Master WHOIS.COM IP Lookups: Actionable Tactics and Tools (2024)

An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a unique identifier assigned to a device connected to a network or the internet. IP addresses allow devices to communicate with each other online.

whois.com is a popular website that provides IP address lookup and registration services. Using their free online tool, you can perform a whois IP lookup to find out more information about an IP address.

A whois lookup will provide details like the owner, location, and registration details of an IP address or domain. This can be useful for:

Identifying the owner of a website
Tracking down the source of spam or cyberattacks
Researching domains and IPs
Digital investigations
Blocking abusive IPs

So if you need to look up an IP address to gather more context about its origins or usage, whois.com offers an easy way to do it for free online.

Reasons to Use a Whois.com IP Lookup

There are a few key reasons why you may want to use whois.com or another IP lookup tool:

Identify Website Owners

Performing a whois IP lookup on a website domain can help reveal information about the owner. The lookup results show details like:

Registrant name – The individual or company that registered the domain
Registrant email – Contact email address for the domain owner
Registrant address – Provides the street address and country of the registrant

This allows you to identify and contact the owners of websites you’re interested in, which is useful for outreach, sales, and more.

Investigate Spam and Cyberattacks

If you receive spam emails or experience cyberattacks, using whois to lookup the sender’s IP can provide helpful context.

The whois details may reveal if the IP is associated with:

Botnets – Networks of infected devices used for malicious attacks
VPNs – Services used to mask geographical IP location
Web hosts – May have lax security or allow abusive behavior

These insights allow you to report unsafe IPs or better protect yourself in the future.

Block Abusive IP Addresses

You can use an IP lookup to investigate addresses that are:

Hacking accounts
Web scraping content
Spamming forums/comments

Once you confirm the abuse via the whois results, you can block the perpetrator’s IP at the firewall level. This instantly stops the malicious activity.

Research Domains and IPs

Simply enter a domain or IP address into whois.com to reveal:

Domain availability – See if a domain is taken and owned by someone
Domain history – View previous owners and registrants of a domain
Server hosts – Identify what company hosts the domain and server IP

These research applications allow you to make more informed decisions about domains, servers, infrastructure and more.

In summary, a whois IP lookup offers convenient access to technical and ownership details that can empower and protect your online activities.

How to Perform a Whois.com IP Lookup

Conducting a whois IP address lookup is straightforward to do:

Use Whois.com’s Free IP Lookup Tool

The easiest approach is to use whois.com’s free whois lookup tool. To perform a lookup:

Navigate to whois.com
Enter the IP address or domain in the search bar
Click the search button

You’ll then see the full whois record displayed onscreen.

Trying a Reverse IP Lookup

A reverse IP lookup allows you to enter a domain or website, and it will reveal associated IP addresses. This can help uncover connections and ownership details.

To perform a reverse lookup on whois.com:

Visit their Reverse Whois Lookup page
Enter the domain name
View the IP address results

Use Command Line WHOIS

You can also do a whois IP lookup right from your command line terminal:

Open the command line interface on your computer
Enter the syntax: whois [ip-address]
View the whois output

So for example:

whois 8.8.8.8

Would display the record for that IP address.

Try Web-Based WHOIS Tools

There are many other free websites that offer WHOIS lookup capabilities, including:

Test different tools to find one with output you like.

Use a WHOIS Database Client

You can download and install a WHOIS client on your computer to run lookups on your local system. This offers fast, offline access.

Some popular WHOIS clients include:

SolarWinds Whois Lookup Tool
WHOIS API
Pretty Whois

So in summary – there are various ways to manually or programmatically lookup IP address details via WHOIS. Identify the method that best meets your lookup needs.

Understanding the Whois Lookup Results

When you perform a whois IP or domain lookup, there is a wealth of technical and ownership information returned. Here is an overview of some key elements included in WHOIS records:

Registrant Details

This shows information on the individual or entity that registered the IP address range or domain name.

Registrant Name – The name of the registrant
Street Address – The claimed street address of the registrant
City – City location provided by the registrant
State/Province – Region specified by the registrant
Country – Nation indicated by the registrant

Note that fraudulent registrants can provide misleading or fake address details.

Contact Information

WHOIS records include contact details for the domain or IP registrant:

Email – The registrant’s email
Phone – A telephone number for contacting the registrant

This info allows you to reach out to the entity that registered the IP or domain.

Technical Details

WHOIS displays an array of technical details like:

Domain Name Servers – The DNS servers handling domain traffic
IP Address Ranges – The starting/ending IPs controlled by the entity
Assigned Date – When the IP addresses were assigned
Registrar – The domain registrar used to register the domain name

These specifications provide context on how the IP space or domain is configured.

Historical Entries

Each time the registration details change for an IP or domain, a new record is appended to the WHOIS entry showing:

Previous registrant contacts
Old domain name servers
Any past registrars

Reviewing this historical log helps you understand past ownership.

Related Domains or IPs

Some WHOIS services display additional domains or IP addresses related to the same owner at the bottom. This allows you to uncover other assets controlled by the same registrant.

In summary, WHOIS records contain a wealth of technical, historical, and contact information that provides valuable context around any IP address or domain name.

Alternatives to Whois.com for IP Lookups

While whois.com offers a popular web-based IP lookup service, there are multiple alternative online tools and databases you can use to gather IP data. Some options include:

ARIN

ARIN (American Registry for Internet Numbers) offers details on IP addresses and ASN’s related specifically to North America. This regional focus allows for additional records not available on generic whois servers.

Team Cymru IP Tools

Team Cymru provides extremely detailed IP address lookup services focused on cyber threat intelligence applications. Databases are updated every 90 seconds.

DomainTools Reverse IP Lookup

DomainTools primarily serves domains, but also lets you enter websites to conduct reverse IP lookups and reveals associated domains.

ipinfo.io API Access

ipinfo.io offers a robust API to conduct reliable and fully-featured IP lookups programmatically from your apps.

IP2Location Database Download

IP2Location lets you download regularly updated IP lookup databases to host locally and integrate into your software systems with IP address libraries.

Shodan Search Engine

While not strictly an IP lookup tool, Shodan lets you easily identify connected devices and metadata based on IP scans and service banners.

CIDR Lookup Calculator

Tools like CIDR Calculator accept IP/CIDR ranges and output details like total IPs covered, subnet info, and helpful visualizations.

In summary, while whois.com meets the needs of basic IP address searches, organizations and developers can utilize more advanced lookup functionality focusing on attributes like regional registries, precision intelligence, bulk analysis, and integration compatibility. Evaluate multiple options to determine what best suits your specific IP lookup requirements.

Tips for Effective IP Address Lookups

Here are some tips to help make your IP lookups via whois.com and other tools more effective:

Confirm the Latest IP Address

If tracking behavior related to a domain, first confirm the site’s current IP address before running lookups:

Open a command prompt
Use ping [domain] (e.g. ping example.com)
Note the returned IP address
Lookup that latest IP

Otherwise you may retrieve outdated information if the domain’s IP address changed.

Lookup Associated IP Ranges

When searching an IP on whois.com, also review any associated IP ranges or networks listed below the initial record. New insights may emerge connecting your target IP to related hosts.

Analyze Current and Historical Owners

Scan through the full whois history log of past owners and registrants. Compare them against the latest entry to spot any suspicious or noteworthy changes in ownership.

Trace Email Addresses

Isolate the registrant email address(es) listed in the whois record, and do separate investigations to uncover further information related to that email account.

Validate Physical Addresses

Use services like Google Maps to validate any physical street addresses displayed in the whois output. This helps determine if fake details were provided.

Research Relevant Domains

Investigate any other domains hosted on the same IP or registered to the same owner stringently. Additional malicious or informative sites could reside on the same server or account.

Leverage Passive DNS Databases

Merge your whois lookups with passive DNS tools like Farsight DNSDB that track historical DNS records over time and provide enhanced context, associations, and pattern analysis.

Enrich via IP Geolocation

Use external geolocation lookups on IPs and ASNs to efficiently filter whois lookups based on designated regions and locales of interest.

In summary, creatively extending beyond basic whois lookups allows you to extract and uncover more actionable intelligence tied to any IP address.

TRY FREE IP LOOKUP TOOL

Key Takeaways

Some key takeaways on effectively utilizing whois.com IP lookups include:

Whois lookups provide ownership, contact, and technical insights into IPs and domains
You can use whois sites, command line tools, or API access for IP lookups
Analyze current/historical details listed in robust whois records
Research any associated IPs or domains linked to the target
Enrich whois data with geolocation, passive DNS, and other lookups
Identifying website owners, tracking threats, and blocking abusive IP addresses represent common whois use cases

So in summary, integrating whois lookups into online investigations and threat research provides tremendous value in expanding visibility and contextual awareness.