What the IP? – The Digital Clue Hackers Love to Grab!

Outline of What I Covered:

What is an IP Address (IPv4)?
IPv4 Format Example
Public IP vs Private IP
Static IP vs Dynamic IP
IP Address in Action (How Devices Talk)
Private IP Ranges
Special IPs: 127.0.0.1, - 255.255.255.255, - 0.0.0.0, and AIPA
Spoofed IPs – Real or Fake?
Tools Every Beginner Should Know
Common Use Cases and Tips
Mini Quiz Recap (Just Like an Interview!)

1. What's an IP Address? Let Me Explain...

Okay, imagine this — you're ordering pizza. You give your home address so the delivery guy knows where to bring the food, right?

Well, an IP address works the same way — but in the digital world. It’s like the home address of your device on a network. Whether you’re using a mobile, laptop, or smart fridge (yes, that too), it needs an IP address to send or receive data online.

Here's how it works in real life:

When your phone says, “Yo Google, what’s the weather today?” — it doesn’t just magically reach Google.
It needs to send a request to Google's IP address, and Google sends the answer back to your phone's IP.

That whole exchange?
It’s like a digital handshake — "Hello, here’s my IP, I want to talk!"
And boom — the conversation starts.

2. IPv4 Format – The OG of Internet Addresses

So, what does an IP actually look like?

Something like this: 192.168.1.1

Yup, just four sets of numbers separated by dots. Each set is called an "octet" — kinda like slices of a digital pizza

Each octet can be any number from 0 to 255, and each one is 8 bits. So if you do the math (4 octets × 8 bits), you get a total of 32 bits.

That’s why it’s called a 32-bit address. Not scary. Just numbers.

Think of it like a phone contact list — every device has its own number (IP), so your computer knows exactly who to call when you hit "Send."

3. Public IP vs Private IP

Ever wonder how your devices talk to the world and to each other?

Let me break it down for you like this:

Public IP

This one is visible to the whole internet — kinda like your house being pinned on Google Maps.
It’s how websites, services, or hackers can find you online.

Example: 45.13.122.88 = Public (might even be shady)

Private IP

This one stays inside your home or office network.
It’s like a nickname your router gives to your phone, laptop, or TV so they can talk to each other — but no outsider can see it.

Example: 192.168.0.5 = Private (your phone inside your WiFi)

Tip:
Your router usually has the public IP, and it hands out private IPs to all your local devices like a boss. 💼

4. Static IP vs Dynamic IP

Ever noticed your device’s IP keeps changing? Let’s decode why:

Static IP

This IP is fixed — it never changes.
Mostly used for servers, CCTV systems, or any device that always needs to be reachable at the same address.

Think of it like a reserved seat at a restaurant — always there for you.

Dynamic IP

This IP changes automatically, assigned by something called DHCP (your router or network).
Most phones, laptops, or smart TVs get dynamic IPs when they connect to WiFi.

It’s like being handed a different seat each time you visit.

Fun Fact:
When your mobile joins your home WiFi, your router gives it a temporary private IP (like 192.168.0.12).
Turn WiFi off → IP goes back in the pool → Some other device might get it later!

5. IP in Action – How Devices Actually Talk

Okay, so here’s the real deal: when you type google.com into your browser…
Your computer doesn’t magically know where Google is. It’s not like it has the whole internet memorized.

Instead, it asks, “Hey DNS, what’s the IP of google.com?”

What’s DNS?

Think of DNS (Domain Name System) like your phone’s contact list.
You type a name (like “Mom”) → It finds the number (like XXXXXXX) → It calls.
Same way:
google.com → DNS → 142.250.190.78

So What Happens?

You type google.com in your browser.
Your device talks to a DNS server to get Google’s IP address.
Once it has the IP (like 142.250.190.78), it knows where to send your request.
Google receives your request and sends the website data back to your IP.
Your browser loads the page — done!

Think of it like sending a letter. You write “Google HQ” on the envelope, but the post office needs the real street address to deliver it.

Without IPs, devices wouldn’t know where to send the data or how to reply. It’s like having conversations with no names or numbers — just chaos.

6. Private IP Ranges – Your Home Network’s Secret Zone

Not all IPs are meant for the public internet. Some are just for your home, office, or internal networks — we call these Private IPs.

Think of them like internal room numbers in a building — they help devices talk inside, but they don’t show up to the outside world.

Here are the official Private IP ranges:

10.0.0.0 – 10.255.255.255
Big range. Used in large networks (even corporations or data centers).
172.16.0.0 – 172.31.255.255
Medium range. Mostly used in mid-size networks.
192.168.0.0 – 192.168.255.255
Most common at home. Your WiFi router likely gives your phone/laptop one of these.

Remember:
If an IP doesn’t fall into these ranges, it’s most likely a Public IP — exposed to the internet (and maybe attackers too).

7. Special IPs You’ll See (That Actually Do Some Cool Stuff)

Some IP addresses aren’t meant for regular use — they have special jobs in networking. Here are the ones you’ll bump into:

127.0.0.1 – "Localhost"
This IP means your own computer.
Used for testing servers or running apps locally.
Think of it like: "Hey me, talk to me."

255.255.255.255 – Broadcast IP
Used to send a message to all devices on the local network.
Imagine yelling: “Hey everyone!” — and all your devices respond 👋

0.0.0.0 – No Specific Address
Means “I don’t have an address yet” or “all IPs” in some cases.
Used during startup or in config files as a default placeholder.

169.254.x.x – AIPA (Automatic IP Addressing)
When your device can’t reach the DHCP server, it assigns itself this kind of IP.
It’s like: “No internet? Fine, I’ll give myself a temporary identity.”

8. Spoofed IPs – The Fake Caller ID of the Internet

Sometimes hackers use spoofed IP addresses — meaning, they send traffic that pretends to come from someone else.

You get a request from a fake IP like "123.456.789.000", but when your device tries to reply, there’s no one actually there.

It’s like getting a letter from “Batman” —
cool name, but sorry… no one lives at that address.

Why do hackers do this?

To hide their real location
To bypass filters
Or to confuse the system they’re attacking

You can’t reply. You can’t trace them easily. That’s why spoofing is scary in cyber attacks.

9. Tools Every Beginner Should Know

🟢 Ping – Is This Device Alive or Dead?

Ever knock on a door just to check if someone’s home?
Ping works the same way — but for devices.

When you run a ping command (like ping google.com), your device sends a small ICMP packet and waits to hear back.

✅ If it replies → That device is alive and reachable.
❌ No reply? → It could be offline, blocking pings, or just ignoring you like a toxic ex.

Example:

Why it’s useful for SOC analysts?
You can quickly check if:

A server is responding
A suspicious device is up
Your internet is working or not (Pro tip: Try ping 8.8.8.8 – that’s Google’s DNS)

Tracert – The Map of Your Packet’s Journey

Ever wondered how your message reaches a website across the world?
Like, does it fly? Does it teleport? Nah — it hops.

That’s where tracert (Windows) or traceroute (Linux/macOS) comes in.
It shows you every stop (called a hop) your data takes from your device to the destination server.

Think of it like:
A digital Google Maps for your data — showing every router or server it passes through along the way.

Example:

Why it’s useful:

See where your connection is getting delayed
Find if a server in the middle is down
Great for network troubleshooting and cyber investigation

Bonus Hack: If a tracert gets stuck or fails at a specific hop, that node might be blocking traffic or have an issue.

10. Tips & Tricks I’ve Found Super Useful (From My Own Experience)

While learning about IP addresses, I found some little things that really helped me understand better — and made me feel like, “Oh okay, now this makes sense!”
Let me share those with you:

✅ ipinfo.io is my go-to tool
Seriously, whenever I see any IP and get curious — whether it’s from a phishing example or just random — I use ipinfo.io.
It gives you details like city, country, ISP, and even shows if it’s hosting something. It helped me a lot when I was trying to check if an IP was suspicious or just a normal one.

✅ Ping 127.0.0.1 feels like a secret trick
At first I didn’t even know I could “ping myself”
But then I learned that running:

ping 127.0.0.1

…is a quick way to check if your system’s network is working properly. It helped me troubleshoot issues more confidently instead of panicking about “WiFi not working.”

I always double-check public IPs now
During one of my test, I was asked about a suspicious IP. That moment made me realize: not every IP is safe, and some are used in attacks.
Now, whenever I see a strange IP in examples or online — especially in ads, emails, or random links — I investigate it first. Sometimes they look real but are part of phishing or malware networks.

Understanding public vs private IPs saved me from confusion
In the beginning, I used to get lost between which IPs are part of my home network vs which are on the internet. Once I understood the private ranges (like 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x), everything clicked.
Now I can easily look at an IP and instantly know if it’s from a local device or an external one.

11. Interview-Style Mini Test

We even did a mini test about IP Addressess — testing real-world concepts with zero fluff and full curiosity.
And guess what? I didn’t do it alone. My buddy — ChatGPT — guided me through every step, helped me prepare, and even tested me like a real interviewer. I also use ChatGPT for correction and add little bit professional touch in my articles.
This test wasn’t just practice — it was proof that learning can be fun, challenging, and effective when you are passionate.

✅ What does 169.254.x.x mean?
✅ Can we ping 127.0.0.1?
✅ Is 45.13.122.88 suspicious?

Spoiler: I nailed it
Here’s my full test breakdown — no filters, just learning in action:

Section 1: Basic IP Knowledge

Q1: What is APIPA and when is it used?
Answer: APIPA is a method which assigns an IP automatically to a device when DHCP fails.
✅ Correct

Q2: What is 127.0.0.1 used for?
Answer: It’s used to start a local server (localhost). Like for testing or development.
✅ Correct

Q3: Is 192.168.56.10 a Private IP?
Answer: Yes.
✅ Correct

Q4: What does 255.255.255.255 mean?
Answer: It's the broadcast IP of the local network — used to send messages to all connected devices.
✅ Correct

Q5: Name a website that gives info about an IP.
Answer: ipinfo.io
✅ Correct

Section 2: Yes/No – True or False Style

Q6: Is 10.x.x.x a private IP?
Answer: Yes.
✅ Correct

Q7: Can spoofed IPs receive replies?
Answer: No.
✅ Correct

Q8: Is 0.0.0.0 a usable IP address?
Answer: No, it's a default IP.
✅ Correct

Q9: Do home networks assign static IPs?
Answer: No. Devices usually get dynamic IPs from the router.
✅ Correct

Q10: Can we ping 127.0.0.1?
Answer: Yes.
✅ Correct

Section 3: Real-World Situations

Q11: What does 169.254.12.2 indicate?
Answer: It means APIPA has been used because DHCP is down. Device can’t properly communicate with others.
✅ Correct

Q12: Is 45.13.122.88 suspicious?
Answer: Yes. It's known to be used in phishing attacks, so I’ll investigate it further.
✅ Correct

ChatGPT Final Score: 12/12 – 100%

Feeling like a baby SOC Analyst in the making
This test wasn’t just for fun — it helped me review what I’ve learned in real-world terms and boost my confidence.

If you liked this breakdown, share it with someone curious about tech.
And follow my journey as I go from photostat shop operator to cyber warrior.

Follow me on Linkedin: Bilal