# INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: 52.167.144.236/32
Classification: Moderate Risk β Microsoft Bingbot Infrastructure
Date: Current Analysis
Analyst: IPDebrief Intelligence Unit
---
## EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
IP 52.167.144.236 is identified as Microsoft Corporation infrastructure (ASN 8075) operating as a Bingbot search crawler. The IP resides in a high-abuse density neighborhood (52.167.144.0/24) with significant sibling threat activity. Despite the IP's legitimate Microsoft designation, neighborhood context warrants monitoring. Risk score: 40/100.
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## OWNERSHIP & INFRASTRUCTURE
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Organization | Microsoft Corporation |
| ASN | 8075 |
| Network Role | Bingbot (Search Crawler) |
| Classification | Firewalled / No Services |
| Geolocation | Madison, WI, US |
| Timezone | America/Chicago |
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## THREAT INDICATORS
- Risk Score: 40 (Moderate Risk)
- Abuse Confidence: None reported
- Blacklist Status: Not listed (0/0)
- Known Attacker: False
- Spam Source: False
- Tor Exit Node: False
- Campaign Correlation: None detected
Threat Indicators: No active threat indicators. IP shows no malicious behavior, known campaign associations, or blacklist presence.
---
## NEIGHBORHOOD ANALYSIS (52.167.144.0/24)
- Abuse Density: 0.5476 (High Abuse Classification)
- Total Siblings: 84
- Active Siblings: 51
- Threat Siblings: 46 (90% of active siblings flagged as threats)
- Inherited Risk Score: 21
Assessment: The /24 subnet exhibits elevated abuse density with 46 of 51 active sibling IPs classified as threats. This neighborhood-level risk does not appear to correlate with the subject IP's legitimate Microsoft designation.
---
## OBSERVATION HISTORY
Total Observations: 21 signals
| Date | Signal Type | Key Metric |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-20 | Subnet Analysis | Abuse density: 0.6588, Inherited risk: 26 |
| 2026-06-20 | Geolocation | Madison, WI, US (confidence: 0.70) |
| 2026-06-15 | Service Scan | No open ports detected |
| 2026-06-15 | Subnet Analysis | Abuse density: 0.5476, Inherited risk: 21 |
| 2026-06-15 | Operator Score | Basic classification (0.3478) |
Trend: Consistent classification as "high_abuse" subnet with fluctuating abuse density between 0.5476 and 0.6588. No escalation in threat activity observed.
---
## NETWORK RELATIONSHIPS
- DNS Associations: msnbot-52-167-144-236.search.msn.com (forward confirmed)
- Network Associations: MSFT (Microsoft)
- PTR Record: ms nbot-52-167-144-236.search.msn.com
- Forward Hostnames: 1 (msn.com domain)
---
## SERVICES & FINGERPRINT
- Open Ports: None detected
- TLS Certificate: None
- HTTP Title: None
- Service Banner: None
- Fingerprint: Unable to complete (no services running)
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## RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
Based on risk profile and neighborhood context, the following actions are recommended:
| Platform | Rule |
|---|---|
| iptables | `iptables -A INPUT -s 52.167.144.236 -j DROP` |
| nftables | `nft add rule inet filter input ip saddr 52.167.144.236 drop` |
| nginx | `deny 52.167.144.236;` |
| pfSense | `52.167.144.236/32` |
| Cloudflare WAF | Block with description: "IPDebrief risk score 40" |
| AWS WAF | Address: 52.167.144.236/32 |
Note: These rules are probabilistic. The IP is Microsoft Bingbot infrastructure. Blocking may impact legitimate Bing search crawler functionality. Recommend evaluating against business requirements before enforcement.
---
## INTELLIGENCE ASSESSMENT
The IP 52.167.144.236 is Microsoft Bingbot infrastructure. While the individual IP shows no malicious indicators, the high-abuse neighborhood context (46 threat siblings in /24) suggests potential reputation contamination. The IP's "Firewalled / No Services" classification and lack of open ports indicate it is likely a passive infrastructure endpoint rather than an active threat.
Recommendation: Monitor neighborhood activity. If the organization has strict requirements for Microsoft Bingbot traffic, implement allowlisting exceptions. Otherwise, the moderate risk score and lack of direct threat indicators support a block decision with awareness of potential false positives.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Verify critical details independently.
π’ Ownership & Registration
| Organization | Microsoft Corporation |
| ASN | AS8075 |
| Network Name | β |
| CIDR Block | β |
| RIR | ARIN |
| Country | β |
| Abuse Contact | Available via RDAP |
π DNS Intelligence
| PTR | msnbot-52-167-144-236.search.msn.com |
| Forward Confirmed | Yes β FCrDNS verified |
| Forward Hostnames | msnbot-52-167-144-236.search.msn.com |
π DNS Hygiene
| Hygiene Score | 100% (Excellent) |
| SPF | Present |
| DMARC | Present |
| FCrDNS | Verified |
| DNSSEC | Valid |
| CAA | Present |
βοΈ Network Classification
| Infrastructure | Infrastructure / Datacenter |
| Service Purpose | Firewalled / No Services |
| Network Tier | Hosting β Infrastructure provider without advanced routing |
π Services & Open Ports
| Port | Service | Protocol | Banner |
|---|---|---|---|
| No open ports detected | |||
| Closed Ports | 22, 25, 80, 443, 3389, 8080, 8443 (0 open / 7 scanned) | ||
| Server | β |
| HTTP Title | β |
π TLS Certificate
| SANs | None |
| Valid From | β |
| Valid Until | β |
π― Confidence Breakdown
Per-dimension confidence scores based on source diversity and data freshness
| Dimension | Score | Sources | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|
| threat | 31% | 2 | 4 |
| routing | 8% | 1 | 1 |
| services | 15% | 2 | 2 |
| ownership | 24% | 2 | 3 |
| reputation | 31% | 1 | 3 |
| geolocation | 19% | 2 | 2 |
| Overall | 21% | 10 | 15 |
| Data Coherence | Consistent (100%) |
| Attribution | Moderate (70%) |
| OwnershipFCrDNSGeo ConsensusGeo PlausibleIRR MatchRPKI Valid |
π Observation Timeline π Live
| First Seen | 2026-05-18 09:25:06 UTC |
| Last Seen | 2026-06-28 07:18:59 UTC |
| Profile Built | 2026-06-29 01:23:10 UTC |
| Data Freshness | Live |
| Signal Types | 20 |
| Total Observations | 24 |
Full dossier details are available via our API.