What is IP Address Spoofing?
IP address spoofing is a hacking technique that uses an IP source to send IP packets. The IP source does not have to be assigned to the computer sending them. This technique is used by hackers to launch attacks on targeted devices and infrastructures.
Hackers can use spoofed IP addresses to:
- Stop targeted devices sending alerts about attacks that they are unwilling or unwitting participants
- Avoid being caught and implicated by authorities, forensic cyber investigators, or the courts
- Blacklist IP addresses that are known to be malicious traffic sources to bypass security scripts and services.
Types of attacks that IP Spoofing can help you to avoid
The following attacks can be caused by IP spoofing:
Denial-of-Service Attack
Hackers use DoS attacks to consume bandwidth and resources, flooding target hosts with as many packets in a short period of time as possible. To make it more difficult for DDoS stoppers and tracers to track down the source IP addresses, hackers spoof them. The attacker scans the internet and finds hosts that have known vulnerabilities. He then compromises these hosts to install the attack software, and finally exploits those vulnerabilities to gain root access.
Man-in-the-Middle-Attack
Hackers interrupt the communication between two machines and alter the packets.
Blind Spoofing
Multiple packets are sent to an attacker to get a series number. This is usually used to build the packets in the sequence they want to read them. Hackers are unaware of the network’s transmissions and must coax the machine to respond to their requests to view the sequence numbers. The attackers can now inject data into the packet stream without authenticating when it was established.
Spoofing that isn’t blind
This attack is carried out when the hacker is connected to the same subnet as their target and can view the sequence and acknowledgment for every packet. Session hijacking is a type of spoofing attack that allows an attacker to bypass authentication measures used to create the connection. This is done by corrupting the DataStream for an existing connection and then re-establishing it using the correct sequence of acknowledgment numbers from the attacker host machine.
How to Prevent IP Spoofing
To stop spoofed packets infiltrating networks, organizations can take the following measures:
- Use a network attack blocker.
- Strong verification methods are used for remote access. This includes systems on the intranet. To prevent spoofed packets from coming from an attacker who has already compromised another system in the enterprise network.
- Authenticating IP addresses for inbound IP packets
- Monitoring networks for unusual activity
- Implementing packet filtering systems to detect discrepancies such as outgoing packets containing source IP addresses that are not compatible with those in the company’s network.
Firewalls are crucial in blocking IP packets with fake addresses. Enterprise routers must be able to reject packets with the spoofed addresses. Here are some basic considerations:
- This prevents traffic from developing from within the company but that spoofs another address as the source IP address.
- Configure firewalls and routers so that packets with private IP addresses originate outside of the enterprise perimeter.
IP Address Spoofing Prevention
Your IP address protection is an important feature to protect your identity. This security can be enhanced by installing a reliable and good web security tool that is incorporated with an efficient web application firewall (WAF) and several other noteworthy security features capable of preventing DoS and DDoS attacks. Comodo has developed cWatch Web, a reliable web security program. The Managed Security Service for web applications includes an excellent WAF that can eliminate application vulnerabilities and protect web applications against advanced attacks like SQL Injection, Cross-Site Scripting, DDoS, and Cross-Site Scripting. Available with malware scanning, vulnerability scanning, and automatic virtual patching and hardening engines, the Comodo WAF has the potential to provide robust security that is wholly managed for customers as part of the Comodo cWatch Web solution.
The Comodo WAF’s Key Benefits
Following are some of the key security benefits offered by the Comodo WAF:
- Malicious Bots and Brute Force PreventionWebsites are protected from brute force attacks and malicious bots. Account registration forms and login pages are protected from various attack vectors, including application denial of services, web scraping,, and reconnaissance attacks.
- Zero-Day Immediate Response: Regular updates of all websites under management with virtual patches. Instant response to applying a patch for zero-day attacks as soon as they are known to the public.
- Stop Hacking and Website AttacksProtect vulnerable websites by blocking hack attempts and detecting malicious requests. This WAF also targets application targeting attacks such as WordPress, plugins, Drupal,, and Joomla.
- DDoS ProtectionAnycast is a globally distributed network that allows for efficient traffic distribution. It blocks traffic that is not HTTP/HTTPS-based. The current network capacity exceeds 1 TB/s. Each PoP is equipped with multiple 100G and 10G ports that can scale up and absorb huge attacks.
Comodo cWatch also offers other web security features, such as:
- Secure Content Delivery Network (CDN): To improve the performance of websites and web applications, a global network of distributed servers is used.
- PCI ScanningAllows merchants and service providers to remain in compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, (PCI DSS).
- Malware Monitoring and Resolution: It detects and provides tools and methods to remove malware and prevent future attacks.
- Cyber Security Operations Center (CSOC). Our team of cybersecurity experts provides round-the-clock monitoring and remediation services.
- Security Information and Event Management (SIEM).Enhanced intelligence that leverages existing events and data from over 85M endpoints, 100M domains.