Is it possible to find out your address from IP?

I have a question, is it possible to find out your address from the IP number you use?

For example if i use a dial up ISP and they have my address and credit card details, is it possible to find out about me thro my IP address that i leave say, when i post on a message board?

Does my ISP leave a general IP for all its customers?

In that case is it possible to contact my ISP directly and find out about me or would that be impossible because all customers have the same IP address?

Depending on your location and ISP, your IP can readily be resolved to city, town, etc.

As for your actual address, No. Unless they can obtain from, or gain access to, your ISP's records that is.

So it is possible then? But even if they contatc my ISP how does my ISP know which one of its customers is me if we all have the same IP?????

First, each user on a given ISP's network will have a unique IP for the duration of the connection, though it typically doesn't remain the same each time you connect.

Second, "they" would have to provide the suspect IP address, and time of use, to your ISP who could then determine which user it was assigned to at that time.

However, most ISPs will only divulge user specific information if/when requested from law enforcement, etc. AND usually require court orders to do so.

Nothing written in stone here, as I am not sure the same applies in every country, but the above is typical for the U.S.

Hope this helps.!?

It is actually a fairly simple process, but as previously stated, requires a search warrant and thus the police.

Originally posted by semperfortis
It is actually a fairly simple process, but as previously stated, requires a search warrant and thus the police.

Search warrant? Bah, not considering the PA passed.

All your data are belong to them

NN

Well I have done it before and after the "PA" and I have always needed a warrant.

12m8keall2c pretty much covered all the corners of the question. It's not nearly as easy to find a person's location based on his IP address - remember what you see in movies and tv progs are fiction.
Although it's not impossible to do - it's a bit more difficult a task for average joe to handle. In most cases an IP address can only be traced down to your ISP's address or to your suburb at the most.
If that doesn't resolve your fears - as we all know ATS leaves all of us somewhat paranoid - you can always surf through an "anonymous" proxy. This may make the task of finding you just that more difficult.
Such a proxy server is Anonymouse.org. The price you'll pay is even more pop-up adds and slower speed.

If you're curious about what they can tell about you from your IP address visit ShowMyIP... be sure to check out the Geographical information (Lat and Long)... In my case they know my ISP is in Capetown, and I sit somewhere in Pretoria. But you didn’t need my IP address to know that…

Brilliant Gemwolf.

So with IP they can pin point the name of my ISP, or suburb if im on cable. But can they get my address from my ISP? How can they do that?

Originally posted by Freeman
So with IP they can pin point the name of my ISP, or suburb if im on cable. But can they get my address from my ISP? How can they do that?

Your ISP can match your IP to your address in a database for billing pruposes.

'They' would call the ISP and ask them for your address by pretending a TCP packet was misdelivered to the wrong computer, and they would like to return it to owner.

Originally posted by ufia
Your ISP can match your IP to your address in a database for billing pruposes.

'They' would call the ISP and ask them for your address by pretending a TCP packet was misdelivered to the wrong computer, and they would like to return it to owner.

Indeed! They can try Ufia's plan, Freeman, but somehow I doubt if that will work.

Seriously though, I can't speak for your ISP, but my guess will be that access to your personal information will vary from ISP to ISP or even from one employee to the next.

Originally posted by semperfortis
requires a search warrant and thus the police.

Or you can bypass all that if you have an NSA badge !

Originally posted by semperfortis
Well I have done it before and after the "PA" and I have always needed a warrant.

That is to say that all agencies have the same authority as does yours.

Surely, if you are law enfocement, as you imply, you realize this.

NN

[edit on 12-5-2006 by NoNik]

Well "as I imply" HAHAHAHAHA
I have done it. I am familiar with the law. I have experience in this area.
But if you wish to further enable paranoia then by all means continue with that line of thinking.
I for one was only attempting to assist a fellow ATSer and have no intention of getting into another "he said she said" school yard tit for tat that some on here so love.

Nuff' said, I am out of here and deleting this subscription.
bye

Originally posted by semperfortis
I for one was only attempting to assist a fellow ATSer and have no intention of getting into another "he said she said" school yard tit for tat that some on here so love.

Nuff' said, I am out of here and deleting this subscription.
bye

Um, what?

A one-liner is all I can think of to say to all that.

NN

Originally posted by Freeman... But can they get my address from my ISP? How can they do that?

My comments will apply to the United States... As already mentioned, "authorities" armed with the appropriate paperwork can get your street address. So, for example, were you to make a terrorist threat, and post that on a forum somewhere, there's a chance someone may be alarmed enough to have the authorities track you down, which would be quite easy. Trying to sell Adobe Photoshop and MS Windows XP DVD combo for $25? Chances are someone will be angry enough to, again, have authorities pay you a visit. Want to say something nasty about your local mayor or city councilman? Even then, they may have enough pull with people "in the right places" to get information - you just never know.

Could I find out your address? Maybe, but that would almost certainly require more "social engineering" than technical expertise. Curiously, I wonder - what is it about posting on a forum that would have you worry about someone finding out your address?

BTW Freeman - a few soothing quotes from the movie Enemy of the State seem appropriate:

1. It's not paranoia if they're really after you.
2. In God we trust. The rest we monitor.
3. The only privacy left is inside of your head.

In theory it's like using a stolen credit card in terms of getting the ISP to believe that they are you, should anyone contact an ISP and claim to be someone else. They'd need your personal account details, but depending on security if they call from a number other than yours it could be flagged.

If you have a static IP or are on broadband or cable or some other always-on internet it'd be easier to get into your computer directly - same if you are always-on and your phone number is used to access your computer directly. This would require bypassing any firewalls and security you have. If you are not always-on and / or have a dynamic IP from your ISP then via your current-IP while you are online or via your phonenumber it is still possible (for someone that knows what they are doing) to access your computer directly. Usually the ISP will act as a proxy in terms of your being directly reached from an IP, but since a static IP does in fact designate your actual computer, yes it is possible for it to be gotten into. I've had something loaded onto my desktop once when my computer was not online, the inevitable gay porno advert. It could have been a script in some spam-ad ware that got in during surfing and then activated itself later on, or maybe some kind thoughtful soul just sent it there directly which is possible as my modem was plugged in.

Think about how you can get live-updates for all kinds of stuff, they can be set to download to you ot be availible to you even if you are online.

If you want to get para about it I'd suggest getting a decent firewall that you trust and unplugging your modem when you are not online.

To answer the question originally asked, at one point, yes. No warrant required - nor has there ever been. I can remember as late as '93-'94 that you could in most cases find a street address directly from an IP. Starting in about '96, you couldn't do it as easilly (some yes and some no) - and now, it's very, very difficult, especially in the US.

A static IP address, properly researched, can provide the City, State, Country, longitude & latitude of where the computer with that particular IP address is located. In more developed countries, like the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, it's not a common thing, unless the ISP is pretty small or rather poor as it relates to service.

In countries that are not quite so advanced, like Russia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Turkey, Iraq, Brazil, Uruguay, Peru and Argentina, you can still do it rather easilly.

Most modern forum software, like the one ATS uses, for example, actually hides the IP address from casual observers. With an older BBS, it's right out there in the open if someone just peeks at the source code.

The basic thing you should remember, Freeman, is that there is absolutely no such thing as anonymity on the 'net.

Also, as some have pointed out, you can find the city a person's from by their IP address. However, even that isn't fool proof. I live in a small po-dunk town in Washington State, and the link Gemwolf gave (ShowMyIP) places me in Olympia--about a 30-45 mile difference. I used to have a hitcounter on my website that would trace people's IPs to their city, and every once in a while I'd get people from Texas who would show up in Tennesse (friends of mine; I knew when they were online, and it's not exactly like I was burning up the servers with traffic either.)

Just thought I'd throw that out there.

BTW, is there any particular reason for the concern?