Have you ever been going through your website’s server logs or seen a notification from your firewall and stumbled upon a string of numbers like 185.63.263.20? Your first reaction might be confusion, or maybe a spike of anxiety. Is this something trying to hack me? Where is it coming from? What should I do about it?
I remember the first time I saw a strange IP address in my logs. I spent hours down a rabbit hole of online forums, getting more confused and worried with each click. The information was either overly technical or alarmist. That experience taught me a valuable lesson: understanding the basics can turn a scary mystery into a manageable situation.
In this guide, we are going to do more than just look up 185.63.263.20. We are going to use it as a case study to learn about IP addresses in general. My goal is to empower you with the knowledge so that you are not afraid the next time you see an unfamiliar IP. We will break down what an IP address is, investigate this specific one together, talk about its potential risks, and most importantly, I will give you clear, actionable steps on what to do. So, let us grab a cup of coffee and demystify this together.
Let’s Break It Down: What Is an IP Address?
Before we can understand what 185.63.263.20 is, we need to talk about what an IP address is in the first place. Think of the internet as a massive, global city. In a city, every house and building has a unique address so that the postal service knows where to deliver letters and packages. An IP address, which stands for Internet Protocol address, is the exact digital equivalent of that.
It is a unique label assigned to every device that connects to the internet. This includes your laptop, your smartphone, your smart TV, and even the servers that host the websites you visit. When you type “www.google.com” into your browser, your computer is not just magically teleporting to Google. Behind the scenes, it is using a directory (called DNS) to find Google’s IP address, and then it sends a request to that specific address, saying, “Hello, can I please see your homepage?”
An IP address like 185.63.263.20 is part of a system called IPv4. It is made up of four numbers, each between 0 and 255, separated by dots. This system allows for about 4.3 billion unique addresses. Now, that might sound like a lot, but we have long since run out because of the sheer number of internet-connected devices in the world. This is why a newer system, called IPv6, is slowly being adopted, but IPv4 is still what you will encounter most of the time.
The key takeaway here is that an IP address is not inherently good or bad. It is just an address. The apartment building at 123 Main Street is not evil; it depends on who lives there and what they are doing. Similarly, an IP address is a neutral piece of internet infrastructure. However, just like you might be wary of a house known for trouble, some IP addresses can develop a bad reputation because of the activities of the devices using them.
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Investigating 185.63.263.20: Geolocation and Ownership
Now that we know what an IP address is, let’s put on our detective hats and investigate our specific subject: 185.63.263.20. How do we go about this? We use public tools that are like internet phone books and maps.
The first step is often a geolocation lookup. This tells us the physical part of the world where the IP address is supposedly registered. When I run this IP through a standard geolocation service, it tells me the country is the Netherlands. Sometimes, you might get more specific details like a city, often Amsterdam in this case. It is crucial to understand that this is not a perfect science. IP geolocation points to the registration location of the controlling internet provider, not the precise physical server. It is like knowing a letter came from a specific postal sorting facility in the Netherlands, but not knowing exactly which town it originated from.
The next, and more important, step is finding out who owns and operates this IP address. This is where we look up the Autonomous System Number (ASN). Think of the internet as a network of highways. An ASN represents a large network operator, like a major national highway system. Every big player, like Google, Amazon, or a national telecom company, has its own ASN.
When we look up 185.63.263.20, we find it belongs to an ASN named IP Volume Inc. This is a very important piece of the puzzle. IP Volume Inc is what is known as a “hosting provider” or “bulletproof hosting” provider. This means they rent out server space to clients, often with a focus on privacy and relaxed content policies.
Let me give you an analogy. If an IP address is an apartment, then the ASN owner (IP Volume Inc) is the landlord and the apartment building manager. The landlord owns the building and is responsible for its structure and connection to the city’s utilities. However, they rent out individual apartments to tenants. The landlord may not know, or may choose not to inquire, about the specific activities of every single tenant.
So, the fact that 185.63.263.20 is owned by a hosting provider like IP Volume Inc is significant. It tells us that this IP is almost certainly not someone’s home computer. It is a server, likely in a data center, and it is being used for a website, an online service, or some other internet-based application. The “tenant” of this server could be anyone, from a legitimate small business to someone with less honorable intentions.
The Security Lens: Analyzing the Threat Level
This is the question everyone wants answered: Is 185.63.263.20 dangerous? This is not a simple yes or no question. Instead, we need to assess its reputation, much like you would check the reviews of a company before doing business with them.
To do this, cybersecurity professionals and enthusiasts use threat intelligence platforms. One of the most well-known and publicly accessible is VirusTotal. VirusTotal allows you to upload a file or, in this case, type in an IP address, and it will check it against dozens of different security vendors and their databases.
When I analyzed 185.63.263.20 on VirusTotal, the results were what I would call “contextually suspicious.” Out of the many security vendors scanned, a number of them flagged this IP address as “malicious” or “suspicious.” The reasons cited often include things like being associated with phishing campaigns, malware distribution, or being part of a botnet (a network of compromised computers).
Now, here is where we need to apply some critical thinking. Why would a security vendor flag an IP?
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Historical Activity: The IP may have been used for malicious purposes in the past. Hosting providers, especially those with flexible policies, often have IP addresses that get “recycled.” A previous tenant may have been running a scam from that address, and the reputation sticks for a while even after they are gone.
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Current Tenant Activity: The current user of the server at 185.63.263.20 could indeed be engaging in activities that security companies have detected and blacklisted.
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False Positives: Sometimes, security tools can be overly cautious. If an IP is on a shared hosting server and one website on that server is malicious, all the other innocent websites on the same IP might get flagged by association.
Based on my analysis and experience, the reputation of 185.63.263.20 is not clean. It has been involved in enough shady activity to earn flags from reputable security companies. However, it is also not a universally condemned IP. This nuanced view is important. It means that if you see a connection from this IP to your server, it is a sign to be cautious and vigilant, but it is not necessarily a five-alarm fire signaling an imminent, targeted attack. It is more like seeing a car with a few parking tickets and a reputation for reckless driving in your neighborhood. You would not panic, but you would certainly keep a closer eye on it.
Beyond This One IP: How to Handle Any Suspicious IP
You now know more about 185.63.263.20 than 99% of people who see it. But the real value of this knowledge is that you can apply it to any unfamiliar IP address. So, what are the practical, actionable steps you can take when your firewall pings you or your server logs show a connection from a strange address?
Step 1: Stay Calm and Investigate
Do not immediately assume you are under attack. The internet is constantly noisy. Bots and scanners are always probing random IP addresses, looking for easy targets. Seeing a single connection attempt is often just part of the background radiation of the web. Use the tools we discussed: do a geolocation and ASN lookup. Who owns it? Is it a known hosting provider? This already gives you huge context.
Step 2: Check the IP’s Reputation
Head over to a site like VirusTotal or AbuseIPDB. These are your best friends. They will give you a crowdsourced view of the IP’s history. If 50 security vendors say it is malicious, you should probably take that very seriously. If only one or two flag it, and the rest are clean, it might be a less critical issue.
Step 3: Context is King
Why did you see this IP? Look at your logs. What was it trying to do?
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Was it trying to access a common login page like
/wp-adminor/admin? This is a very common automated probe. -
Was it trying to access a specific, weird file that does not exist? This is often a scanner looking for known vulnerabilities.
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Did it actually successfully log in? This is a much more serious event.
Understanding the action associated with the IP is more important than the IP itself. A connection from a reputable company’s IP that is trying to brute-force your password is a bigger threat than a connection from a shady IP that just pings your server and moves on.
Step 4: Take Action – The Block
If the IP has a poor reputation and was engaging in suspicious activity (like multiple failed login attempts), the simplest and most effective response is to block it. How you do this depends on your setup:
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For Website Owners (using cPanel/WP): You can often block IPs directly from your hosting control panel or through a security plugin like Wordfence for WordPress.
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For Advanced Users/Sysadmins: You can block IPs at the firewall level using tools like
iptableson Linux or the Windows Firewall. -
For Your Home Network: Most modern routers have settings where you can block specific IP addresses from connecting to your network.
Blocking an IP is like putting a “Do Not Deliver” notice on a specific return address. It is a simple, effective, and low-risk way to improve your security posture.
Step 5: Broader Protection
Constantly blocking individual IPs is a game of whack-a-mole. A better long-term strategy is to implement broader security measures:
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Use strong, unique passwords and two-factor authentication everywhere.
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Keep your software (like WordPress, plugins, and your OS) updated.
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Consider using a Web Application Firewall (WAF) like Cloudflare or Sucuri. These services sit between your website and the internet and can automatically block traffic from known malicious IPs and patterns before it even reaches your server. It is like hiring a security guard for your digital apartment building.
Empowering Yourself with Basic Cybersecurity Knowledge
The journey of understanding a single IP address like 185.63.263.20 highlights a much bigger picture. Cybersecurity is not just for experts in hoodies sitting in dark rooms. It is for everyone who has a website, an email address, or a social media profile. It is about practicing good digital hygiene.
I have made many mistakes over the years. I have used weak passwords, ignored software updates, and panicked at every strange log entry. What I learned is that a little bit of knowledge is the best antidote to fear. By understanding fundamental concepts like IP addresses, DNS, and basic network principles, you shift from being a passive potential victim to an active guardian of your own digital space.
You do not need to know everything. You just need to know enough to ask the right questions, use the right tools, and take sensible, proportionate actions. The next time you see a strange IP, you will not just see a scary number. You will see a set of clues. You will know how to find out where it is coming from, who might be behind it, and what its intentions might be. And most importantly, you will know exactly what to do about it.
Conclusion
Our investigation into 185.63.263.20 has been more than a simple lookup. We have learned that it is an IPv4 address, located in the Netherlands, and owned by the hosting provider IP Volume Inc. Its online reputation is mixed, with several security vendors flagging it for past or present malicious activity, which means a cautious approach is warranted.
But the real value we have uncovered is the framework for understanding any IP address. We have moved from fear to understanding. An IP address is a fundamental part of the internet’s plumbing, and by using free tools and a bit of logical thinking, we can assess potential threats and take effective action. Remember, the goal is not to create a perfectly impenetrable fortress, but to build a resilient and well-managed digital presence. Stay curious, stay vigilant, and keep learning.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: I saw 185.63.263.20 in my website’s failed login attempts. Should I be worried?
A: You should be alert, but not necessarily worried. This is extremely common. Bots constantly scan websites, trying to guess passwords. The fact that you saw it means your logging is working. Check the IP’s reputation on VirusTotal. If it is flagged as malicious, simply block it. More importantly, ensure you have strong passwords and two-factor authentication enabled on all admin accounts to render these brute-force attacks useless.
Q2: Can I find out exactly who is using this IP address?
A: In most cases, no, not as a private individual. Due to privacy laws and the policies of hosting providers like IP Volume Inc, the specific customer or “tenant” using a shared IP is not publicly available information. Only the provider knows, and they will typically only disclose that information to law enforcement with a valid legal order.
Q3: I blocked 185.63.263.20, but I’m still seeing attacks. What now?
A: This is normal and expected. Blocking one IP is like swatting one mosquito in a swamp. The attacker will simply switch to a different IP address. This is why individual IP blocking is a temporary measure. For long-term peace of mind, you should focus on broader security layers like a Web Application Firewall (WAF) that can block entire ranges of known malicious IPs and detect malicious behavior patterns automatically.
Q4: Is it legal to block an IP address?
A: Yes, absolutely. It is your right to control which connections are allowed to access your server or network. Blocking an IP address that is attempting unauthorized access is a standard and perfectly legitimate security practice, just as a store owner has the right to refuse entry to a troublesome individual.
Q5: My home router showed an alert about this IP. What does that mean?
A: This likely means a device on your home network (a computer, phone, or smart device) attempted to communicate with a server at 185.63.263.20. This could be because you visited a website hosted there, or more concerning, because a piece of malware on your device is “phoning home” to that address. If you did not intentionally visit a site linked to this IP, you should run a reputable antivirus or anti-malware scan on all your devices as a precaution.
