Hey there, do you ever wonder if "someone" might be using your Internet connection? It's something that I've been thinking about after hearing about how many people are likely using their home/office computers to connect to botnets without realizing it. That's scary!
When I saw that GreyNoise, a company that had created a free tool to find out whether you're being a "bot" because of hackers or other malicious actors, I felt compelled to try it for myself. So, I did, and now I want to share my experience with everyone else.
• Suspicious / Malicious — Your IP address exhibited some sort of unusual behavior or activity that could be considered harmful by others.
• Business / VPN — Your IP address may be utilized by a service such as a corporate firewall or some other form of private or public cloud data storage.
Do not be alarmed if you receive a "Suspicious" response. This does not imply that you are a hacker but may indicate that one or more devices connected to your internet connection may have been infected with a malicious app.
Some of the things they could do:
Scary thought, huh?
That is why this free scanner is so useful. You can run a check in a matter of minutes and have peace of mind.
When I saw that GreyNoise, a company that had created a free tool to find out whether you're being a "bot" because of hackers or other malicious actors, I felt compelled to try it for myself. So, I did, and now I want to share my experience with everyone else.
What exactly is the GreyNoise IP Check Tool?
GreyNoise built the first ever easy-to-use, FREE website that allows you to verify your own public-facing IP address if it's being abused by hackers/botnets for negative means — such as scanning/attacking computers on the Internet.- No registration needed.
- No installation needed.
- Just go to the scanner page and click.
- Within seconds, you'll receive the results from the scanner.
Results from this tool
• Clean — Your IP address has exhibited no signs of any wrongful use.• Suspicious / Malicious — Your IP address exhibited some sort of unusual behavior or activity that could be considered harmful by others.
• Business / VPN — Your IP address may be utilized by a service such as a corporate firewall or some other form of private or public cloud data storage.
Do not be alarmed if you receive a "Suspicious" response. This does not imply that you are a hacker but may indicate that one or more devices connected to your internet connection may have been infected with a malicious app.
Why this tool is important
Many individuals believe botnets only target large corporate entities. The reality is that today, hackers have found ways to utilize home networks for botnet attacks against millions of consumers. On occasion, it only takes one app that has been infected with malware to provide hackers with access to your internet connection.Some of the things they could do:
- Use your internet for attacking other people
- Send out spam
- Steal your information
- Remain anonymous
Scary thought, huh?
That is why this free scanner is so useful. You can run a check in a matter of minutes and have peace of mind.
What do you do if you receive a negative result?
Here is a basic guideline you can follow:- Power cycle your Wi-Fi router
- Upgrade the firmware of your router
- Change your Wi-Fi password
- Scan all devices with antivirus software
- Remove any suspicious applications or add-ons from your web browser
- Factory reset your router, if necessary
