Police have new internet tracking devices: anyone know if this is true?

[MikePatrelio]

I read this article recently here in Adelaide

AdelaideNow... Child porn swoop nets SA teens

and it says that as part of their crackdown on pedophiles accessing child porn, they now have "cutting edge tracking technology" which allows them to see who accesses certain websites, without having to be on the INSIDE of those websites. These seems very unlikely to me, and I think maybe they're just trying to scare pedophiles!
Anyone know if it is possible to do this, because if it is, it could change the way the net works forever!
Thankyou,
Mike

 

[KSoD]

It isnt hard to track anyone on the net. Since all they would need to do is monitor the IP's that are connecting to the site. While most of the time it is easier if you have inside access, it is not impossible now to get some one's IP without core access to a site.

I mean i can easily get access to your IP and trace it to a general location where you are at. From there i can use other tools to see what servers you are using to access the site via a trace route and other such things. I can even use some sites on the web to see if the IP is linked to activities such as spam or other things.

All of this is out there right now. So to think that something was developed to be able to know what IP's are going to a website without having access to the website is not that hard to believe.

 

[MikePatrelio]

Right, I see. Wow, amazing stuff. But exactly what kind of activity leaves a trace of a person's IP at a website? you could get my IP address here, because I have written something in the forum.
If somebody just went to a website and downloaded a photo or image that was on that site, how could somebody who was outside the website find out their IP? Don't you have to leave or upload something to a site to leave a trace of an IP?

Like, say for example, I hadn't registered on this forum, but I just came here from google, I found a forum thread where you had written something, and I copied and saved your Joker avatar onto my computer. Could somebody with the technology youre talking about, who was monitoring this forum from OUTSIDE the forum, pick up my IP address from that tiny little action?

 

[KSoD]

Actually no. Even if you access teh site, via google or a search engine your IP is recorded. If you have access to the sites cpanel you can get a display of every IP that has accessed your site. Even if they have not registered there or not.

Since i dont have that access, yes i would use your registration details to find the information. But the site owner can see every IP that accesses the site.

So yes your IP can still be obtained even if you visit the site via a search engine or if you are just a guest on the site. It is still logged on the server for the site.

 

[MikePatrelio]

Wow! Amazing. It's a very bad idea for anybody to go to an illegal website then, even briefly!

Thanks for your help btw


Oh yeah, I have another question (sorry!) what's a CPanel? And you're saying that people outside of the website could use this tracking technology to view this Cpanel?

 

[KSoD]

CPanel is the Control Panel for the web hosting. It is what the web master uses to do certain things with the website.

Like the CPanel has options for IP banning at that level, password protect directories, and so much more. CPanel for a web host is the main hub. It is like the Control Panel in Windows. It allows you to do so much with the host.

You use it to setup the domain email, setup FTP accounts, work with your files if needed, add on domains, create subdomains, park domains, redirect subdomains and all of that.

So it wouldnt be to hard for someone to figure out a way to use the stuff that the web host CPanel does to get the IP addresses of a site without having access to the site CPanel. In fact i am surprised that it has taken so long. I would have thought this would have been done long ago.

 

[Trotter]

It is in Australia. That means it is behind the great firewall of China Australia. The government can see what IP is accessing what sites.