Are Your IP Addresses Clean?
In today’s busy, stressed world, it’s easy to overlook some details. For instance, have you checked the reputation of your IP addresses? Are you setting up your own Web server and requesting several IPs for your websites? It’s best not to automatically assume that the IP you received is new. It’s a good idea to always research the IP addresses from your hosting provider or ISP. This article will show you how to start on making your IP addresses clean.
Understanding IPs
Every computers that communicates on the Internet has a unique assigned IP address. It consists of four parts in a format like xxx.xx.xx.xx. Your IP address identifies your device on the Internet, but it does not reveal the address of your home or your office. The two primary types of IP address formats are IPv4 and IPv6 (Internet Protocol versions 4 and 6, respectively).
How to look up your IP Address
If you don’t know your IP address, you can look it up at the following free public sites:
How to tell if you might have a bad IP
If odd or unexpected requests have been showing up in your logs, or in Google searches for the IP address, this can be a sign that you need to check your IP address for past suspicious history. If you are getting a lot of blocks when visiting websites, this can also indicate blacklisting.
How to see if your IP address is on the Blacklists
Blacklists are a fact of life, designed to prevent fraud. If you suspect blacklisting of your IP, the following sites can assist you in checking the reputation of your IP address. Most IP blacklists will provide reasons for blacklisting. Each has its own criteria for blacklisting IPs.
What to do if your IP is blacklisted
If you find your IP blacklisted, you can ask your hosting provider or ISP for a new IP address. Or you can also try to have the status of your IP address changed. This would depend on the reason for the blacklisting. Is it something that happened before you received this IP address? Have you done extensive spamming which would cause the blacklisting?
Blacklist Removal Process
You can submit a removal request to most blacklists. Before you start the process, confirm that you’ve configured your network and mail server correctly. Resolve all the issues listed by the blacklist. Scan your computer for viruses and establish stronger passwords. Check your operating system for needed updates and make sure you’ve configured your routers securely.
Cooperate fully with the process of the blacklisted site. If you made an honest mistake, let them know and ensure that it does not happen again. It would be much harder to remove your IP address from the blacklist’s site a second time.
Bottom Line
Don’t risk your site’s reputation by using suspect IP addresses. Checking the history of your IPs makes sense so that you can work online with peace of mind.
