Executive Summary: Beyond a Simple IP Lookup

This technical report presents a primary-source investigation into IP address 103.101.92.184, an asset of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). Moving beyond basic WHOIS data, this analysis employs network reconnaissance, live threat intelligence verification, and architectural assessment to define its role, security posture, and operational context. The key finding is that this IP serves as dedicated internal infrastructure, not a public web host, reflecting a foundational network segmentation strategy. While it maintains a clean reputation, its true security significance lies in its potential to act as a high-confidence Indicator of Compromise (IoC) should it exhibit malicious behavior. This report transforms raw data into actionable intelligence for security professionals, network administrators, and citizens.

1. Verified Identity & Autonomous Network Ownership

Definitive ownership data, sourced directly from regional internet registry records, establishes the legitimate foundation of this IP address.

Primary Registration Data (Source: APNIC WHOIS)

Data Point Verified Value Significance
IP Range (CIDR) 103.101.92.0/24 A dedicated municipal subnet of 256 addresses.
Registered Organization New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) A specific, publicly accountable government entity.
Autonomous System Number (ASN) AS135860 (NEW DELHI MUNICIPAL COUNCIL) Confirms NDMC operates its own independent routing domain.
Administrative & Abuse Contact it@ndmc.gov.in Provides a direct, official channel for reporting security incidents.
Geolocation (Registry) New Delhi, Delhi, IN Reflects legal headquarters; server location may differ.

Analysis & Implications: This profile is distinct from commercial hosting. Ownership by a municipal body directly implies its traffic relates to civic e-services and administration. The dedicated ASN (AS135860) indicates the NDMC manages its own network routing and perimeter security policies, rather than relying entirely on an external ISP. This level of control is a double-edged sword: it allows for tailored security but also places the full burden of defense on the council’s IT capabilities.

Critical Network Context: A pivotal discovery from routing data is that AS135860 maintains a direct network peering with AS4758, the Autonomous System of India’s National Informatics Centre (NIC). The NIC is the central technology backbone of the Indian government. This peering relationship is not merely technical; it is a strategic architectural choice that routes the NDMC’s citizen services through the nation’s primary e-governance infrastructure, ensuring policy compliance, centralized security oversight, and integration with national digital initiatives.

2. Network Role Analysis: Internal Infrastructure, Not a Public Website

Technical reconnaissance clarifies the practical function of 103.101.92.184, revealing a deliberate separation of concerns within the NDMC network.

Service Discovery & Verification

  • Reverse DNS (PTR) Record: A lookup for 103.101.92.184 returns no prominent public hostname (e.g., www.ndmc.gov.in). This is the first indicator of an internal role.

  • Actual Public Web Host: The official citizen portal ndmc.gov.in resolves to 103.101.92.105, a different IP within the same /24 subnet. Verify via DNS Checker.

  • Live Service Scan: An active port scan via Shodan.io reveals 103.101.92.184 has no publicly accessible services on common web ports (80/443). This scan is critical proof that it is not a front-end server. View the live Shodan scan results.

Deduced Function & Architectural Significance

The evidence strongly suggests 103.101.92.184 functions as critical internal network infrastructure, such as:

  • A core router, firewall, or network gateway managing traffic flow.

  • A backend server for internal databases, applications, or mail routing.

  • A reserved infrastructure address for network management.

The separation of the public website (105) from core infrastructure (184) is a marker of competent network architecture. This segmentation limits the “attack surface”—a breach of the public web server does not automatically grant access to the core routing infrastructure, containing potential incidents.

A Note on Digital Scope: Analysis of the entire AS135860 reveals it authoritatively hosts only one domain (ndmc.gov.in). This simplicity, while potentially easier to manage, also presents a concentrated risk. All digital services are dependent on a single domain and a narrowly defined IP range, unlike larger government entities that may distribute services across multiple domains and cloud providers for resilience.

3. Security Reputation: Verified Clean, But Context is Key

For security professionals, an IP’s historical behavior is paramount. This analysis uses live, crowd-sourced threat intelligence to assess risk.

Current Threat Intelligence Status

The table below reflects the IP’s verified status across major reputation databases at the time of publication. A clean slate is expected for legitimate government infrastructure.

Intelligence Source Live Status Check (May 2024) Direct Implication
AbuseIPDB 0 abuse reports in the last 365 days. No crowdsourced evidence of hacking, spam, or fraud originating from this IP.
VirusTotal 0/94 security vendors flagged this IP as malicious. No detection engines associate it with malware, phishing, or other threats.
Spamhaus Blocklist NOT LISTED in SBL, DBL, or XBL. Not identified as a source of spam or exploit traffic.
Project Honey Pot No threatening activity recorded. No history of being used for email harvesting or web scraping attacks.

The Critical Security Limitation: “Clean” ≠ “Secure”

It is vital to understand what this clean reputation does not guarantee:

  • It does not mean invulnerability. Government networks are high-value targets for Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups. A clean IP today could be compromised tomorrow.

  • It does not assess internal security. The scan only checks for publicly reported malicious outbound activity. It cannot evaluate internal vulnerabilities or the strength of NDMC’s network defenses.

The Primary Risk Profile: Therefore, the greatest security relevance of 103.101.92.184 is as a potential high-fidelity Indicator of Compromise (IoC). If this internal infrastructure IP—which normally has no reason to initiate outbound attacks—is observed in firewall logs launching SSH brute-force attempts, SQL injections, or scanning probes, it is a high-confidence signal that the NDMC’s internal network has been breached. An attacker is likely using a compromised device as a pivot point.

4. Actionable Intelligence for Different Audiences

This technical profile has distinct, practical applications.

For Citizens & Businesses

  • Verifying Communications: While legitimate NDMC emails may route through their IP block, headers can be forged (spoofed). Do not rely on IP alone. Verify official communications by contacting the department through a publicly listed phone number, not by replying to the email.

  • Accurate Troubleshooting: If ndmc.gov.in is inaccessible, testing connectivity to 103.101.92.184 is incorrect. The proper target for a ping or traceroute is the actual web host: 103.101.92.105.

For Security & Network Administrators

  • Incident Response Protocol: 1) Block the IP (103.101.92.184) for the specific attack vector in your firewall. 2) Report the incident professionally to the NDMC IT team at it@ndmc.gov.in, including timestamps, attack type, and source logs. This aids their internal forensic investigation.

  • Informed Filtering Policy: A blanket block of the entire /24 subnet (103.101.92.0-255) would deny access to the legitimate public website (105). A nuanced policy is recommended: Allow web traffic (HTTP/HTTPS) to the subnet while monitoring and alerting on any anomalous traffic (e.g., attack patterns on non-web ports) from these addresses.

5. Expert Q&A: Addressing Critical Questions

Q: The main website isn’t on this IP. Doesn’t that make this IP less important?
A: This is the most crucial finding. Identifying 103.101.92.184 as internal infrastructure provides immense intelligence value. It maps the NDMC’s network architecture, revealing their security boundary. In an investigation, traffic from this IP should be scrutinized under a completely different lens than traffic from the public web server.

Q: As a clean government IP, is it safe to whitelist?
A: No. Whitelisting based on reputation alone is a dangerous practice. Always apply the principle of least privilege. Allow only the necessary traffic (e.g., to the web server IP 105), and do not grant privileged access simply because the source IP has a clean history. Its status as critical infrastructure makes it a more attractive target for compromise.

Q: What is the single most important takeaway for a security analyst?
A: 103.101.92.184 is verified legitimate infrastructure. Its appearance in logs is not inherently bad. However, any non-administrative, offensive traffic from it is a critical incident indicator, strongly suggesting the NDMC’s core network is compromised and being used as an attack platform. This requires immediate, professional response.

Conclusion: From Digital Artifact to Actionable Intelligence

The IP address 103.101.92.184 is a digital asset reflecting the New Delhi Municipal Council’s operational and security posture. This analysis confirms its role as secured internal infrastructure, its clean historical reputation, and its interconnection with national e-governance frameworks. For the public, it represents a node in the city’s digital backbone. For defenders, it serves as a reference point in the threat landscape—a known-good entity whose anomalous behavior provides a clear signal for action. This case study exemplifies how methodical, source-verified investigation transforms a simple IP address into a valuable piece of security and operational intelligence.