Extreme Threat
IP 162.216.150.69 is a critical-risk address with a threat level of 10/10 that has been linked to active hacking activity, specifically SSH-based intrusion attempts, through automated honeypot detection across a nine-month reporting window.
The IP is registered to Google Cloud Platform infrastructure operating under ASN AS396982 in the United States, a cloud provider frequently abused by threat actors to mask their origin and leverage reputable network ranges. With a total of 1073 abuse reports and 20 recent reports categorizing the activity specifically as hacking, this address demonstrates sustained malicious behavior rather than isolated scanning. Detection occurred exclusively through automated honeypot sensors, which captured evidence including network connection attempts and a Suricata alert flagging an SSH session established on an unusual port, suggesting the actor attempted to bypass standard security monitoring by routing authentication traffic through a non-standard service port.
The dominant threat category, hacking activity, encompasses unauthorized access attempts, exploitation of misconfigured or vulnerable services, and intrusion vectors designed to gain persistent foothold within target systems. The detected SSH session on an unusual port is a known technique used to evade signature-based detection systems that monitor only default service ports, increasing the risk that standard defensive controls may fail to block or log the intrusion attempt. For any exposed SSH service, this behavior pattern indicates active reconnaissance and exploitation targeting authentication mechanisms.
Site operators should immediately block or rate-limit traffic from this address at the network perimeter, ensure all SSH services run updated software versions, and implement multi-factor authentication to prevent credential-based compromise even if login attempts succeed. Deploying intrusion detection rules that flag SSH authentication traffic on non-standard ports will help detect similar evasion attempts. Tools such as fail2ban can automatically ban IPs exhibiting brute-force patterns, while maintaining strict firewall policies and monitoring logs for unusual connection timing will further reduce exposure to this type of activity.