Detection reference · Personal data · Updated 2026-11-03

IPv4 addresses

An IP address can point to a home connection or an internal server; it can also be a documentation example or a version number. Prompt checks flag every IPv4 address; repository checks add context.

At a glance

Reported as	IPv4 address
Category	Personal data
Severity	low: a weak identifier that depends on context, such as a name or an IP address
Replaced with	`[IP ADDRESS]`
Where it runs	The same engine runs in the Chrome extension (free checks, on your device), in the web check and the Windows app (on Redaxa's server; the text is not stored) and in public repository checks.
Engine rule	scanner.ts, line 247

What it looks like

Four numbers from 0 to 255 separated by dots.

Example 1

You paste

The staging server at 10.20.30.40 returns 502.

Redaxa returns

The staging server at [IP ADDRESS] returns 502.

Reported as	IPv4 address
Severity	low: a weak identifier that depends on context, such as a name or an IP address
Replaced with	`[IP ADDRESS]`

Example 2

You paste

Docs use 192.0.2.10 as the example host.

Redaxa returns

Docs use [IP ADDRESS] as the example host.

Reported as	IPv4 address
Severity	low: a weak identifier that depends on context, such as a name or an IP address
Replaced with	`[IP ADDRESS]`

All values on this page are synthetic or published specimens; none is a working credential or a real person's data.

In a repository check

The same example, committed to a public repository and run through the free repository check:

README.md: IPv4 address, listed as a reference, not counted as an exposure (severity info). Network address or version-shaped number. An address alone is not a credential or evidence of a vulnerability; retained as informational context.
Same value in tests/fixtures/README.md: Network address or version-shaped number. An address alone is not a credential or evidence of a vulnerability; retained as informational context.

Values are always shown masked in repository reports. No key is ever tested against its provider.

Known false positives

Text that is harmless but still flagged today. Listed so you can recognise it, not hidden.

Upgrade from version 1.2.3.4: flagged as IPv4 address. A four-part version number has the same shape. Repository checks list it as a reference when a version label precedes it.

What to do

Replace internal addresses with a description ("the staging server") when the address itself is not the point of your question.

Check before you paste

The free Chrome extension runs this check inside ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity before a message is sent, on your device and with no daily limit. On the web you get 5 free prompt checks a day with no account.

Add the Chrome extension Try a free web check

Sources

Redaxa engine: scanner.ts line 247. Every output on this page was produced by that code when the page was built.
RFC 5737: IPv4 address blocks reserved for documentation
RFC 1918: Address allocation for private internets