An exposed IP address is one of the most misunderstood pieces of personal data online. Engadget's new explainer tackles the question directly: a hacker who knows your IP cannot pull your passwords from it, but the address can still point attackers toward your home network — a starting point for probing, targeted attacks or unwanted attention.

The piece also examines how IPv6 shifts the picture. As the newer addressing scheme rolls out, the way devices are identified and exposed on the open internet changes, with implications for how much an individual address reveals and how defenders should think about it.

The practical takeaway is familiar but worth repeating: an IP address is a location marker, not a skeleton key. Basic hygiene — router updates, firewalls and, where appropriate, VPNs — closes off most of what an attacker could realistically do with one.