ABUSE.MOM
THREAT REPORT

IP Threat Report
98.170.57.249

ABUSE.MOM — BEHAVE OR GET EXPOSED

Generated: 2026-05-30 03:56:02
First seen: 2026-02-17 17:25:09
Last seen: 2026-03-12 20:00:06
105

⛔ Verdict: BLOCK

This IP address has been classified as a source of malicious automated activity. Threat score: 105/100. Total malicious requests observed: 6.

UA_CHANGEDREFERERDANGER_PATHRATIO_404REDIRECT_PROBE
01

Geolocation & Classification

IP Address
98.170.57.249
Type
Residential
Country
🇺🇸 United States
City
Atlanta
ISP
Cox Communications Inc.
Organization
Cox Communications
Autonomous System
AS22773 Cox Communications Inc.
Hit Count
6
02

Detection Signatures

SignatureDescriptionPointsSeverity
UA changed for same IPMultiple User-Agents — bot rotation technique+25
Foreign referer seenReferer from unrelated external domain+10
Danger medium hits: 1Medium-risk: admin panels, config files+10
404 ratio 40-60%Majority of requests returned 404 — enumeration+15
Danger medium hits: 6Medium-risk: admin panels, config files+60
Probe pattern 302->404 same pathBehavioral anomaly detected by automated analysis+20
Σ = 140
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

2026-02-17 17:25:09
First malicious request detected
IP entered monitoring from server access logs
During observation
Multiple detection signatures triggered
UA changed for same IP (+25), Foreign referer seen (+10), Danger medium hits: 1 (+10)
2026-03-12 20:00:06
Last malicious request observed
Total score reached: 105/100
Next cycle
IP blocked — all subsequent requests denied (HTTP 403)
Added to blocklist automatically
05

Network Provider

Cox Communications Inc.
AS22773 · 🇺🇸 United States
06

Recommendations

Actions taken & recommended

  • IP 98.170.57.249 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 98.170.57.0/24
  • 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 98.170.57.249: maintain blocklist of known malicious UA strings, require consistent UA across sessions, implement TLS fingerprinting.

🔎 Path Enumeration Protection

Block scanning from 98.170.57.249: rate-limit 404 responses per IP, deploy a honeypot 404 page, ensure no backup files are web-accessible.

07

Neighbors in 98.170.57.0/24

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.

⛔ LISTED
Spamhaus ZEN

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

10

Threat Analysis

98.170.57.249 has been assigned a threat score of 105/100 (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:

User-Agent AnomalyPath Enumeration

📊 Threat Analysis

98.170.57.249 is registered in Atlanta, United States, operating on the network of Cox Communications Inc.. This IP first appeared in our threat feeds after triggering multiple behavioral detection signatures. Our sensors captured 6 malicious requests from this address across a 23-day span, reflecting a sustained attack cadence of ~0.3 requests per day. This is a residential IP address, suggesting a compromised home device such as a router, smart appliance, or infected workstation participating in a botnet. Two attack patterns were identified (User-Agent Anomaly and Path Enumeration), suggesting a semi-automated campaign that targets multiple vulnerabilities. United States currently accounts for 173 blocked IPs in our database, making it a significant source of malicious traffic. A score of 105/100 places this address in the top tier of severity. Block and investigate any historical connections.

This IP is classified as residential, suggesting it may belong to a compromised home device, IoT botnet member, or an infected personal computer. Residential IPs involved in attacks often indicate malware infection without the owner's knowledge.

11

Related Threats

🇺🇸 Top threats from United States

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🏢 Same network: AS22773

72.207.109.5 (180)98.172.107.12 (155)70.174.106.157 (140)68.96.252.29 (135)174.77.223.154 (130)View all →
12

Security Intelligence

💡 User-Agent Analysis Techniques

Analyzing User-Agent strings reveals automated tools masquerading as legitimate browsers. Inconsistencies between claimed browser capabilities and actual behavior, impossible version combinations, and known scanner signatures help identify malicious clients.

💡 Submarine Cable and Internet Exchange Points

Internet traffic routing through a limited number of submarine cables and exchange points creates natural chokepoints. Understanding these routing patterns helps explain geographic clustering of certain attack types and latency-based scanning behaviors.

🔍 Check Any IP Address

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