GreyNoise Labs has launched a new free tool called GreyNoise IP Check that allows users to determine if their IP address has been observed as part of malicious scanning operations, such as those conducted by botnets and residential proxy networks.
Identifying Malicious Network Activity
The threat monitoring firm, which tracks internet wide activity via a global sensor network, noted that this problem has grown significantly. Many users are unknowingly participating in malicious online activity.
GreyNoise explains that over the past year, residential proxy networks have exploded, turning home internet connections into exit points for other people's traffic. While some individuals knowingly install software for this in exchange for money, it is more often caused by malware that sneaks onto devices, usually via nefarious apps or browser extensions, quietly turning them into nodes in someone else's infrastructure.
While traditional methods exist to detect botnet activity, such as examining device logs and network traffic, checking the IP address via a simple web tool is the least intrusive method for the average user.
Three Possible Results
Users visiting the scanner's webpage will receive one of three possible results:
- Clean: No malicious scanning activity detected.
- Malicious/Suspicious: The IP has shown scanning behavior. Users should investigate devices on their network.
- Common Business Service: The IP belongs to a VPN, corporate network, or cloud provider, where scanning activity is normal for those environments.
When any activity is correlated with the provided IP address, the platform includes a 90 day historical timeline. This helps pinpoint a potential infection point, such as when the installation of a bandwidth sharing client or a shady application precedes malicious scanning, enabling remediation action.
For more technical users, GreyNoise also provides an unauthenticated, rate limit free JSON API accessible via curl. This can be easily integrated into custom scripts or automated checking systems.
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