IP Threat Report
20.5.72.178
ABUSE.MOM — BEHAVE OR GET EXPOSED
Geolocation & Classification
Detection Signatures
| Signature | Description | Points | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|
| UA suspicious (short/empty) | Behavioral anomaly detected by automated analysis | +15 | |
| Danger strong hits: 28 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger medium hits: 110 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| 404 ratio 40-60% | Majority of requests returned 404 — enumeration | +15 | |
| Probe pattern 302->404 same path | Behavioral anomaly detected by automated analysis | +20 | |
| Burst: 11 req / 2s | Abnormally fast request rate — automated scanning | +35 | |
| Burst: 37 req / 10s | Abnormally fast request rate — automated scanning | +35 | |
| Danger strong hits: 78 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger medium hits: 286 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| Burst: 36 req / 10s | Abnormally fast request rate — automated scanning | +35 | |
| Danger strong hits: 117 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger medium hits: 327 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| Burst: 10 req / 2s | Abnormally fast request rate — automated scanning | +35 | |
| Danger strong hits: 134 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger medium hits: 269 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| Danger strong hits: 146 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger medium hits: 356 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| Burst: 38 req / 10s | Abnormally fast request rate — automated scanning | +35 | |
| Danger strong hits: 53 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger medium hits: 42 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| Danger strong hits: 75 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger medium hits: 407 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| Danger strong hits: 49 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger medium hits: 293 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| Danger strong hits: 74 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger medium hits: 294 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| Danger strong hits: 40 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger medium hits: 170 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| Danger strong hits: 59 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger medium hits: 271 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| Danger strong hits: 36 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger medium hits: 210 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| Danger strong hits: 39 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger medium hits: 197 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| Danger strong hits: 99 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger medium hits: 441 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| Danger strong hits: 25 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger medium hits: 148 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| 404 ratio >= 60% | Majority of requests returned 404 — enumeration | +25 | |
| Danger medium hits: 158 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| Burst: 39 req / 10s | Abnormally fast request rate — automated scanning | +35 | |
| Danger strong hits: 38 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger medium hits: 136 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| Danger strong hits: 151 | High-risk paths: shells, RCE vectors, exploits | +100 | |
| Danger medium hits: 600 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 | |
| Danger medium hits: 398 | Medium-risk: admin panels, config files | +60 |
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 20.5.72.178 is blocked at application level (HTTP 403)
- Consider blocking at firewall level (iptables/CSF) to reduce server load
- Report abuse to the network provider via their abuse contact
- Ensure sensitive files (.env, .git, backups) are not accessible from the web
🤖 Bot Detection
Address UA spoofing from 20.5.72.178: maintain blocklist of known malicious UA strings, require consistent UA across sessions, implement TLS fingerprinting.
🔎 Directory Scan Defense
IP 20.5.72.178 is enumerating directories. Configure fail2ban apache-404 jail after 10+ 404 errors. Disable directory listings. Normalize all 404 responses.
🌊 Flood / DDoS Mitigation
Implement limit_req_zone in nginx. Deploy CDN with DDoS protection. Configure SYN cookies and connection tracking to throttle 20.5.72.178.
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
20.5.72.178 has been assigned a threat score of 280/100 (Critical). This represents a critical risk level. Our detection systems have flagged multiple high-confidence indicators of malicious intent from this address.
The following attack categories were identified:
📊 Threat Analysis
Our monitoring infrastructure has identified 20.5.72.178, geolocated to The Rocks, Australia, operating on the network of Microsoft Corporation, as a source of suspicious network activity. During its 3-day observation window, we recorded 22 hostile requests from this IP — roughly 7.3 per day on average. Operating from datacenter infrastructure, this IP is typical of addresses used in organized attack operations. Cloud and VPS providers are commonly exploited as launching platforms for automated scanning. The combination of 3 distinct attack vectors indicates a sophisticated, multi-pronged threat actor deploying automated tools that probe multiple attack surfaces simultaneously. At 280/100, this is an extremely high-risk address. All traffic should be considered hostile.
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
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💡 HTTP Header Analysis for Threat Detection
Examining HTTP headers beyond User-Agent reveals attack tools and automated scripts. Missing standard headers, unusual ordering, non-standard values, and inconsistencies with claimed client identity all serve as reliable detection signals.
💡 Supply Chain Security Challenges
Attacks targeting software supply chains compromise trusted update mechanisms to distribute malware at scale. Dependency confusion, typosquatting in package registries, and compromised build pipelines threaten even organizations with strong direct security postures.