Elevated Risk
IP 185.218.138.12 is a medium-high risk address associated with sustained port scanning activity detected across multiple automated honeypot sensors. With a threat level of 7/10 and an activity frequency score of 8/10, this IP has accumulated 1,199 total abuse reports over approximately three months, indicating persistent and systematic network reconnaissance rather than opportunistic or transient scanning.
The reporting window spans March 2026 through June 2026, with 20 recent reports specifically documenting port scanning behavior. Detection originated from 20 distinct automated honeypot sensors, yielding a 91% confidence score that the observed activity is malicious. Geographically located in the United States and operating under AS205997 (Vlad Cojuhari), this address exhibits a high-volume probing pattern consistent with dedicated reconnaissance infrastructure. The CiscoASA probe pattern documented in the attack data suggests targeted scanning of Cisco firewall and security appliance management interfaces, which are prevalent in enterprise environments worldwide.
Port scanning constitutes the reconnaissance phase of the cyberattack lifecycle, enabling threat actors to map network defenses, identify accessible services, and catalog potential entry points before launching targeted exploitation attempts. The specific focus on CiscoASA devices indicates interest in perimeter security hardware, which, if successfully compromised, could provide broad network access. The volume and consistency of reports over a three-month period suggest this scanning is methodical and goal-directed rather than random or incidental traffic.
Site operators should implement strict ingress firewall rules blocking unused ports and protocols, minimizing the attack surface exposed to external reconnaissance. Network monitoring tools should be configured to detect and alert on scanning patterns consistent with the activity observed. Deploying automated dynamic blocking solutions such as fail2ban can proactively deny repeated probes from high-risk addresses. Finally, organizations running CiscoASA or similar perimeter security devices should ensure management interfaces are not exposed to untrusted networks and are protected by strong authentication, access control lists, and regular security audits.