Tracing an IP address

[Red_Kiss]

I'm hoping someone can help me out with an explanation. I've traced the origin of several emails using their headers. I now have a few different IP addresses that all originate from the same city. Does that mean that each message was sent from a different location in the same city? Or does it mean that the message was routed through the city? Is it possible to find the exact location of an IP address (such as a physical address)?

If my questions don't make sense, please let me know and I can try to clarify.
Thank you!

RK

 

[musicman1978]

Not sure on the former questions, but you likely will have to obtain a court order in order to track/link ip to a physical address.

 

[emap]

Depends greatly on the service provider really. Cox sends out a false location, I looked once and it said that I am in Chicago I think it was. Actually live in Phoenix so that is a huge difference.

Now of course using a cable modem so it is a static IP, unless Cox changes it or turning the modem off and on means there is a new IP address. Maybe I should ask about that, it may be an interesting thing to add to a story sometime.

Anyway there is one thing to keep in mind, dial up modems give you a different IP every single time you log in. Going to a wi fi center does the same thing. You could have four emails from the same computer and still have four IP addresses. In the case of a wi fi IP, you may get the address but it won't do you any good because the person sending the emails doesn't live there. Didn't even have to go inside the building to get internet.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I'm hoping someone can help me out with an explanation. I've traced the origin of several emails using their headers. I now have a few different IP addresses that all originate from the same city. Does that mean that each message was sent from a different location in the same city? Or does it mean that the message was routed through the city? Is it possible to find the exact location of an IP address (such as a physical address)?

If my questions don't make sense, please let me know and I can try to clarify.
Thank you!

RK

The physical IP address will likely be a mailing or business address for the company/business that owns those IP numbers. For instance, if you traced my IP from email you would get my ISP's corporate address, NOT my personal address. To go beyond that, you'd need to persuade the ISP to cooperate.

 

[Red_Kiss]

Anyway there is one thing to keep in mind, dial up modems give you a different IP every single time you log in. Going to a wi fi center does the same thing. You could have four emails from the same computer and still have four IP addresses. In the case of a wi fi IP, you may get the address but it won't do you any good because the person sending the emails doesn't live there. Didn't even have to go inside the building to get internet.

Great info. So it would be a plausible situation that the different IP addresses I found are coming from a wifi location in the same city?

 

[sethp]

I thought there was software that old track your IP? Freeware? Maybe not?

 

[Netkeys]

As a systems network engineer your not going to find the information you need with a simple look up. Yes then can be coming from the same address even though the IP address changes. If a modem is rebooted for what ever reason it can cause a change in IP address. It's not mandatory to change but is possible. The only way to find out what the address is to know the IP address and exact time it was sent from that address. Then with a subpoena to the ISP who controls that IP they would need to look in there logs to see who was assigned that IP address at that time. Now that's assuming the email originated by the person at that IP address.

If they have a open wireless network connection at the address then good luck figuring out who actually sent the message.

It's a lot more complex then just looking up a IP address and knowing who it belongs to unless it's assigned to a company with a block of address which is unlikely.

Unless this is in regard to a criminal offense you will probably never find you who sent the emails.