Summary (Bottom Line Up Front)
Automated reconnaissance activity detected from IP 176.65.148.52 (Netherlands/AS51396 Pfcloud UG) conducting systematic scanning operations against login endpoints over a 13-day period from February 28 to March 13, 2026. Assessment indicates LOW threat severity with 85% confidence, representing initial reconnaissance phase activity that warrants monitoring for potential escalation. Network defenders should implement standard blocking measures and enhance monitoring for follow-on attack activity.
Activity Timeline
UPDATE 12026-03-21T12:45:42Z
Source: Analyst Manual Entry
Automated reconnaissance activity detected from IP 176.65.148.52 (Netherlands/AS51396 Pfcloud UG) conducting systematic scanning operations against login endpoints over a 13-day period from February 28 to March 13, 2026. Assessment indicates LOW threat severity with 85% confidence, representing initial reconnaissance phase activity that warrants monitoring for potential escalation. Network defenders should implement standard blocking measures and enhance monitoring for follow-on attack activity.
New findings
Source IP 176.65.148.52 generated 53 security events targeting single destination port using HTTP and TCP protocols. Activity aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1595.002 (Active Scanning: Vulnerability Scanning) during reconnaissance phase operations. Threat actor utilized automated Go HTTP client for systematic endpoint enumeration, specifically targeting authentication interfaces. AbuseIPDB reputation scoring indicates 100/100 malicious rating, confirming established pattern of abusive behavior. Attack pattern classification identifies medium-severity scanner behavior with bot-like user agent characteristics across 8 distinct scanning attempts.
Recommendations
- Block IP 176.65.148.52 at perimeter firewalls and web application firewalls immediately
- Monitor AS51396 (Pfcloud UG) network range for additional reconnaissance activity and consider broader blocking if patterns emerge
- Review authentication endpoint logs for any successful login attempts or credential enumeration during the February 28 - March 13 timeframe
- Implement rate limiting on login endpoints to mitigate automated authentication attacks
- Enhance monitoring for follow-on activity including brute force attempts, exploitation attempts, or lateral movement indicators from this or related infrastructure
INITIAL REPORT2026-03-14T17:45:21Z
Source: batch_hunting
Threat actor operating from IP 176.65.148.52 (Netherlands/AS51396 Pfcloud UG) conducted sustained automated scanning operations against network infrastructure over a 13-day period from February 28 to March 13, 2026. Assessment indicates MEDIUM threat level based on reconnaissance patterns and high abuse reputation scoring. Immediate blocking and enhanced monitoring of scanning activity is recommended.
Technical details
- Source Infrastructure: 176.65.148.52 (AS51396 Pfcloud UG, Netherlands), AbuseIPDB reputation 100/100
- Attack Timeline: 13-day campaign spanning February 28 04:00 through March 13 10:00, 2026
- Attack Volume: 53 total events targeting single destination port via HTTP and TCP protocols
- Primary TTPs: Automated user-agent based reconnaissance scanning (MITRE T1595.001 - Active Scanning: Scanning IP Blocks)
- Infrastructure Profile: Non-VPN hosting provider with exposed services on ports 22, 80, and 3333
- IOCs: Consistent bot-like user-agent strings across scanning attempts, systematic enumeration patterns
IOCs
IP:176.65.148.52
ASN:51396
COUNTRY:NL
Recommendations
- Block source IP 176.65.148.52 at perimeter firewalls and web application firewalls immediately
- Monitor for additional scanning activity from AS51396 (Pfcloud UG) network ranges and implement rate limiting
- Review web server logs for successful enumeration attempts and validate exposed service configurations
- Enhance detection rules for automated user-agent patterns associated with reconnaissance tools
- Consider implementing geographic blocking for non-business critical traffic from high-risk hosting providers