Tracing IP addresses. (Say your gmail was hacked)

MonkeyBalls

I went to one of the IP tracing websites, and put in my own IP. It was wrong by about 70 miles, saying it was in Dublin (I'm from the midlands).

So, it doesn't actually give the location of the individual?

That's pretty much next to useless.

FruitLover

Why are you complaining here? Talk to the people who run the tracing website.

MonkeyBalls

FruitLover wrote: »

Why are you complaining here? Talk to the people who run the tracing website.

I guess I'm asking a question. Can an IP address be traced to the individual, or is it routed to the ISP or whatever?

MonkeyBalls

I have one other question.

When you look up the IP addresses of those who accessed your gmail, how can you tell the difference between a "google IP" and a private computer's IP?

In the troubleshooting section of gmail, there's this message:

"Please note: If you have POP3 or IMAP enabled, you'll see this in your recent activity table. If you're fetching your messages to another Gmail account, a Google IP will appear; this is simply because the messages are being fetched through our servers."

(I fetch messages from one other gmail a/c)

rmacm

MonkeyBalls wrote: »

I went to one of the IP tracing websites, and put in my own IP. It was wrong by about 70 miles, saying it was in Dublin (I'm from the midlands).

So, it doesn't actually give the location of the individual?

That's pretty much next to useless.

This can depend of a lot of different things, e.g. my current IP address when I'm accessing boards is probably showing that I'm in Sweden when I'm actually in Germany.

MonkeyBalls wrote: »

I guess I'm asking a question. Can an IP address be traced to the individual, or is it routed to the ISP or whatever?

Yes an IP can be traced to an individual.

MonkeyBalls wrote: »

I have one other question.

When you look up the IP addresses of those who accessed your gmail, how can you tell the difference between a "google IP" and a private computer's IP?

In the troubleshooting section of gmail, there's this message:

"Please note: If you have POP3 or IMAP enabled, you'll see this in your recent activity table. If you're fetching your messages to another Gmail account, a Google IP will appear; this is simply because the messages are being fetched through our servers."

(I fetch messages from one other gmail a/c)

Find a list of Google owned IP ranges and compare what appears in you're recent activity table to this list. That'll help you eliminate the Google owned IP addresses.

Amalgam

On the point of 'hack' prevention, is the OP not aware that Gmail has a double password?

Change your password to something that needs to be copied and pasted.. and change the security password on the account too, if you feel that unsure.

Very unlikely you're being actively hacked, it could just be 'social' access. The PC having cookies that allow access when you're not around.

MonkeyBalls

rmacm wrote: »

Find a list of Google owned IP ranges and compare what appears in you're recent activity table to this list.

How do I do that?

Amalgam wrote: »

Very unlikely you're being actively hacked, it could just be 'social' access. The PC having cookies that allow access when you're not around.

Huh, what, que?

TCP/IP_King

If your Gmail account was hacked, any IP addresses logged would most likely trace back to compromised computer(s)/ coffee shop/library or some other internet access point.

As Amalgam said more likely your account was accessed from a computer where you elected to "remenber me" or other such option when loging into your account, (I think Gmail automatically keeps you logged in unless you specifically "logout") or someone you didn't know/suspect invited you to join Gmail and used a secondary email address you didn't spot.

See http://mail.google.com/support/bin/topic.py?topic=12784&hl=en for more help.

rmacm

MonkeyBalls wrote: »

How do I do that?

Google for it.

http://www.webdeveloper.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-48260.html

^^^

http://www.iplists.com/

^^^ that site is apparently good but I can't check it now as it's blocked where I work.