How can I protect my IP address?

[clover]

from netstat and other ip sniffers

[ALLEYCAT]

turn off computer... seriously you have to have an IP to communicate, get a router use annon servers etc etc

[shifter]

clover - You need to protect your computer, not your IP address. Make sure you have a firewall and antivirus running all the time and you should be pretty secure. A hardware firewall, such as a router, can protect you even more.

[dumptrillianpro]

sure, but first explain how you can read aloud without making any sounds

[David]

quote:Originally posted by DJHyperbyte

Firstly, let me clear something up. An IP address is not something special or secret. It's not a number that contains all your personal info and it will not make you coffee.

• An IP address is simply an address that network devices (such as computers and routers) can use to reach other network devices in a network. You could see it as a street address. The network is the street and each network device is a house. So, let's say my IP address is '192.168.0.5', then I live in the street '192.168.0' and my house number is '5'.
  
  Now every street has at least one postman. The postman knows the locations of other streets and other houses. Let's take a simple example: you connect to MSN Messenger. You click on the 'Login' button and then your computer immediatly asks the postman "Hey, send this letter to MSN! I want to login!". The postman sends the letter with your username and password to MSN Messenger and then MSN Messenger sends a letter back to either deny or confirm your login.
  
  --- At this point you have already given your IP address to at least two other network devices. The postman in your street and the computers at MSN.
  
  Now you are going to send a file via MSN Messenger to a friend. Your friend clicks 'Accept' and with that, his computer sends you a letter containing: "Yes, I want to accept the transfer. This is my address...".
  
  --- Now at least three computers know your IP address. Your postman, the computers at MSN and your friend's computer.

This is, greatly simplified, how the internet works. Now your original questions:
[*]If I am not hooked up to the internet, does my computer have an IP address?
If you buy a house in a street, will it have a house number? Of course! So as long as your computer is participating in a network it will have an IP address.
[*]Is an IP address determined by the manufacterer?
No, this depends on the network you participate in. Often a network gives you an IP address automatically, sometimes you have to enter one manually.
[*]How do I find my IP address?
This depends on what IP address you are looking for. If your computer is behind a router then you will have both an internal (LAN) and an external (internet) IP address. With the 'ipconfig' program (Start -> Run -> 'cmd' -> 'ipconfig') you can find your internal IP address. Your external address can be found by visiting this webpage. If you don't have a router, but are connected directly to the internet, then your internal IP address and external IP address will be the same.
[*]If someone hacked my computer, can they find my IP address?
If someone broke into your house, then must know where you lived in the first place. So if someone on the internet has hacked you, then they knew your IP address already.
[*]Can someone gain administrative rights when they know my IP address?
Simply put: no. But this really depends on your computer. It might be possible that there is a malicious program (such as a trojan) that opens a backdoor in your computer so hackers can walk right in. Generally, when your computer is behind a router or when you have installed a decent firewall, you don't need to worry about this at all.


Hope this cleared things up.

[mako789]

Along the same lines as hiding IP addresses In IM'as such as YAhoo, MSN or Paltalk. Are people in the room able to see your IP even if you aren't sending them a file or in a private room or anything. The reason I ask is that it seems from what you are saying it's really not possible to protect ot hide an IP address

[MrEggsalad]

If you are in a chat room is what I'm guessing you are saying. Well, no not just from looking at you're name on the list of others in the chat. However, I'm sure there are ways that people can if they really try (meaning they probably REALLY REALLY would want to know it).

[Spike]

Most routers and/or modems nowadays as well as Windows XP Service Pack 2 have built-in firewalls, meaning even if someone had your IP address, they really couldn't do anything. I cannot stress enough how unimportant it is for someone to have or know your IP address. Here, you want mine? 68.75.187.215. Really, it's not something to fear. In addition, some DSL companies and all Dialup users will get a different IP address everytime they sign on (for DSL it usually rotates once every 1-3 days), so even if someone had your IP, it would be useless in a short amount of time.

[kerriejoe]

Originally Posted by Spike

Most routers and/or modems nowadays as well as Windows XP Service Pack 2 have built-in firewalls, meaning even if someone had your IP address, they really couldn't do anything. I cannot stress enough how unimportant it is for someone to have or know your IP address. Here, you want mine? 68.75.187.215. Really, it's not something to fear. In addition, some DSL companies and all Dialup users will get a different IP address everytime they sign on (for DSL it usually rotates once every 1-3 days), so even if someone had your IP, it would be useless in a short amount of time.

I don't mean to sound like an arse here, if there is nothing fear from people having your ip, then why am I getting into trouble for someone spoofing my ip/email while trying to fraud someone? It can be a worry that someone has your IP.