An IP address, or Internet Protocol address, is a unique numerical identifier for every device or network that connects to the internet. It is a string of numbers separated by periods, such as 192.0.2.1. IP addresses serve two main functions: network interface identification and location. They allow information to be sent between devices on a network and contain location information that makes devices accessible for communication.
Every device with an internet connection has an IP address, whether its a computer, laptop, IoT device, or even toys. IP addresses allow for the efficient transfer of data between two connected devices, allowing machines on different networks to talk to each other. An IP address works by helping your device find whatever data or content is located to allow for retrieval.
There are two versions of IP addresses that are commonly used on the internet: IPv4 and IPv6. An IPv4 address is expressed as a set of four dotted decimal numbers, where each octet is separated by a period, such as 192.168.35.4. The three digits in the first octet represent a particular network on the internet while the rest of the digits represent the actual host address within the local network, such as a workstation or a server.
IP addresses are not random and are mathematically produced and allocated by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), a division of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) . ICANN is a non-profit organization that was established in the United States in 1998 to help maintain the security of the internet and allow it to be usable by all.
Some IP addresses are reserved by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) for networks that carry a specific purpose on the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), which is used to interconnect devices. Four of these IP address classes include:
- 0.0.0.0: This IP address in IPv4 ...
- 127.0.0.0: This IP address in IPv4 ...
- 169.254.0.0: This IP address in IPv4 ...
- 192.0.2.0: This IP address in IPv4 ...
IP addresses can be used for malicious purposes, such as distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, where criminals can carry out targeted attacks against a network by obtaining an IP address.
