Using IP Intelligence to Detect Spam, Bots, and Suspicious Senders
Malicious activities, such as spam attacks, bot traffic, and spoofed senders, are increasing daily. According to Statista, around 6.06 billion malware attacks were conducted worldwide in 2023. This number is huge.
Such attacks are not just annoying; they are dangerous…very dangerous. Businesses lose revenue, customer trust, and valuable resources every time their systems are exploited or overwhelmed.
Yet, there are traditional security systems, such as firewalls in devices, that are designed to detect and prevent them. However, there's a more proactive and targeted method that many networking experts prefer - IP intelligence.
In this blog post, we will explain how to utilize IP intelligence to identify spam, bots, and suspicious senders. But before that, let's have a little peek into what IP intelligence is.
What is IP Intelligence?
IP intelligence refers to the practice of gathering and analyzing data related to an IP address. Every device connected to the internet has a unique IP address. This address contains data that can reveal valuable information, such as its origin, location, etc.
What IP Intelligence Encompasses?
In IP intelligence, a set of data is collected. When combined, this data becomes a powerful asset for making informed judgments about the intent behind a connection.
Below is the information/data usually collected during IP intelligence.
- Geolocation
- ISP and Organization
- ASN (Autonomous System Number)
- IP Reputation
- Proxies/VPN Detection
- Usage Type
How to Use IP Intelligence For Detecting Spam, Bots, and Suspicious Senders?
If you own a website or manage one, or use a webmail service, IP intelligence can help you detect spam bots and identify suspicious senders. Below is how you can utilize IP intelligence to accomplish these tasks.
Collect IP Addresses
Start by collecting the IP addresses of senders and visitors. Capture the IPs of:
- Email senders
- Website Visitors
- API users
- Form submissions
- Login attempts
You can typically find these IP addresses in email headers (for email analysis), web server logs for websites, and security tools such as firewalls or SIEM systems.
Perform IP Geolocation Lookup
Once you have the list of IPs, perform the lookup for each one. Many online IP lookup tools are available that provide you with geolocation information.
When performing the IP geolocation lookup, focus on identifying location mismatches.
As an example:
If the lookup analysis indicates an account having frequent visits from india but your basic user traffic doesn't come from there, consider it a red flag and take appropriate action.
Moreover, if you see a sudden spike in traffic coming from an unfamiliar location that doesn't resemble your base audience, it is also a red flag.
Check IPs Against Blacklists
If an IP address is causing spam across the internet, it usually gets blacklisted. By running the collected IP address through an IP blacklist checker, you can identify those that may cause trouble.
While performing the IP blacklist check, if you find some that have too many red flags, consider them part of a botnet or malicious activity. It would be beneficial to block such IP addresses from your network.
Monitor IP Behavior
Once you have analyzed the IP address using geolocation and blacklist checks. Next, watch what that IP does on your system. Behaviors can give the strongest clues for detecting bots and malicious users.
Why do this?
You might be wondering why monitor behavior if you have performed the geolocation lookup and checked the blacklists. Well, even if an IP looks clean (not blacklisted, correct country), it might still be malicious in action.
Therefore, it is always recommended to monitor the behavior of those left behind after lookup and blacklist checking.
While monitoring the behavior, you should look for the following:
- Repeated form submissions
- High-speed or frequent login attempts
- Visits from the same IP at unusual hours
- Requests to non-existent pages (probing behavior)
For example, if you observe frequent login attempts from an IP address within a short period, monitor it closely. If you find something suspicious, take action to protect your online assets.
What Actions Should You Take?
Once you have performed the IP intelligence and detected the spam, bots, and suspicious senders, the next step is to respond, but smartly. Below are some everyday actions you should take.
Block Suspicious IPs at the Firewall or WAF Level
This means completely blocking an IP from accessing your network server, website, or app. Use it when you are clear that the IP is completely malicious and indicates spam behavior.
To achieve this, you can utilize web application firewalls, such as Cloudflare or AWS. They let you block IPs from their dashboard.
Linux users can block them using iptables, ufw, or Firewalld. Windows users can block them using the advanced rules in Windows Firewall.
Rate-Limit the IP (Slow It Down)
In this method, you don't block the IP entirely. However, you limit the number of requests it can make per minute or second.
This is recommended to use when you suspect the IP is a bot, but it's not malicious. Or you want to reduce the load on your server. Cloudflare, some CDNs, or load balancers have a feature that allows you to rate-limit IP addresses by setting up specific rules.
In addition to the above, there are also other actions you can take to protect your online assets.
For example, you can enable reCAPTCHA on your website and ask users from suspicious IP addresses to complete it before taking action. This is helpful because bots fail to pass CAPTCHA while real users can still proceed.
Conclusion
IP intelligence is a valuable practice that involves collecting and analyzing data related to an IP address. Using it, you can detect spam, bots, and suspicious senders on your network servers or other online assets. Once detected, it will become easier for you to take action against them and enhance the protection of your assets on a network.
