'IP address' ??
 

I don't know if that is the proper term - I'm not a computer guy.

Please correct me if it's not.

Is there a different number that identifies each person on a BBS?

Or is it each computer on the BBS?

Would I have a different number if I post here from home than I do at work?

Would I have the same number whether I post from, say, AOL, Yahoo or gmail?


Thanks in advance.

Sure :)

The short answer is you will definitely have a different IP from your work and home (different for each service provider too), and in most cases they will be dynamic (i.e. you're not necessarily going to have the same IP each time you connect). I could go on and on...

edited: Dang it Jim, I had my hand up and I knew that one :)

Keith pretty much said it. Any and every device on the Internet or pretty much any network these days is going to have an IP address. (IP = Internet Protocol)

You can't take your IP address with you when you move around, ie work to home, home to starbucks, work to hotel, hotel to airport. Everyplace you go you'll probably get a different IP address.

As Keith said, the IP address at work and your house probably won't stay the same forever. (well, it could, but these days that's not the norm)

So, an IP address is not necessarily a good way to track someone on the Internet.

Another thing. When I surf the net from work, everyone in my building (5 floors) all appear to have the same IP address when we are on the net. All of our PCs and Phones have unique addresses within the building, but when any traffic goes to the Internet those unique addresses are masked and look like a single address.

Complicated answer tcar, but Keith pretty much answered it!
Geo locating IP addresses has become a main stay in my work (security programmer)

Check out http://www.ip-adress.com/ipaddresstolocation/ for hours of fun!

I don't know what the purpose of your question is, but while it is not easy to track down a specific house or location from an IP address, it IS possible. I've seen it done, and seen some people very surprised that their posting location wasn't quite as "anonymous" as they thought. (with some hilarity that ensued).

That thing's only moderately close. Gives the nearest big city. Do you have access to something more specific?

I'd think that it would probably either have to be done by your ISP or an agency (LE or Gov) that your ISP was happy to do lots of work for.

I guess you could tracert, then get the ISP to tell you where the default gateway is. Once you've got that, you could get someone to track the IP to a port that could eventually be traced to a house. I suspect that an ISP would have to really want to do the leg work to get that info. Either they want it or someone with a warrant or big brother wants them to.

lawsuit (naming the anoymous person/target as a "Doe" defendant) and subpoenas get it done.

Yes, it is "possible" to track for most end users (with the assistance of folks on the "inside"), but it wouldn't be too difficult to "hide", spoof, etc. for a networking guru either :).

Yup, using Tor it is really easy to hide your true location. Or use public access points, or not-so-public ones.

If your ISP’s IP ends at a NOC…then that’s it pal (usually the norm for the typical subscriber)
AOL with its alternating D Octet, is the worst always ends in Vermont

Guess it comes down to, are you a mass subscriber or do you own your IP range?
PelicanParts ends up at (XO Communications, Playa Del Ray which is probably where they are hosted)

I have a ADSL PacBell Business IP range and the Geo location is eerie (< 100 yards from my place, my NOC is 1 block from here)

Something a bit more specific may be coming soon (IPv6)...

Just use the computer at the library for your porn, or drive around the neighborhood until you find an unsecured router to hook into.

Try these:

http://whatismyip.com/

http://www.ip-adress.com/

I could pick the info in those two sites apart (it's more complex than they make it seem), but I don't do that stuff anymore. Their info is still the "short answer" and indended for a "general understanding" of the concept. For example, if you're connected to a wireless access point (say at home), your IP is probably 192.168.1.100 (typical default for the first connection) on your private wireless network. From a CMD window, type in IPCONFIG /ALL if you're wireless, and you'll see. Now obviously, ALL of us aren't using that same address when connecting to the Internet...network routing "can" get fairly complex and fun...for us geeks :).

HEY how'd you know my address?!


In more seriousness it's absolutely possible to track down someone from an IP Address, as long as you have someone at their ISP(and they know what they're doing), we do it all the time here at my work for DMCA violations. Sometimes they're in and out before we can catch them since we do have a very limited public access wireless system, but generally if they're associated with the university in some way shape or form we know who they are.

That being said, there are ways around having someone find out what your ISP is, there were/are anonymousiers out there that will be tough to legally work with to get information from in order to track a person through that ISP.

Just a lucky guess Tim :). Oh well, back to "work" (on my house)...how've you been?

Thanks. I understood some of it.

I think.

As "the" posted, why did you ask...maybe we can answer a specific question (if you have one).

A poster on a certain thread awhile ago said he was leaving the BBS.

Couple days later a new poster started posting.

Moderator said that it was the same person selling under a different name, that he had the same IP address as the guy that left. He even posted the address. I have been unable to find it.

I was wondering if it was possible to know that it was the same person from the IP address.