How to recover an IP address

This question is often asked, and few people understand how easy it is to retrieve an IP address from a remote computer.

From the legal point of view, the opinions diverge, we have on one side:

"The IP address may be collected without prior authorization from the CNIL because it is an indirect personal data" - Cass / Crim - January 13, 2009 - Cassation

The latter does not make it possible to determine with certainty the natural person who holds it because:

• Many people can use the same computer
• IP addresses can be dynamic and therefore change regularly
• Only ISPs can theoretically determine the real physical person behind an IP address at any time

That said, it is possible to want to recover "legitimately" the IP address of a potential hacker, especially when it concerns our personal security.

I quote :

"Any processing of customer data, such as IP addresses, must comply with the national provisions implementing the requirements of Directive 95/46 / EC; thus, personal data must be processed for legitimate reasons and for a specific purpose, and the processing must be proportionate to the objective pursued. "

Update: After long months of legal differences, I quote the last answer I got: "the CNIL considers that the IP address is a personal data since it allows to identify directly or indirectly a physical person ".

The Hacker Blog does not offer IP address recovery services or any processing on them. And the services presented in this article are therefore for informational purposes only.

How to recover an IP address using the usual services

To recover an IP address, there are different techniques more or less functional. We all send e-mails, sometimes even daily, but did you know that the IP address of the sender is transmitted with the message ?

When you receive an email, you can usually (but not always) click on "  View original  " or "  View message source  " depending on your email client to view the IP address of the sender of this message .

The same thing happens when you "chat" online with someone because the program needs to know both IP addresses in order to allow remote dialogue. This is the case of software like Skype , which allows each interlocutor to learn about the IP address of the other, via specialized software like TcpView .

Finally, the same thing happens when you post a message on a forum, most of the time your IP is registered with your message. So there are potentially a lot of ways to get a given IP address, and your own IP address is "processed / stored" by many of the sites you visit every day.

How to find an IP address?

There are specialized services to find IP addresses, like the site WhatsTheirIP.com that allow you to retrieve a given IP address. The operation of this site is simple:

1. You provide an e-mail address (do not hesitate to use a disposable e-mail address, just in case)
2. You get a fake link.
3. Each click on this fake link will generate an email to the address provided.

With this step, all you have to do is convince your hacker to click on the link, especially by falsely offering him what he is looking for.

Once again, The Hacker Blog takes no responsibility for the use of these types of services that are binding only their owners, and you.

Important note:

I repeat, the IP address is still not a safe bet on the identity of the person is therefore not 100% reliable. In addition, the location of an IP is even less reliable , it is based on estimates . You will not (unfortunately) get the exact location of a person, but the geolocation obtained can help you as evidence or additional track, including to make your case to file a complaint. To geolocate an IP address, go to a site like iplocation.net (there are many alternatives).