Substantial Risk
IP 138.226.239.91 is a high-risk address associated with aggressive reconnaissance activity, having accumulated 1,000 abuse reports within a two-month window and scoring 8 out of 10 for threat severity. The dominant threat profile centers on automated port-scanning behavior detected by honeypot sensors, indicating systematic probing of exposed network services as a precursor to potential intrusion attempts. With a confidence score of 91 percent, analysts can place substantial reliance on the malicious classification of this endpoint.
The IP originates from HomeLine Broadband LLC operating within AS213474 and routing through United Kingdom infrastructure, presenting a substantial threat vector due to its concentrated attack pattern. Over approximately eight weeks spanning July and August 2026, honeypot sensors documented consistent scanning behavior, with 20 recent reports specifically flagging port-scan activity including Ciscoasa reconnaissance probes. The sustained volume of 1,000 total reports against an 8 out of 10 activity frequency signals persistent, high-intensity scanning operations rather than isolated probing events.
Port scanning represents a critical reconnaissance phase in the attack lifecycle, enabling threat actors to map network topologies, identify running services, and select viable entry points for subsequent exploitation attempts. The specific Ciscoasa probe pattern observed suggests targeting of perimeter security appliances, potentially seeking vulnerabilities in firewall or VPN infrastructure. Organizations with exposed management interfaces or unpatched edge devices face elevated risk should this reconnaissance inform follow-on attacks.
Network defenders should implement strict ingress filtering to block traffic originating from this address, deploy rate-limiting on authentication endpoints, and utilize intrusion detection systems to identify scanning patterns. Implementing fail2ban or equivalent log-analysis tools can automatically mitigate repeated probe attempts, while regular audit of exposed service inventory reduces the attack surface available to reconnaissance operations.