Thread: Questions regarding IP, Hostname

If someone knows your IP address, can they also find out your hostname very easily? What other info can they find about you? Computer name? MAC Address? Other?

If I change my IP address (I have a dynamic IP, so I can change my IP just by resetting my router), does my hostname change as well?

Can I manually change my hostname, no matter what IP I have? How could I do that in Windows 7? Or I would have to do it on my router settings somehow?



Any help will be highly appreciated

I can't speak for all applications, but mine seems similar to yours, i.e., I'm a using a cable modem/NAT/router combo.
Looking up my external ip address, I get this; Your IP Address: 72.182.xx.xx., Host Name: cpe-72-182-xx-xx.austin.res.rr.com.
As you can see my hostname, which is assigned by RoadRunner, is an extension of my IP address.
If I change my routers MAC address, both will change to reflect the new IP address.
As for who can see your MAC address, only someone on the same subnet will be able to see the routers MAC, either by looking at their ARP cache or using a sniffer. If there are others behind your router, then they will be able to see your MAC, as described above, as well as your actual host name.
Your host name can be changed under System properties in Windows.
If you're using just a modem, then your actual IP address would be visible. Your hostname would still be set by your ISP, because it's mapped to an ISP assigned address in DNS.
Your MAC address would still act as listed above.
If you're using DSL/PPP, that's a different story, for someone with DSL to explain.

Whether somebody can find out who you are based on your IP address ...

... is a complex issue that depends on many factors. First, would the "other side" (hacker, fraudster, law enforcement, SPA lawyer, ...) also have a time stamp, i.e. know the date and time when you were online? If so then yes, they can find out everything about you if your ISP cooperates and often, again depending on several factors, even without contacting your ISP. By the way, dial-up networks via the phone line allow to at least identify your ISP based on the range of IPs reserved to them.

Second, how interested, knowledgeable and tenacious is your opponent? Did you ever have direct contact with them, like trying to log into their server, exchanging e-mails, chatting on IRC ... ? Are you in a country where they can either corrupt/pay somebody to get more information about your account(s) or install a packet sniffer for additional proof?

Third, how carefully are you in general terms when it comes to protecting your identity and privacy? Some Facebook junkies who publish every fart have much more serious risks to worry about than an IP address.

There is a ton of variables that to delve into this is not the place (and neither are private messages or e-mails), but if you are merely concerned about better protection in a prophylactic sense, why not start with a a third-party constellation as explained in the security-related Just a Suggestion ... thread? From there, searching the web for «identity theft»/«... protection», «privacy protection», «online anonymity» and similar topics will lead you to a wealth of information about the topic. If you are not from a Commonwealth country, do not forget to search in foreign languages, too, because different cultures have different levels of education and care about civil liberties to different degrees, which results in many excellent tips & tricks being discussed in other languages than English.

This should get you started with your preventive measures. Good luck with your investigations of preventive measures (preparation is always better than reparation) and take care.

A Person can easily get you ip address and get informstion from. From the ip address they will have information to instruct them on how to access your computer.

---------- Post added at 06:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:50 PM ----------

What can people tell from my IP address?