Sh4mefulIP Address: 23.172.217.80
IP address 23.172.217.80 is registered to VertexLink Inc and geolocates to United States. It was observed in sh4meful's dataset on July 9, 2026. Over the observation window, it has failed DMARC alignment once, targeting one sender domain. It has no reverse DNS record. Network context: this address sits within NAT64-EXIT (VertexLink Inc), a network sh4meful has observed producing 4 failures across 4 distinct IPs during the same window.
Failure Activity Over Time
Peak activity was observed in the week of July 6, 2026 with 1 failures recorded. Activity in the most recent 30-day window increased sharply compared with the prior period (1 vs 0 failures).
This IP has claimed to send from 1 sender domain monitored by sh4meful. The single targeted domain suggests either a compromised sending source or a spoofing attempt focused on a specific brand.
This page shows DMARC authentication failure data for this IP address. Learn more about this data.
Geolocation Information
- Country:
- US United States
- Coordinates:
- 37.751, -97.822
WHOIS Information
- Network Name:
- NAT64-EXIT
- CIDR:
23.172.217.0/24- Owner:
- VertexLink Inc
- Org ID:
VERTE-45- Address:
- 30 N Gould St Ste R, Sheridan, WY 82801
Analysis
This IP was observed generating a single DMARC authentication failure on July 9, 2026. With only one data point, the event is better read as a single suspicious observation than a sustained campaign. Every message observed from this source failed both SPF and DKIM verification. Receiving mail providers applied a reject disposition, refusing delivery outright.
The address has no reverse DNS record. Legitimate mail infrastructure almost always publishes a PTR record, because major receivers (Gmail, Microsoft 365, Yahoo) penalize or reject mail without one, and because it is a baseline operational hygiene expectation. Its absence, combined with authentication failure, is consistent with a host being used to originate spoofed mail rather than one misconfigured by a legitimate operator.
Geolocation places the host in United States, on infrastructure operated by VertexLink Inc. Abuse-reporting channels in this jurisdiction are generally responsive, and reports to the network operator can result in timely remediation.
The address is registered to VertexLink Inc (NAT64-EXIT), an enterprise network operator. Concentrated authentication failures on enterprise address space can indicate either a compromised internal host being used as an unauthorized sending relay, or an organization knowingly or unknowingly operating as a spam source.
Across the wider NAT64-EXIT network, 4 distinct IPs have been associated with 4 authentication failures over 4 observed messages, spanning 1 country. Most observed IPs on this network contribute to the failure count, suggesting the range as a whole warrants elevated scrutiny.
If your domain appears in the From header of mail from this address, treat it as probable spoofing. Verify that your SPF record does not authorize this host, directly or through nested include mechanisms, and that no DKIM selector you publish has been issued to it. If both checks come back clean, the receiver's reject action is doing its job.
Your DMARC policy posture matters more than any IP-level response here. The enforcement action applied to this mail indicates your policy is already providing protection. Maintaining p=reject across all your domains closes the gap for attackers who manage partial alignment. Domains that remain at p=none long-term tend to be impersonated repeatedly, because the cost to the attacker of attempting is effectively zero.
Blocking this individual address has limited durability: an attacker can rotate to another address in the same /24 subnet at effectively zero cost. More durable responses include monitoring aggregate DMARC reports so new sources are visible as they emerge, tightening SPF to remove overly permissive include chains or +all mechanisms, and ensuring DKIM is signing every legitimate outbound stream so alignment failures are unambiguous. The formal abuse contact for VertexLink Inc is listed in ARIN WHOIS records, and timely remediation is achievable through that channel.
Network Topology
This address is part of NAT64-EXIT (VertexLink Inc), announced from United States. 4 IPs in this network have been observed in sh4meful's dataset.
External Reputation Lookups
Look up this IP in external threat intelligence and reputation databases (opens in new tab):
Nearby IPs
The following IP addresses share the same /24 subnet as 23.172.217.80 and have appeared in sh4meful's dataset. Related activity in nearby addresses often indicates infrastructure operated by a single actor or provider.
- 23.172.217.66 — 1 failure, first seen 5 months ago, 146 days before this address.
- 23.172.217.72 — 1 failure, first seen 4 months ago, 141 days before this address.
- 23.172.217.76 — 1 failure, first seen 5 months ago, 144 days before this address.
Recommended Action
If this IP appears in your own DMARC reports, treat it as an unauthorized sender unless you have specifically verified it as a legitimate service you use. Ensure your DMARC policy is at p=quarantine or p=reject to prevent delivery of messages this IP claims to send from your domain. If you're new to DMARC, our complete guide walks through the mechanics.