202.8.40.158 is an IPv4 address operated by Ahrefs Pte Ltd administrator (AS140577), geolocated to Ashburn, Singapore. Its reverse DNS name is sardine158.ahrefs.net. As of October 6, 2026, IPDebrief rates it Moderate Risk (50/100); no anonymizing service was detected.
## IP INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: 202.8.40.158
Classification: Legitimate Infrastructure – Web Crawler/Spider
Threat Level: LOW RISK
Analysis Date: Current
Analyst: IPDebrief Intelligence Platform
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
IP 202.8.40.158 is identified as legitimate infrastructure belonging to Ahrefs Pte Ltd administrator. The IP is classified within the AHREFS-CRAWLER-A-USA network block and is associated with web crawling operations. No malicious indicators, threat signatures, or abuse patterns were detected during comprehensive analysis.
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OWNERSHIP AND INFRASTRUCTURE
- Organization: Ahrefs Pte Ltd administrator
- ASN: 140577
- Network Block: 202.8.40.0/23
- RIR: APNIC
- Registration Status: Active
- Abuse Contact: Available via RDAP (network-abuse@ahrefs.com)
GEOLLOCATION DATA
- Country: United States (US)
- Region: Virginia (VA)
- City: Ashburn
- Coordinates: 39.05°N, -77.49°W
- Timezone: America/New_York
- GeoConsensus: Confirmed across multiple sources
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NETWORK CHARACTERISTICS
- Service Status: Firewalled / No Services (No open ports detected)
- DNS Resolution: Active
- PTR Hostname: sardine158.ahrefs.net
- Forward Resolution: Confirmed (sardine158.ahrefs.net)
- Network Classification: Not Tor exit, Not CDN, Not VPN, Not Proxy
- Route Stability: Status fluctuating (isRouteStable: false)
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THREAT ASSESSMENT
- Overall Risk Score: 0
- Provider Score: 0
- Authority Score: 0
- Abuse Confidence Score: Not Applicable
- Blacklist Status: Clean (0 blacklist hits)
- Threat Indicators: None detected
- Known Campaigns: None associated
- Tor Exit Node: No
- Known Attacker: No
- Spam Source: No
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BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS
- Threat Persistence Days: 0
- Observation Count: 12 signals
- Malicious Activity: None observed
- Honeypot Hits: 0
- Behavioral Score: Normal operational patterns
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OBSERVATION HISTORY
Comprehensive signal history retrieved (12 observations). Most recent activity recorded: 2026-07-22T12:30:23 UTC. Key observations include:
- Consistent ownership attribution to Ahrefs Pte Ltd administrator
- Stable geolocation data (US/Virginia/Ashburn)
- No significant changes in ownership, network classification, or threat indicators
- All signals show consistent confidence levels (0.60–0.95)
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RELATIONSHIP MAPPING
Three primary relationships identified:
1. DNS Association: sardine158.ahrefs.net
2. Network Association: AHREFS-CRAWLER-A-USA
3. DNS Association: sardine158.ahrefs.net (duplicate entry)
All relationships indicate legitimate infrastructure integration.
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SUBNET ANALYSIS (202.8.40.0/24)
- Total Neighbors: 100
- Abuse Density: 0
- Risk Distribution:
- High Risk: 0
- Medium Risk: 5
- Low Risk: 95
- Inherited Risk: 0
Notable neighbor: 202.8.40.1 (Risk Score: 25, Authority Score: 60)
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SECURITY RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommended Action: PERMIT / MONITOR
Classification: Legitimate infrastructure – no blocking required
The IP represents Ahrefs web crawler infrastructure operating from their Ashburn, VA datacenter. Given the organization's reputation as a legitimate SEO analytics service provider, this IP should be treated as trusted infrastructure. No firewall rules or blocking actions are recommended.
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INTELLIGENCE NOTES
- This IP is part of a dedicated crawler network block (AHREFS-CRAWLER-A-USA)
- No correlation with known threat campaigns or malicious activity
- Subnet demonstrates very low abuse density (0.00%)
- Historical data shows stable, consistent operational patterns
- All DNS records and network classifications align with legitimate service provider operations
End of Briefing
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Verify critical details independently.
🏢 Ownership & Registration
| Organization | Ahrefs Pte Ltd administrator |
| ASN | AS140577 |
| Network Name | AHREFS-CRAWLER-A-USA |
| CIDR Block | 202.8.40.0/23 |
| RIR | APNIC |
| Country | US |
| Abuse Contact | Available via RDAP |
🌐 DNS Intelligence
| PTR | sardine158.ahrefs.net |
| Forward Confirmed | Yes — FCrDNS verified |
| Forward Hostnames | sardine158.ahrefs.net |
🔐 DNS Hygiene
| Hygiene Score | 40% (Fair) |
| SPF | 0/2 domains |
| DMARC | 0/2 domains |
| FCrDNS | Verified |
| DNSSEC | Not signed |
| CAA | Present |
| Domains Checked | 2 domains |
☁️ Network Classification
| Infrastructure | Unknown |
| Service Purpose | Firewalled / No Services |
| Network Tier | Tier 3 — Basic operator with some routing infrastructure |
🔌 Services & Open Ports
| Port | Service | Protocol | Banner |
|---|---|---|---|
| No open ports detected | |||
| Server | — |
| HTTP Title | — |
🔐 TLS Certificate
| SANs | None |
| Valid From | — |
| Valid Until | — |
🛡️ Public Network Snapshot
| Origin ASN | AS140577 |
| Network Prefix | 202.8.40.0/23 |
| Route mapping | Found |
🎯 Confidence Breakdown
Per-dimension confidence scores based on source diversity and data freshness
| Dimension | Score | Sources | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|
| threat | 25% | 1 | 1 |
| routing | 25% | 1 | 1 |
| services | 25% | 1 | 1 |
| ownership | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| reputation | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| geolocation | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Overall | 12% | 3 | 3 |
| Data Coherence | Mostly Consistent (80%) — 1 contradiction(s) |
| Attribution | Moderate (55%) |
| OwnershipFCrDNSGeo ConsensusGeo PlausibleIRR MatchRPKI Valid |
📅 Observation Timeline 🔄 Live
| First Seen | 2026-07-02 04:21:37 UTC |
| Last Seen | 2026-10-06 01:55:43 UTC |
| Profile Built | 2026-10-06 01:56:01 UTC |
| Data Freshness | Live |
| Signal Types | 18 |
| Total Observations | 22 |
Full dossier details are available via our API.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions About 202.8.40.158
Who owns the IP address 202.8.40.158?
202.8.40.158 is registered to Ahrefs Pte Ltd administrator. The address falls within the 202.8.40.0/23 network block. Registration is held at APNIC.
Where is 202.8.40.158 located?
Geolocation data places 202.8.40.158 in Ashburn, Virginia, Singapore. The local time zone is Asia/Singapore. IP geolocation is approximate and indicates the network's registered or routed location rather than a precise physical address.
Is 202.8.40.158 malicious or safe?
202.8.40.158 currently carries a moderate risk assessment, meaning some indicators warrant caution, but the evidence is mixed. This assessment is generated from continuously collected signals and can change over time.
What is the hostname for 202.8.40.158?
The reverse DNS (PTR) record for 202.8.40.158 is sardine158.ahrefs.net. This hostname is forward-confirmed, meaning it resolves back to the same address.