You’ve probably noticed your IP address logged whenever you visit a site or load a subresource. Not only does your IP tell a site who you are, it also tells it about your ISP and general location. Even your phone has an IP, which changes constantly, so when you change locations you have a new IP. Although you’re not completely protected from this practice, there are some precautions that you can take to avoid logging your IP.
Anonymize IP addresses in log files in Plesk
The easiest way to anonymize your IP addresses in Plesk log files is to enable the setting in your Plesk server’s control panel. To enable the feature, login to Plesk and click on Tools & Settings > Server Settings. Under the Log Rotation tab, check the box next to Anonymize IP addresses during log rotation. Also, check the box next to Force daily log rotation for all domains.
When using Plesk, you can define how Plesk counts disk space by specifying the amount of space for objects, and you can configure the number of users and traffic. You can also choose whether to include inbound and outbound traffic in the statistics, which can be accessed by Plesk.
Configure a static IP address
For most users, static IP addresses are not necessary. However, for advanced users, they may be useful, especially if you are hosting a website or a server. A static IP address is also handy if you are sharing large files. You can learn more about IP addresses in What is an IP address. A static IP address uses Internet Protocol Version 4, or TCP/IPv4. To configure a static IP, you need to select the applet “System Preferences.” Then, choose “Network” from the “Internet & Network” section. Then, you can enter your IP address as well as Subnet mask, Default gateway, and DNS server.
Unlike a dynamic IP address, a static IP address is permanent and cannot be changed. If you need to change the IP address of a device, you have to perform a complete machine reset. This is not a good idea for regular computers.
Configure a configured IP interface as the source IP address
You can configure a configured IP interface to be the source IP address for logging by using the show ip source-interface status command. This command shows the status of an IP interface’s IP address and subnet mask. You can also use the show ip source-interface detail command to get detailed information on the 192.168.l.l policies and interface state of a configured IP interface.
In addition to this, you can configure your router to send log messages to a syslog server by adding a network dynamic NAT rule. To enable this feature, you must have Fireware v12.2 or higher.
Configure a forwarding rule to use a static IP address as the source IP address
You can configure a forwarding rule to use a specific IP address as the source IP address for logged messages. You can use a static IP address if you want to send log messages to the IBM QRadar systems. To configure this rule, you need to add a network object to the router.
The IP address associated with a forwarding rule must be unique. You can choose to configure a global or regional forwarding rule. The default value is TCP. You can also choose to use an ephemeral IP address if you prefer.
Configure a load balancer to use a static IP address as the source IP address
Using a static IP address for logging purposes is an option available with many load balancers. Using a static IP address for logged requests can help you keep your system secure. This option is ideal for businesses with large data volumes that need to monitor logs to ensure that they are meeting compliance standards.
This option allows you to configure a load balancer to use a nonlocal IP address as the source IP address for logged requests. It is easy to configure and requires only a single public IP address. However, this option does present some unique challenges for load balancers that may need to be considered.