What IP Addresses Mean in the Scheme of Internet Security

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by Orissa Yang

Internet security and your computer are one of the most important subjects you can spend time with whether you are using the Internet for business or personal use. Keeping your personal and business data secure is important to everyone. Unfortunately most people simply don't have enough security and are open to hackers. You may have a firewall, or anti-virus software form Norton or McAfee, or AVG, and those are good first steps, but you should take other steps as well.

A non-routable IP address is your first line of defense against unauthorized hacking. So what is an IP address anyway? IP stands for Internet Protocol. Your Internet Protocol Address is made up of octets, each octet being eight bits, using a number from one to 255, with a period in between each octet.

An IP address is the address of the computer on the network, and the Internet itself is a large network. Your IP address cannot have a zero in it. The zero will refer to a range of IP addresses, and is used when setting up a firewall or a route. If you have 200 computers in the office you would set the server by designating a zero at the end of the address. A non-routable IP address can be explained this way. Imagine a road map of the U.S. You are in Tennessee and want to visit California. Your computer has an IP address. You will need to take some side streets to get to the interstate highway. So, you take Walnut Street to Ventura Avenue, then to I-44. Drive along the streets and highway and you arrive at your destination.

A non-routable IP address cannot be used on the Internet and is only for internal networking. Imagine in the road map situation that when you get to Ventura Blvd. you find there are no side roads. You can get to Ventura, but not to the street in California where you wish to go. If the last octet is a number from one to 254, it is in essence the house number and street number. Let's say you want to set up a non-routable address. How do you do it? Either set up one computer to connect to the Internet and let all other computers on the network connect to that computer, and have two IP addresses on the same network card. Not all versions of Windows will allow you to use more than one IP address. The other method, which is more common, is to use a router. In this way you don't have a single machine dedicated to Internet usage, all computers can access.

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If you use a dial up connection a router will cost about $100. Good news if you use a cable modem or DSL, a router will only cost about $25. A non-routable IP serves as a firewall also, and this is in addition to the firewall built into the router. In addition you can add another software firewall to the computer, which won't stop anything from trying to come in, but will stop data packets from going out.

It is easy to see that IP addresses play an important role in Internet security. Possibly the best investment you could ever make in protecting your computer would be to invest in a router to protect your system and your data. It is important however to remember that a router will not protect you from a key logger using spyware on your computer system to see what keys on the keyboard you have punched. There are programs available to protect you from that type of threat, and they are easy to find.

IP address security, especially through the use of a router, is just one of the many security steps you should take to keep your computer and your business and personal data safe from unwanted hands, and to protect yourself and your computer from unwelcome strikes by hackers. IP address security, in conjunction with spyware protection software, virus protection software, and a good firewall can help keep you and your data safe, and deserves a very close look by anyone concerned with computer security.

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