ABUSE.MOM
THREAT REPORT

IP Threat Report
172.98.32.178

ABUSE.MOM — BEHAVE OR GET EXPOSED

Generated: 2026-05-27 05:25:02
First seen: 2026-05-23 19:13:06
Last seen: 2026-05-24 10:22:04
75

⛔ Verdict: BLOCK

This IP address has been classified as a source of malicious automated activity. Threat score: 75/100. Total malicious requests observed: 43.

DANGER_PATHRATIO_404UA_SUS
01

Geolocation & Classification

IP Address
172.98.32.178
Type
VPN
Country
🇺🇸 United States
City
Washington
ISP
LayerSwitch
Organization
Prefixx, Inc
Autonomous System
AS206092 F.N.S. HOLDINGS LIMITED
Hit Count
43
02

Detection Signatures

SignatureDescriptionPointsSeverity
404 ratio >= 60%Majority of requests returned 404 — enumeration+25
Danger medium hits: 1Medium-risk: admin panels, config files+10
Danger strong hits: 1High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits+25
UA suspiciousBehavioral anomaly detected by automated analysis+15
Σ = 75
03

Observed Activity

Reconstructed HTTP requests from server access logs. Target domains redacted for security.

[redacted]
GET
/
200
Requests shown: 1 · HTTP 404: 0 · Dangerous patterns: 0

* Typical request patterns for detected signatures. Actual target domains are redacted.

04

Timeline

2026-05-23 19:13:06
First malicious request detected
IP entered monitoring from server access logs
During observation
Multiple detection signatures triggered
404 ratio >= 60% (+25), Danger medium hits: 1 (+10), Danger strong hits: 1 (+25)
2026-05-24 10:22:04
Last malicious request observed
Total score reached: 75/100
Next cycle
IP blocked — all subsequent requests denied (HTTP 403)
Added to blocklist automatically
05

Network Provider

LayerSwitch
AS206092 · 🇺🇸 United States
06

Recommendations

Actions taken & recommended

  • IP 172.98.32.178 is blocked at application level (HTTP 403)
  • Consider blocking at firewall level (iptables/CSF) to reduce server load
  • Other malicious IPs detected in the same /24 subnet — consider blocking 172.98.32.0/24
  • Report abuse to the network provider via their abuse contact
  • Ensure sensitive files (.env, .git, backups) are not accessible from the web

🔎 Directory Scan Defense

IP 172.98.32.178 is enumerating directories. Configure fail2ban apache-404 jail after 10+ 404 errors. Disable directory listings. Normalize all 404 responses.

🤖 User-Agent Anomaly Defense

IP 172.98.32.178 shows suspicious UA behavior. Block empty User-Agent requests. Implement JavaScript-based bot detection for sensitive endpoints.

07

Neighbors in 172.98.32.0/24

Other blocked IPs from the same /24 subnet — indicates systematic abuse from this network range.

09

Blacklist Status (DNSBL)

This IP was checked against major DNS-based blacklists used by mail servers and firewalls worldwide.

✓ Clean
spam.dnsbl.sorbs.net
✓ Clean
zen.spamhaus.org
✓ Clean
psbl.surriel.com
✓ Clean
bl.blocklist.de
✓ Clean
bl.spamcop.net
✓ Clean
b.barracudacentral.org
✓ Clean
dnsbl.dronebl.org

Checked: Spamhaus, SpamCop, Barracuda, SORBS, CBL, UCEProtect. Results may change over time.

10

Threat Analysis

172.98.32.178 has been assigned a threat score of 75/100 (High). This classifies it as a high-severity threat. Proactive blocking is recommended for sensitive infrastructure.

The following attack categories were identified:

Path EnumerationUser-Agent Anomaly

📊 Threat Analysis

Network traffic from 172.98.32.178, located in Washington, United States, operating on the network of LayerSwitch, has been classified as malicious by our automated threat scoring engine. Over a period of 1 days, this IP generated 43 malicious requests, averaging approximately 43 requests per day. Classified as a VPN or proxy server, this IP serves as an anonymization layer. While VPNs have legitimate uses, this address has been observed routing clearly malicious traffic. Two attack patterns were identified (Path Enumeration and User-Agent Anomaly), suggesting a semi-automated campaign that targets multiple vulnerabilities. With 150 flagged addresses, United States represents a significant presence in our threat database. A threat score of 75/100 places this IP in the high-risk category. Blocking at the firewall level is recommended.

This IP is associated with a VPN or proxy service. Attackers frequently route their traffic through anonymizing services to obscure their true location. This makes attribution more challenging but the malicious behavior patterns remain detectable.

11

Related Threats

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🏢 Same network: AS206092

103.163.220.216 (340)85.203.21.101 (320)85.203.21.157 (310)85.203.21.172 (305)91.217.249.222 (305)View all →
12

Security Intelligence

💡 SQL Injection Campaigns

SQL injection remains one of the most common web attack vectors. Attackers inject malicious SQL code through input fields to extract database contents, modify data, or gain administrative access. Automated scanners test for SQLi vulnerabilities at massive scale.

💡 Vulnerability Scanning Explained

Vulnerability scanning is the automated process of probing web applications for known weaknesses. Attackers use tools like Nuclei, Nikto, and ZAP to test thousands of hosts per hour, looking for exposed configuration files, outdated software, and default credentials.

🔍 Check Any IP Address

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