Elevated Risk
IP 85.215.119.240 is a high-risk German address with 589 abuse reports linked to active hacking intrusion attempts, primarily targeting SSH services on non-standard ports. With a threat level of 8/10 and a confidence score of 72%, this address represents a significant and credible threat to exposed network infrastructure.
The activity associated with 85.215.119.240 was detected entirely through automated honeypot sensors, which logged 589 distinct reports between January and March 2026. The IP originates from IONOS SE's network (AS8560) in Germany, and while the activity frequency metric registers at zero, the sustained volume of abuse reports over this three-month period indicates persistent, deliberate scanning and intrusion activity rather than incidental traffic. The reported threat category of "Hacking" encompasses the detected patterns, which include general attack connections and a specific Suricata signature flagging SSH sessions established on unconventional ports.
This activity aligns with a common reconnaissance and exploitation pattern in which threat actors probe for improperly configured Secure Shell services running on non-standard ports. The detection of active SSH sessions on unusual ports suggests that 85.215.119.240 has successfully established connections with vulnerable targets, potentially as a precursor to credential-based attacks or lateral movement. The sustained volume of reports indicates this is not opportunistic noise but rather a systematic campaign targeting exposed entry points across the internet.
Network administrators should treat this IP as malicious and implement immediate blocking at the firewall or network edge. Rate-limiting SSH connections and enforcing key-based authentication over password authentication significantly reduces the effectiveness of such attempts. Ensuring SSH services run exclusively on standard ports or are restricted to known IP ranges via allowlisting further hardens exposure. Deploying or enhancing intrusion detection rules that specifically flag SSH traffic on non-standard ports provides additional visibility. Regularly auditing externally facing services and applying security patches promptly denies attackers the vulnerabilities they seek to exploit.