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    Question ID:   10175         Current Version: 1
Question: How can users be traced from their IP addresses?
Category: Computers > Internet
Keywords: trace, track, IP address
Type: how
Rating:(0 ratings)    Views: 298    Discussions: 0   In Watch Lists: 1  

 
    Answer:
Every transfer of information over the Internet must include the capture of the IP address. Some examples of automatic logging are: visiting a web site, sending or receiving e-mail, using a chat room, or reading and posting to a social network. A common situation that causes IP addresses to be distributed to a third party is when visiting a web site and that site participates in banner ad networks where the ads are served from a third party site. This third party site retrieves the IP address when it sends the ad. This information is used to measure the number of ad views and calculate click-through rates.

Transferring IP addresses to a third party can also be accomplished by sending a web page via e-mail. When the user opens the attachment (if they are connected to the Internet) the e-mailed web page could make a request to a web site anywhere on the Internet (such as requesting an image file). This transfers the user's IP address to that web site along with the date and time that the user opened the message. An Internet cookie can also be placed on the user's system at that time. Several advertisers already engage in this practice. This method could also be used to defeat anonymous e-mail.

Once an IP address is captured several methods can be used to trace the user.
  • Determine who owns the network. IP addresses are distributed in blocks to network providers or private companies. By searching IP registration databases it is possible to determine who owns an IP address block. Databases are available on the Internet for the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific regions. Sophisticated computer break-ins sometimes include an attempt to erase the IP addresses captured by the log files to prevent this type of lookup.
  • Perform a "reverse lookup." This converts the IP address into a computer name [Example: convert 74.125.45.100 into www.google.com]. This is used to determine if a computer is part of a registered Internet domain.
  • Conduct a Traceroute. When information packets travel through the Internet they pass through several computers in a hierarchical fashion. Normally packets pass from the user to their Internet Service Provider (ISP) until it reaches the user's "backbone" provider. It then transfers to the destination "backbone " provider down to the ISP of the destination computer and finally to the intended recipient. It is often possible to determine an approximate physical location of an IP address in this fashion. It is also possible to determine the computer's ISP and/or network provider even if the computer itself is not part of a domain. This is usually how junk e-mail or "spam" is traced.
  • Review domain registration information via the "WHOIS" databases. Domain registration information is available via the Internet by performing a WHOIS on the domain name portion of the computer name [Example: for www.google.com perform WHOIS GOOGLE.COM to obtain the registration information].
  • Search the Internet for the IP address and/or computer name. It is often possible to find matches from users making public postings on discussion boards or from web sites that leave their log files open to the Internet. Of course, web site owners and/or banner networks could have additional non-public information based on activities at their web sites.

Generally, users who have fixed Internet connections (cable modems, private companies, etc.) have fixed IP addresses. Dial-up Internet providers usually give addresses dynamically from a pool when a user dials in to connect (such as a pool of 100 IP addresses per 800 subscribers).

Internal network procedures also affect the amount of information that can be gleaned from an IP address. If a proxy sits between the users and the Internet all of the users appear to come from one computer. In these cases, users can only traced as far as the proxy unless additional information is known. The computer names can also sometimes be used to gather additional information. One major provider's computer names usually include the nearest big city of the user. Some networks simply use the e-mail address in the computer name [Example: xyz.my.com has e-mail address ].

Ambiguities in user identification by IP address are reduced by the use of "Internet cookies." These are text files that gives users a unique identity. Cookies would essentially become unnecessary if everyone had fixed IP addresses.

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