. These nefarious activities can all lead to severe ramifications, so it is wise to protect yourself at once:

1. Change your IP Address

If you are sure that an unwanted third party has acquired your IP address, you can try resetting your router to see if this updates your dynamic IP. If this doesn’t work, contact your ISP to ask for your IP address to be changed.

2. Take steps to prevent future IP leaks

Always use a VPN to avoid exposing your IP address in the future. A VPN hides your IP address by concealing it behind an IP address that belongs to the VPN.

Without a VPN, your real IP address is visible every time you browse the Internet, creating severe privacy and security risks. Using a VPN gives you peace of mind because it hides your IP address every time you use the Internet.

If you remember always to use a secure VPN from the moment you get a new IP address, you will prevent any website or service from ever seeing your real home IP address.

What can somebody do with your IP address? FAQs