IP Address Definition

What Is an IP Address ?

IP cover stands for internet protocol savoir-faire ; it is an identify number that is associated with a particular computer or calculator network. When connected to the internet, the IP cover allows the computers to send and receive information .

Key Takeaways

• An internet protocol (IP) address allows computers to send and receive information.
• There are four types of IP addresses: public, private, static, and dynamic.
• An IP address allows information to be sent and received by the correct parties, which means they can also be used to track down a user’s physical location.

How an IP Address Works

An IP address allows computers to send and receive data over the internet. Most information science addresses are strictly numeral, but as internet usage grows, letters have been added to some addresses .

There are four different types of IP addresses : public, individual, static, and moral force. While the public and individual are indicative of the location of the network—private being used inside a network while the public is used outside of a network—static and active indicate permanence .

A static IP address is one that was manually created, as opposed to having been assigned. A inactive address besides does not change, whereas a active IP address has been assigned by a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol ( DHCP ) server and is topic to change. Dynamic IP addresses are the most common type of internet protocol addresses. Dynamic IP addresses are only active for a certain sum of time, after which they expire. The calculator will either mechanically request a fresh lease, or the calculator may receive a new IP address .

An IP address can be compared to a Social Security Number ( SSN ) since each one is wholly alone to the computer or user it is assigned to. The universe of these numbers allows routers to identify where they are sending data on the internet. They besides make certain that the correct devices are receiving what is being sent. much like the post office needs a mailing address to deliver a package, a router needs an IP address to deliver to the web address requested .

example of an IP Address

The dark web refers to code on-line content that is not indexed by conventional search engines. The black web has an illegal on-line market where criminals can deal illegal and illegitimate goods. many of these exchanges take rate using the on-line cryptocurrency bitcoin, which makes it harder for the authorities to track and capture people participating in these transactions .

In 2018, after a yearlong politics operation, agents working with the Department of Homeland Security posed as weapons dealers in decree to gain entree to the computers of suspects who were trying to purchase weapons illegally. This allowed them to gain access to IP addresses, which they used to track down the geographic locations of extra suspects who were using the dark web .

This international relations and security network ’ t the first base time IP addresses have led to arrests. In 2012, police used IP addresses to track down and halt members of the hacking group Lulzsec. Using warrants to obtain information from the Internet Service Provider ( ISP ), law enforcement personal were able to track down the forcible addresses of the hackers and arrest them for their illegal internet natural process .