IP Threat Report
173.239.196.156
ABUSE.MOM — BEHAVE OR GET EXPOSED
Geolocation & Classification
Detection Signatures
| Signature | Description | Points | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 404 ratio >= 60% | Majority of requests returned 404 — enumeration | +25 | |
| Burst 25/10s | Abnormally fast request rate — automated scanning | +35 | |
| Burst 26/10s | Abnormally fast request rate — automated scanning | +35 | |
| Burst 7/2s | Abnormally fast request rate — automated scanning | +35 | |
| Burst 8/2s | Abnormally fast request rate — automated scanning | +35 | |
| Danger medium hits: 28 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| Danger medium hits: 35 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| Danger medium hits: 473 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| Danger medium hits: 49 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| Danger medium hits: 494 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| Danger strong hits: 112 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger strong hits: 116 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger strong hits: 126 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger strong hits: 220 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger strong hits: 24 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger strong hits: 296 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger strong hits: 84 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| UA changed | Multiple User-Agents — bot rotation technique | +25 |
Observed Activity
Reconstructed HTTP requests from server access logs. Target domains redacted for security.
* Typical request patterns for detected signatures. Actual target domains are redacted.
Timeline
Network Provider
Recommendations
Actions taken & recommended
- IP 173.239.196.156 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 173.239.196.0/24
- Report abuse to the network provider via their abuse contact
- Ensure sensitive files (.env, .git, backups) are not accessible from the web
🔎 Path Enumeration Protection
Block scanning from 173.239.196.156: rate-limit 404 responses per IP, deploy a honeypot 404 page, ensure no backup files are web-accessible.
🌊 Flood / DDoS Mitigation
Implement limit_req_zone in nginx. Deploy CDN with DDoS protection. Configure SYN cookies and connection tracking to throttle 173.239.196.156.
🤖 Bot Detection
Address UA spoofing from 173.239.196.156: maintain blocklist of known malicious UA strings, require consistent UA across sessions, implement TLS fingerprinting.
Neighbors in 173.239.196.0/24
Other blocked IPs from the same /24 subnet — indicates systematic abuse from this network range.
Blacklist Status (DNSBL)
This IP was checked against major DNS-based blacklists used by mail servers and firewalls worldwide.
Checked: Spamhaus, SpamCop, Barracuda, SORBS, CBL, UCEProtect. Results may change over time.
Threat Analysis
173.239.196.156 has been assigned a threat score of 280/100 (Critical). This is a critical-level threat. Systems administrators should treat this IP as hostile and block all inbound connections without exception.
The following attack categories were identified:
📊 Threat Analysis
The address 173.239.196.156 originates from Kathmandu, NP, operating on the network of F.N.S. HOLDINGS LIMITED. It was identified through automated analysis of incoming network traffic across monitored endpoints. The address has been active for 4 days in our monitoring system, producing 868 flagged requests at a rate of ~217/day. The IP is classified as hosting/datacenter infrastructure, commonly associated with rented servers used for automated attack campaigns, botnet command-and-control, or vulnerability scanning at scale. The diversity of 3 separate attack methods suggests a comprehensive attack toolkit — likely an automated scanner that tests for vulnerabilities across multiple categories. A score of 280/100 places this address in the top tier of severity. Block and investigate any historical connections.
This IP belongs to a hosting or data center provider. Malicious traffic from hosting infrastructure often originates from compromised VPS instances, rented servers used for scanning campaigns, or abused free-tier cloud accounts. Hosting providers typically respond to abuse reports within 24-72 hours.
Related Threats
Security Intelligence
💡 DDoS Mitigation Approaches
Distributed denial of service attacks overwhelm infrastructure with traffic volume. Effective mitigation combines always-on traffic scrubbing, anycast network distribution, rate limiting, and the ability to quickly scale absorption capacity during attacks.
💡 Mobile Network Threat Landscape
Mobile carrier NAT (CGNAT) means thousands of users share a single public IP, making mobile IPs unreliable for reputation scoring. However, mobile networks are increasingly used as attack platforms through compromised apps and malicious SDKs.