Is IP address really that important?

Today's blog posts are about the importance of IP address.

This is an important topic to us because so many of our clients have either asked us about or inquired into it. The question is: Why is IP address so important? For you, what are the risks? For us, it's pretty straightforward.

What is an IP address? IP address stands for Internet Protocol address. As a matter of fact, IP addresses are the unique way to identify your internet connection on the internet, just as your social security number is the unique way to identify you as a citizen. However, just like the social security number, the IP address can easily be changed. You will usually get your IP address when you sign up for the internet or subscribe for a service (such as a cable TV package).

Risks and problems related to IP address. We usually see two types of people who don't know much about IP address: the first is someone who thinks they have more than one computer or device connected to the internet. They think that this means they have more than one IP address, which is not true. If you have several devices, you could have a couple of IP addresses, but not more.

The other type of person is someone who thinks that their IP address should change, so they constantly call their ISP asking why their IP address doesn't change when they move from their home network to their mobile network or vice versa. If you ask your ISP this question, they are likely to tell you to stop using their services or move away from them. As a matter of fact, many ISPs (in the US) charge you for every device connected to their internet connection.

So, what are the risks and problems related to an IP address? First, there are risks. A device's IP address could be sold or transferred to another company. This has happened in the past with routers and modems (or personal computers), where companies bought the device and changed its configuration to make it more valuable to them.

Second, and more serious, the IP address could be misused by someone to harm your devices or spy on your activities on the internet. To prove that I am not making this up, this year, a young man who attended university, was able to use his IP address to hack into a website that sells pornography.