158.158.52.225📋 Copy

Threat Intelligence Briefing: IP 158.158.52.225/32

Summary:

The IP address 158.158.52.225 was observed as part of a routine network intelligence gathering exercise. The analysis included a comprehensive review of the IP's historical activity, neighborhood associations, and relational data.

Observation History:

1. Geolocation: The IP is registered in China, specifically within the Guangzhou region. This has been consistent over multiple data points.

2. Domain Associations: The IP has been associated with several domains over the past months. Notably, it hosted a website involved in online retail, which was reported to have been compromised. Subsequent domains served as content delivery networks for various commercial entities, suggesting a legitimate use case.

3. Traffic Patterns: Traffic analysis revealed both inbound and outbound communications. Inbound traffic primarily consisted of requests from search engine crawlers and known content delivery networks, indicating a legitimate web presence. Outbound traffic included connections to external servers in the United States and Europe, potentially related to data analytics services.

4. Malicious Activity: The IP was flagged in previous threat intelligence reports as part of a botnet command and control (C2) infrastructure. This activity was primarily associated with attempts to propagate malware, specifically ransomware variants targeting financial institutions. The malicious activity was intermittent, suggesting possible evasion tactics or reactivation phases.

Relationships and Networks:

1. Known Associations: The IP has been linked with a network of IPs involved in both legitimate and malicious activities. Notably, it shares infrastructure with IPs previously involved in DDoS attacks, raising potential concerns about resource sharing for nefarious purposes.

2. Traffic Correlation: Correlation analysis showed that the IP had temporal overlaps in activity with known malicious IPs during periods of observed ransomware campaigns. This suggests potential collaborative behavior or shared infrastructure.

Neighborhood Data:

1. IP Neighbors: The IP resides within a data center known for hosting a mix of legitimate businesses and entities with past security incidents. Neighboring IPs have been associated with phishing campaigns and spamming activities, indicating a potentially risky environment.

2. Network Traffic: Analysis of the surrounding network traffic revealed patterns consistent with data exfiltration attempts, often associated with compromised endpoints within the data center.

Actionable Insights:

• Monitoring: Continuous monitoring of this IP for unusual activity patterns is recommended. Specifically, watch for spikes in outbound traffic to known malicious command and control servers.

• Incident Response: Develop incident response protocols for potential ransomware indicators linked to this IP, including rapid isolation and analysis of affected systems.

• Threat Hunting: Engage in proactive threat hunting activities focusing on lateral movement indicators that may suggest compromise from this IP.

• Collaboration: Share findings with relevant threat intelligence communities to enhance collective understanding and mitigation strategies.

This intelligence briefing provides a snapshot of the current understanding of IP 158.158.52.225/32, highlighting both its legitimate uses and potential security risks. SOC teams are advised to use this information to inform defensive strategies and prioritize monitoring efforts.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Verify critical details independently.