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You Just Saw a Weird IP: What 185.63.x.x Means for Your Network

Imagine you’re checking your home security camera logs and see a picture of a guy you don't recognize staring right back. That's kind of what it feels like when you're looking through your network logs and see a strange IP address pop up. It’s a red flag, and your gut tells you to check it out.

If you’ve been diving into log files, you might have already run across the 185.63.x.x IP Address Range. This isn’t a run-of-the-mill visitor from your internet provider—it’s a specific block of addresses, and seeing it usually means one of two things: either a standard connection you can ignore, or something you need to fix or block now.

We’re going to walk through what this IP range is, why it shows up in your security reports, and exactly what to do when you see it. We won't get bogged down in technical jargon; we’ll just look at what really matters. By the end of this, you’ll know how to read your logs better and react faster, so you can stop worrying about every random number.

What Exactly is the 185.63.x.x IP Address Range? (The Quick Definition)

First, let's nail down what we're dealing with. The internet uses a system of addresses, just like the postal service. The '185' at the start tells us this block belongs to a specific owner, usually in a certain region, and for a defined purpose.

The 185.63.x.x IP Address Range is part of what's called the "185.0.0.0/8" block. That slash-eight just means it's a huge block of millions of addresses. More specifically, this range is known to be allocated to various internet service providers and hosting companies, often located in Europe.

Why Does This Matter?

Knowing where an IP address comes from—a process called IP address geolocation—is your first, best clue.

Think of it like getting a letter in the mail. If the letter is from a local bank you use, you open it. If it’s from an address you don’t recognize in a country far away, you're going to hold it up to the light first.

When you look at network logs, an IP address in this range doesn't automatically mean "bad guy." But because this range is often associated with cloud services, VPNs, and sometimes less-than-reputable hosting, security professionals look at it closely. It's an address that has a history of being used for both good and bad traffic.

How to Investigate 185.63.x.x in Your Network Logs

You’ve found this IP in your log. What now? You don't need a fancy security system to start your investigation. You just need to follow a simple three-step process.

1. What is the IP Doing?

An IP address is just an address. The action is what tells the story. Look at the log entry and ask yourself:

What port is it hitting? Is it port 80 or 443 (standard web traffic)? Or is it something weird, like a bunch of random, high-numbered ports?
What service is it touching? Is it trying to log into your website's admin panel? Is it scraping your product pages? Is it just looking at your blog?
How often is it showing up? Is it a single instance, or is it trying to connect hundreds of times per minute?

Example Story:

The first time I really paid attention to this range, I found a server logging 404 errors every ten seconds. It was a computer from the 185.63.x.x IP Address Range that was constantly looking for a file that didn't exist. It wasn't an attack; it was a broken link on a huge, forgotten index. We blocked it just to clean up the logs, but it wasn't a threat. The key was the action: a constant, low-level error message, not a serious login attempt.

2. Where Does It Say It's From? (Geolocation Check)

This is where the related keyword, IP address geolocation, comes in handy. There are a dozen free tools online that can tell you where an IP address claims to be located.

Go to a reliable site (like AbuseIPDB or IPinfo).
Type in the full IP address (e.g., $185.63.123.45$).
The results will usually point to a country and a specific organization (the hosting company).

If your website is only supposed to serve customers in, say, North America, and you see an IP from a data center in a totally different country, it's a reason to be skeptical. If you run a global site, the geolocation is less important than the action you found in step 1.

3. What is its Reputation?

Some IPs and entire ranges are notorious for hosting malware, spam, or botnets. The tools mentioned above will often show a "Confidence Score" or a history of abuse reports.

High Confidence Score of Abuse: Block it immediately.
Zero Abuse Reports: It’s probably a harmless server or a valid customer using a VPN. Don't worry about it.

It’s annoying to look up every single IP, but sometimes you just have to.

What Could Go Wrong? (The Security Side)

Seeing a lot of traffic from the 185.63.x.x IP Address Range can point to several common, annoying problems.

Problem 1: Botnet Attacks

This is the classic concern. A botnet is a network of compromised computers all controlled by one person. These computers are often used to launch Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks or brute-force login attempts. The goal? Overwhelm your server or guess your password.

How to tell: You’ll see thousands of connections from slightly different IPs in the range, all within a few minutes, all trying the same thing (like hitting your login page).
Action step: Block the entire /24 subnet (the first three parts of the IP: $185.63.X.0/24$) if you see this pattern.

Problem 2: Web Scraping

Someone might be using a server in this range to download your content, pricing, or product list. They aren't trying to hack you; they're trying to steal your data.

How to tell: The IP is hitting a lot of pages very quickly, but only performing "GET" requests (just reading, not trying to post or log in).
Action step: You can use your website's robots.txt file to ask them to slow down, or you can throttle (limit) the connection speed for that IP, so they can’t grab everything at once.

Problem 3: Someone is Using a VPN

This is the least exciting but most common reason. If a valid user is using a VPN or a proxy to hide their location, they'll come through an IP address that belongs to a hosting service—which a lot of the 185.63.x.x IP Address Range does.

How to tell: The connection looks normal—a user loads a few pages, maybe logs in once, and their behavior is consistent.
Action step: If the user is behaving like a real person, you can ignore it. Don't block real users.

Realistic Expectation: This IP range is used by thousands of legitimate services. Most of the time, the log entry is nothing. However, if you see high-volume, repetitive, and targeted connection attempts, that’s when you need to take action.

The Action Plan: How to Deal with Suspect Traffic

You've confirmed it's suspicious. It's time to stop the problem. Blocking an IP is simple, but you want to make sure you do it right.

1. Block the Action, Not Just the Address

The smartest thing you can do is block the behavior first. If an IP is trying to log into your admin page ten times in one minute, your firewall or security plugin should block it automatically after the fifth failed attempt. This is called rate-limiting.

2. When to Block the IP (and How)

You should only manually block a full IP address when you have high confidence it's malicious. Blocking can be done in a few places:

On your Web Server (Apache/Nginx): This is fast and efficient. You edit a configuration file and tell the server to reject all traffic from that specific address.
In your Security Plugin (WordPress, etc.): The easiest way. Just put the IP into the blocklist.
In your Firewall (Hardware or Cloud): The most effective way, as it stops the traffic before it even touches your server.

Warning: Blocking the entire $185.63.0.0/16$ range is a terrible idea. You'll block thousands of harmless people and companies. Be specific. Block the full IP ($185.63.123.45$) or, at most, the /24 subnet ($185.63.123.0/24$) if you see a coordinated attack from multiple IPs in that immediate group.

3. Reporting the Problem

If you're absolutely sure the traffic is malicious (like a confirmed DDoS attempt), you can report the address. Use sites like AbuseIPDB to file a report. This helps the entire internet community because these services collect data and tell others that a specific IP is being used for bad things.

Final Word: Stop Searching, Start Securing

You don't need to be a security expert to manage your network. The secret is knowing which numbers matter and which don't. The 185.63.x.x IP Address Range is just another piece of the internet's infrastructure. It's not inherently good or evil. It's simply an address.

The moment you see it, don't panic and start blocking everything. Look at the context: what service is it using? What port is it hitting? If the behavior is normal, let it go. If the behavior is aggressive, you have a simple, surgical plan to shut it down.

Start this week by setting up rate-limiting on your most valuable pages (like your login screen). That way, when the bots come knocking, your system will automatically turn them away. Your server (and your peace of mind) will thank you.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Does seeing 185.63.x.x mean I've been hacked?

A: No, almost certainly not. An IP address showing up in your logs just means a computer tried to connect to you. Most of the time, this is an automated process, like a search engine bot or a scanner checking for open ports. If you see successful login attempts or unexpected file changes, that's a sign of a hack. An unfamiliar IP address in your logs is just a notification that someone is outside your door.

Q: Why do hackers use this specific 185.63.x.x IP Address Range?

A: They don't specifically target this range, but they use the hosting providers and cloud services that own it. These services often let people rent servers quickly, cheaply, and with minimal identity verification. Since the range is geographically diverse (many IPs are in Europe), it also helps attackers hide their true location using IP address geolocation as a shield. It's cheap real estate for bad actors.

Q: How can I tell if a user from 185.63.x.x is a real customer or a bot?

A: Look at their behavior. A real customer will load images, scroll down the page, click on a few different links, and spend time reading. A bot will typically hit a single page, perform the same action repeatedly (like trying to post a comment), or rapidly request hundreds of pages in a second. Bots don't act like people. If the connection looks like normal browsing, it's likely a real person using a VPN.

Q: Should I block the entire country this IP address is located in?

A: You should try not to. Geo-blocking an entire country is usually overkill and a bad idea because you will block legitimate users, customers, and business partners. If 99% of your malicious traffic comes from one specific country, you could block it as a temporary measure. But a better solution is to only block the specific, confirmed-bad IP or small subnet ($185.63.123.0/24$) and let the rest of the country's traffic through.

Q: Is there a tool that automatically checks IP addresses like 185.63.x.x for abuse?

A: Yes. Services like AbuseIPDB, Talos Intelligence, and various threat intelligence feeds (often built into modern firewalls) track known bad IPs. You can manually enter an IP to check its reputation, or you can integrate these services into your firewall or security platform so it automatically compares your incoming 185.63.x.x IP Address Range traffic against a blacklist of known attackers.

185.63.X.X: Analyzing IP Addresses in Network Logs and Security Monitoring