From IP to Origin: Using whois and traceroute in GhostBSD

In your Wireshark session, you might spot a suspicious IP address, maybe a connection you didn’t expect, or traffic to a server you’ve never heard of.

This tutorial shows you how to investigate that IP using the whois command, understand where it claims to be located, and why you should be cautious about trusting that information blindly. We’ll also introduce traceroute, another powerful tool built into GhostBSD that helps you trace the actual path your data takes across the internet.

Step 1: Investigate an IP with whois

The whois command lets you look up ownership and location info for an IP address or domain name. It’s fast, simple, and already available in GhostBSD.

How to use it:

Open a terminal and type:

whois 8.8.8.8

You’ll see output like:

• Organization name (e.g., Google LLC)
• Country of registration
• Contact info
• Network range

This gives you a rough idea of who owns the IP and where it’s registered.

Replace 8.8.8.8 with the IP address you found in Wireshark.

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You can also use whois to look up information about websites as shown in the screenshot below.

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Step 2: Understand the Limits, and Spoofing

Just because an IP says it’s located in, for example, Canada doesn’t mean the server is physically there. Spoofing is when an entity deliberately hides or fakes its origin, often by routing traffic through proxies, VPNs, or complex cloud infrastructure.

Why this matters:

• Government agencies, cybersecurity firms, and malicious actors can all mask their true location.
• A server registered in one country might actually be hosted halfway across the world.
• Some attackers use IPs from trusted regions to avoid detection.

So while whois gives you a starting point, it’s not always the full story. Think of it as a business card, useful, but not always honest.

Step 3: Trace the Path with traceroute

To go deeper, use traceroute, a built-in GhostBSD tool that shows the actual network path your data takes to reach an IP.

How to use it:

traceroute 8.8.8.8

You’ll see a list of hops, routers and servers your packets travel through. This can reveal:

• Geographic clues (based on hostnames or latency)
• Unexpected detours (e.g., traffic routed through another country)
• Network bottlenecks or delays

It’s a great way to verify whether an IP’s claimed location matches its actual route.

Final Thoughts

Wireshark helps you spot suspicious traffic. whois helps you identify who’s behind it. And traceroute helps you verify where it’s really going.

Together, these tools give you a deeper understanding of your network, and the internet beyond it.

Use them wisely. Stay curious. And remember: not everything is as it seems on the wire.

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Is It Legal to Use whois and traceroute?

Yes, using whois and traceroute is completely legal and safe when you’re investigating public IP addresses or domain names.

For example:

• Looking up 8.8.8.8 (Google’s public DNS) with whois is perfectly fine.
• Running traceroute google.com to see how your data reaches Google is also fine.

These tools are designed to query publicly available information, they don’t access private data or violate any boundaries.

They’re used every day by network administrators, cybersecurity professionals, and curious learners to understand how the internet works.