Is hiding one's IP and important part of computer security?

S

SHO

New Member
I am thinking about buying a program to hide my IP. Either "Hide IP", or "Hide My IP." I'm not sure which one is better or maybe there is a all together better program out there. Is hiding one's IP a important part of computer security, and if so, why?

Do these programs really work as advertised?

Thanks in advance.
 
I've used proxies in the past and they are usually very slow and or unreliable. Many don't work. I have the trial version (3 days) of Hide My IP running now and the one proxie IP they gave me is very fast and appears to work well.

How does hiding my IP provide actual security against threats though?
 
it dosent stop anyone breaching your computer, it just makes you anonymous on the internet so people see the location of your actions from the proxy address and not yours. it makes it harder for people to trace your actions.
 
get a router that supports NAT, set that up then set up your client machines to non routeable IP addresses you'll be fine
 
tlarkin said:
get a router that supports NAT, set that up then set up your client machines to non routeable IP addresses you'll be fine
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I don't exactly know what this means.

I do have a router. It's a linksys router, model WRT54G.

But doing what you said, I don't know how. Can you provide a step by step?

Thanks in advance.
 
SHO said:
I don't exactly know what this means.

I do have a router. It's a linksys router, model WRT54G.

But doing what you said, I don't know how. Can you provide a step by step?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

Well by default most linksys routers have NAT enabled and set the client machines to 192.x.x.x IPs which are non routable. So, by default you should be fairly safe.

If you know what revision of WRT54G you have, you can load free open source third party firmware that gives your router way more options.

www.dd-wrt.com
 
tlarkin said:
Well by default most linksys routers have NAT enabled and set the client machines to 192.x.x.x IPs which are non routable. So, by default you should be fairly safe.
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When I "test" my IP online to see what anyone could figure out about me based on the numbers, it reveals my ISP and it pinpoints much too close to the town I live in, sometimes the actual town. I don't like that at all, so unless I'm missing something with my router, I think I need the program.
 
SHO said:
When I "test" my IP online to see what anyone could figure out about me based on the numbers, it reveals my ISP and it pinpoints much too close to the town I live in, sometimes the actual town. I don't like that at all, so unless I'm missing something with my router, I think I need the program.
Click to expand...

The program is moot, this is because the IP of which is leased to you via your ISP's DHCP server is on your cable modem, not on your local machine. How NAT works is it translates network traffic from one subnet to another, but does not allow remote hosts to connect to your network. Basically your WAN IP will not be maskable and it will always lead to your local ISP because they are given an IP range that they use for that area. Check out www.arin.net and you can see what IP ranges are assigned to what ISPs.

So, unless this software somehow 'hacks' your cable modem you aren't going to make a single difference.
 
tlarkin said:
The program is moot, this is because the IP of which is leased to you via your ISP's DHCP server is on your cable modem, not on your local machine. How NAT works is it translates network traffic from one subnet to another, but does not allow remote hosts to connect to your network. Basically your WAN IP will not be maskable and it will always lead to your local ISP because they are given an IP range that they use for that area. Check out www.arin.net and you can see what IP ranges are assigned to what ISPs.

So, unless this software somehow 'hacks' your cable modem you aren't going to make a single difference.
Click to expand...

OK, but why does my real IP show my town of residence and ISP when I check it and then when I throw the Hide My IP proxy on, it provides a new IP that checks out anonymously when I Google "what is my IP?" You know what I mean?
 
SHO said:
OK, but why does my real IP show my town of residence and ISP when I check it and then when I throw the Hide My IP proxy on, it provides a new IP that checks out anonymously when I Google "what is my IP?" You know what I mean?
Click to expand...

Are you talking about your WAN IP? A proxy acts as a separate entity negotiating between the client (your machine) and the hosts, so when you browse through it everything will hit the proxy first. Your local machines on your computers should have an IP of 192.168.1.x because that is typically how linksys shells them out.

Every ISP is assigned a range of IP addresses, so if your IP is in that range it will show your location globally. For example, Cox cable in Atlanta, GA may have 63.0.0.1 ~ 66.0.0.1 as their ip range.

When you browse the internet through a proxy, everything is being tunneled through the proxy, then to your local machine. It's not masking your IP, because the proxy service is masking it, and its not hiding it from anyone who really would want to know it.
 
tlarkin said:
Are you talking about your WAN IP? A proxy acts as a separate entity negotiating between the client (your machine) and the hosts, so when you browse through it everything will hit the proxy first. Your local machines on your computers should have an IP of 192.168.1.x because that is typically how linksys shells them out.

Every ISP is assigned a range of IP addresses, so if your IP is in that range it will show your location globally. For example, Cox cable in Atlanta, GA may have 63.0.0.1 ~ 66.0.0.1 as their ip range.

When you browse the internet through a proxy, everything is being tunneled through the proxy, then to your local machine. It's not masking your IP, because the proxy service is masking it, and its not hiding it from anyone who really would want to know it.
Click to expand...

You're going over my head but I'm learning and I appreciate the replies. ;)

When I surf the net unprotected my IP is 24.147.183.***. I can confirm this by going to any of the "what is my IP" sites which all see it as that. They also see where I'm from and who my ISP is.

When I throw on the HideMyIP proxy, the same sites now see my IP as the one provided by HideMyIP, and they show me as being from somewhere in California with no idea who my ISP is.

The trial version only gives one fake IP for three days.

The pay product allows you to switch between various IP numbers as often as you like.

How can someone see my real IP when I have the proxy on?
 
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