Understanding Defanging of IP Addresses
Hey All. Today I will be sharing something that I recently learned while making a phishing analysis report. We will be learning about defanging an IP Address and a URL.
First, let me define the term. In simple terms, it means modifying the IP Address to a more human-readable format or preventing someone from clicking on it. In the world of cybersecurity, it is defined as a technique to make IP Addresses less harmful and non-functional.
Note —
URLs are also defanged. Defanging URLs involves altering their format to prevent accidental clicks or automatic hyperlinking. Common techniques include replacing protocol identifiers, changing dots to placeholders, adding spaces, and using URL encoding. This is often done in security reports to share information without triggering unintended actions.
Why Defang an IP?
Preventing Unintended Clicks and Enhancing Transparency — In situations where individuals are creating incident reports or analyzing phishing emails, it’s necessary to include information about malicious IP addresses and URLs. Since multiple individuals, including those who may not be cybersecurity professionals, will be reviewing these reports, there’s a risk of accidental clicks on the malicious IP or URL. This could result in the inadvertent downloading of viruses or malware onto their systems.
One can easily defang 1 or 2 URLs or IPs. But what if there are100 of them and you need to automate the process? Luckily we have Cyber Chef. Just paste in your ip or URL and cyber chef will automate the process
