Cybersecurity firm GreyNoise has launched a new, free utility designed to answer a question most internet users never think to ask: Is my home router secretly attacking other computers? The newly released GreyNoise IP Check is a simple, web-based tool that allows anyone to instantly verify whether their internet connection is being used by a botnet or a residential proxy network.
The release comes at a critical time. According to GreyNoise, the threat of residential IP compromise is no longer theoretical.
Over the last year, there has been an explosion in residential proxy networks that turn home internet connections into exit points for malicious traffic.
This often happens quietly; malware sneaks onto devices via browser extensions or nefarious apps, or hackers exploit vulnerabilities in home routers and IoT devices.
The insidious nature of these compromises is that they are mainly invisible to the victim.
“Your internet works fine, your streaming doesn’t buffer, but somewhere in the background, your router is participating in vulnerability scans or brute-force attacks against servers around the world,” the company explained in the release. “You’re not the target you’re the weapon.”
The new tool, available at check.labs.greynoise.io, requires no signup and collects no personal data.
Users visit the site, and the tool checks their current IP address against GreyNoise’s massive database of internet “background radiation” the constant hum of scans and probes that sweep across the web.
Upon visiting the site, users receive one of three verdicts:
- Clean: The IP has not been observed scanning the internet. This is the standard result for most safe residential connections.
- Malicious/Suspicious: The IP has been caught performing scanning activity or brute-force attacks. The tool provides a 90-day timeline of the activity, helping users pinpoint when the infection occurred and what kind of behavior (such as SSH probing or database hunting) was detected.
- Common Business Service: The IP belongs to a known data center, VPN, or corporate network.
GreyNoise is positioning the tool as a vital asset for the “Holiday Tech Support” season. For the designated “family tech person” visiting relatives, the tool offers a non-invasive way to troubleshoot.
Rather than vaguely suspecting a virus, a user can run the check in thirty seconds. If the network is flagged, it provides concrete evidence that a device likely a router or smart TV requires a firmware update or security patch.
For technical users and IT administrators, GreyNoise has included a programmatic option. The service can be queried via curl to return structured JSON data.
This feature allows developers to integrate IP reputation checks into MDM systems or VPN connection scripts, enabling devices to automatically secure themselves when connecting to untrusted networks (like coffee shops or airports).
“The challenge with residential IP compromise is that it’s invisible to the people affected,” the company stated.
With this release, GreyNoise aims to make the invisible visible, giving average users the same threat intelligence capabilities usually reserved for enterprise security analysts.
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