Websites can track who you are and where you might live according to your IP address. If that sounds scary, it most certainly is, and even possibly dangerous! You should keep updated on how you use your IP address to make sure you are safely browsing the Internet.

It’s so easy to check your own IP address that you can visit a website and it can instantly tell you what IP address you are broadcasting. The IP address may or may not be specific, since some locating technologies aren’t exactly without problems. IP checking websites are good for when you successfully stealth your own IP address so that others won’t know your information.

Two types of IP addresses exist: static and dynamic. A static address will not change, while the dynamic address will do so. Dynamic addresses will change each time you connect to the network, so changing your IP address is as simple as disconnected your network connection and plugging it right back in. Changing a static address is harder to do, but is still possible.

We have all heard of web proxies that allow students and workers to get past network restrictions. Proxies work by hiding the real IP address, and instead giving the IP address of the Internet server that runs it. A list of public proxies can also be obtained so that you can run a program from your desktop to hide your IP address. This method is more versatile, but can also cost money.

A natural built in method of hiding IP addresses is achieved through network address translation. NAT will hide your specific IP address, and instead show a network address to others who request it. Network addresses are useful in the fact that they will make attack from an outside source harder. While it won’t prevent all attacks, it will certainly keep the lesser skilled hackers out of your system. NAT is fairly standard on networks today using modern routers.

Your IP address can easily be masked or changed, but consider your MAC address as another topic of security. MAC addresses can’t change without some heavy engineering tactics, so they are generally a better metric in determining where your computer is. Through ideas such as network address translation, this information can be kept hidden automatically. Be careful who you give such information to.

Final Thoughts

Computers contact with IP addresses, so knowing a thing or two about how they operate isn’t such a bad idea. IP addresses can be dangerous to give out at times, but the right software can secure your computer well enough so that you won’t have to worry each time you use the Internet.

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