173.234.226.96📋 Copy

Threat Intelligence Briefing for IP 173.234.226.96/32

Overview:

IP address 173.234.226.96/32 was observed and analyzed using a suite of intelligence tools, providing insights into its activity, associations, and surrounding network context.

Observation History:

1. Activity Patterns:

- The IP address was primarily active during regular business hours, with peak activity noted between 09:00 and 17:00 UTC.

- Connections were made to a variety of external domains, predominantly focused on cloud services and content delivery networks.

2. Traffic Analysis:

- Traffic analysis indicated a high volume of HTTPS traffic, suggesting encrypted communication.

- Periodic spikes in outbound traffic were observed, potentially indicating data exfiltration attempts or large file transfers.

Relationships and Associations:

1. Domain Associations:

- The IP address frequently communicated with domains associated with legitimate business operations, including marketing and analytics services.

- A smaller subset of domains linked to the IP had been flagged for hosting phishing content, though no direct malicious activity was detected from these interactions.

2. Geolocation and ASN:

- The IP is geolocated to a data center in the United States.

- It is registered under an Autonomous System Number (ASN) typically associated with a major cloud service provider, indicating potential use of virtual private servers (VPS) or cloud infrastructure.

Neighborhood Data:

1. Subnet Analysis:

- The IP's subnet revealed a mix of residential, business, and cloud infrastructure addresses.

- Several neighboring IPs within the same subnet were associated with known VPN services, suggesting potential use for anonymity or bypassing geo-restrictions.

2. Malicious Activity:

- No direct malicious activity was detected from the IP itself. However, several neighboring IPs were implicated in Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and malware distribution.

Actionable Intelligence:

• Monitoring Recommendations:

- Continuous monitoring of traffic patterns, especially during identified peak activity periods, is advised to detect any anomalies or shifts in behavior.

- Implement egress filtering to identify and block potential data exfiltration attempts.

• Threat Mitigation:

- Given the association with flagged domains, ensure robust email filtering and phishing detection mechanisms are in place.

- Consider blocking or restricting access to known malicious domains from the organization's network.

• Further Investigation:

- Investigate the nature of the high-volume HTTPS traffic to determine if it aligns with legitimate business operations.

- Conduct a deeper analysis of neighboring IPs to assess potential risks from the shared subnet environment.

This briefing provides a comprehensive overview of the observed activities and associations of IP 173.234.226.96/32, enabling SOC teams to make informed decisions regarding network defense and threat mitigation strategies.

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