IP Geolocation API for efficient cybersecurity data
Rating: 10 out of 10
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
With IP Geolocation API added to our in-house application, we have been able to limit the access of IP addresses from offshore locations known for harboring individuals with potentially malicious intent from our network. It has made further scrutiny into website visitors and consequent blocking possible before we may face the consequences of an attack (e.g., phishing email, BEC scams, etc.).
Pros
- Aside from identifying the physical location of an IP address owner, the API also provides users with its Internet service provider and connection type. That is handy information if website owners wish to customize their site loading to match the connection speed of the majority of their visitors.
- It doesn’t matter whether website visitors use an IPv4 or IPv6 address in that the API works for both spaces. The records in the API’s database are also updated weekly, so users always get the latest results.
Cons
- Like most, if not all, IP geolocation services, it does not provide very accurate information down to the street level address. But since we do most of our business transactions online, that doesn’t pose much of a problem for us.
Likelihood to Recommend
On our end, we've mostly used IP Geolocation API for cybersecurity purposes. A particular scenario that comes to mind is when suspicious IP addresses make it to our site from locations we wouldn't expect. In this context, the API integrated into our existing infosec solutions helps us spot those IP addresses so we can decide how to sort them. Also, say that one of our employees receive a phishing email or one that contains a possible malware file. We can use IP Geolocation API to enrich what we know about a sender and add the related IP address to our blocklist if necessary.
AR
Albert Remy
Security Analyst in Information Technology at Polylead (11-50 employees)
Vetted Review
4 years of experience