Geolocation vs. IP Reputation:
Why Country Blocking is Dead
It's 2025. If your fraud prevention strategy is "Block all traffic from Russia and China," you are fighting a modern war with a musket.
The "Geo" Illusion
Geo-blocking relies on the assumption that attackers attack from home. They don't.
An attacker in St. Petersburg doesn't send requests from their home ISP. They buy a residential proxy that routes their traffic through a infected smart TV in Dallas, Texas.
To your firewall, the request looks like it's coming from the USA. Your "Block Russia" rule is completely bypassed.
Why Reputation Matters
Instead of asking "Where is this IP?", you need to ask "What is this IP?"
- Is it a residential connection?
- Is it behaving like a bot?
- Is it listed in threat intelligence databases?
- is it a known VPN exit node?
This is IP Reputation. It judges the quality of the IP, not its flag.
The False Sense of Security
Geo-blocking often hurts more than it helps.
- It blocks legitimate expats and travelers.
- It fails to stop sophisticated attackers using proxies.
- It creates a false sense of security for your team ("We blocked Country X, we're safe").
Move beyond borders. Start judging traffic by its intent and origin type, not its geography.