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What is an IP reputation score?
An IP reputation score is basically a risk rating that security systems, email providers, and web services use to figure out if an IP address is trustworthy or likely to cause problems.
Factors that influence IP reputation
Download CSV| Factor | What it measures | Impact on score | Data source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spam activity | How much email spam is coming from it | Very high | DNSBL / reputation feeds |
| Malware traffic | Command & control servers or hosting malware | Very high | Threat intel feeds |
| Open ports | Services that are exposed | Medium | Port scans |
| Proxy / VPN usage | Signs of anonymization | Medium | Heuristics |
| Shared hosting | Multiple users on the same IP | Low-Medium | ASN analysis |
| IP age | Recently assigned IP addresses | Medium | RIR data |
| User reports | Complaints from actual people | Medium | Abuse desks |
| Blacklist listings | On active blocklists | High | Blacklist aggregation |
| Traffic patterns | How often requests come in | Medium | Behavioral models |
IP reputation vs IP blacklists
- Blacklists are straightforward-you're either on it or you're not.
- Reputation scores give you a sliding scale of risk.
- An IP can have a bad reputation even if it's not on any blacklist.
How reputation scores are used
- Email filtering and making sure your mail gets delivered
- Catching fraud and stopping bots
- Throttling requests and controlling who gets access