IP
Internet Protocol
Internetprotokoll
The Internet Protocol (IP) is the fundamental protocol that addresses data packets and forwards them through networks to their destination. It is the common language on which practically all modern network communication is built. Without IP there would be no internet as we know it.
History & facts. IP provides addressing and pathfinding (routing): each device receives an IP address by which packets are delivered. It exists in the versions IPv4 (with a scarce address space) and IPv6 (with a far larger one). IP itself is connectionless and unreliable in the technical sense — reliability is provided only by an overlying layer such as TCP. For security it is important: IP addresses are central indicators (IoC) and the reference point of many protective measures.
Outlook & recommendation. Because IP is the basis of all network communication, IP addresses are a core component of threat data, firewall rules and forensic analysis — for instance in proving connections to known command servers (C2). It must be noted that IP addresses can be forged (spoofing) and dynamic; they are an important but not a sole point of reference. The migration to IPv6 also brings its own visibility and configuration questions.