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What is CIDR?

Before we can discuss CIDR (Classless Inter-Domain Routing), we need to understand what IP address is, how it is divided (subnetting), and what versions of IP addresses are available. Currently, there are IPv4 (version 4) and IPv6 (version 6) addresses. IPv4 was introduced in 1980, and it is a 32-bit number having a total of about 4.3 million addresses. With the prosperity of the Internet and smart devices joining the network, 4.3 million IP addresses weren't enough to connect all devices available worldwide, and hence 128-bit IPv6 address was invented in 1998. For each computer, smartphone, tablet, and IoT devices joining the Internet, the number of IP addresses available within IPv4 wasn't enough to connect all devices.

How are IP addresses assigned?

When you're connected to a network, your computer or smart device will obtain an IP address either from your ISP or your router. There are 2 ways how you can assign an IP address to your device: (1) dynamically via DHCP or (2) statically by manually assigning an IP address yourself. In either case, you must use the IP address that is provided to you by your ISP, or the IP range you allocated yourself within your private space (i.e. private IP address).

To be online, each and every computing device must have an IP Address to communicate with other devices over the Internet. An IP Address is assigned to a computing device via an DHCP server or manually assigned a static IP address. Computing devices include desktop PCs, Macs, Servers, Smartphones, Tablets, Amazon Echos, Routers, and any other smart devices that are connected to the Internet.

Technology has come a long way and is constantly evolving every day and it's no exception with geolocation. Thanks to this, geolocation has found a very strong and everyday use in today's world. RFID (radio frequency identification) tags have come about as a result of this and function as neat little devices which can be tagged to other items that have no means of connecting to the Internet. Through this, one can then geolocate these tags and their tagged objects.

What is a Web Bug (Beacon)?

A web bug is also referred to as web beacon, pixel tag, clear GIF, invisible GIF. It is one of the techniques used in emails or web pages to check what the user has accessed. These are in most cases invisible and are used for web analytics. In most cases, web bug arrives in the form of an image and can be detected by the user only if the source code is checked. A web bug is small graphic and hence can work easily with low bandwidth or weak network connection.

Most of us believe that our IP address can be tracked only by the Internet Service Provider. Did you know that there are multiple ways in which someone can spy on your IP address? Anybody knowing one of these techniques can easily reveal your IP address. To spy on your IP address, they do not need your permission. Spying on someone's IP address can be used to trace cyberbullying as well as bad intentions.

The private IP addresses are the reserved IP address blocks that cannot be routed through the internet. Since private IP addresses are only intended to be used in private networks, they are not globally unique. The private IP address must be unique within its network (usually LAN) so that there is no conflict between two computers within its network. Due to scarce nature of IPv4 Address (i.e. approximately 4 billion IP addresses), IANA reserved private IP address blocks so that they can be used by any organization without registering them with IANA. The private IP address block can be used in homes, small businesses, or even medium and large enterprises to create their own network. Computing devices with a private IP address cannot be directly accessed from the Internet unless NAT (Network Address Translation) is used. The advanced network planning techniques have also enabled network planners to use same private IP address within different private networks thus allowing them to save valuable IP address space. A private address may also be referred to as a local IP address. It also enables to hide the identity of the users over the Internet.