Is Omegle Safe and How to stay safe on Omegle?

Omegle, an online chat and video app that’s popular with content creators, is used to inspire or make fun of their friends. Because you can video call random strangers around the world, it is very popular with both young and old. Users can feel anxious at times due to the platform’s randomness, but is Omegle safe?

You’ve likely seen a video where the content producer exposes their location to scare the chatter on the other side of the screen. These videos are so popular, they have become viral memes and other forms of social media share.

How does it work? How can Omegle users determine how far you are from home? How can Omegle users stay safe while using Omegle?

How can pranksters access Omegle Geolocations

Let’s first look at Omegle before we dive into the details. It’s a P2P audio/visual or text chat platform. Peer-to-peer, in layman’s terms means that anyone you speak to is directly connected with you. Instead of using intermediaries or proxy, it uses the User Datagram Protocol (or UDP).

When you connect to Omegle using free network sniffing tools such as Wireshark, pranksters use Omegle’s P2P technology. They then track your IPv4 address. Using IP geolocation websites is the next step to locate your exact area and PIN.

It may seem complicated and almost magical to people who are not familiar with networking but the process is simple. To understand why this process is used, it is important to fully grasp the details. Let’s take a look at the process.

How do I trace my IP address?

Finding someone to contact is the first step. There are many ways to do this. The most subtle and popular way to trace an IP address is to check traffic to and from Omegle. You can also create a phishing URL using OSINT tools such as Gravity. This requires convincing the target to click the link. It is not always effective, but it retrieves crucial information such as Internet address, location and type of device.

To inspect network packets, a network sniffer program must intercept them. Popular tools are Tcpdump and Wireshark.

Wireshark can be used to extract IP addresses through Network Packets

Wireshark, or another equivalent application, is first launched. It can then be set up to observe. The program then begins to listen and capture both outward and inward movement. After recording, the traffic is filtered to remove UDP connections to Omegle. You can examine the packets processed to see the plain text data flow between your IP address and the random person’s. This tool is highly regarded by online users. There are many other websites similar to it that keep popping up.

IP Geolocation to Track Location

IP Geolocation is the primary method to determine the approximate area of an Internet Address.

Each ISP gets a unique set IP addresses. These IP addresses can be further broken down by region. Geolocation websites compare an IP address with a list of range-to area IP matches. If a match is discovered, it will give the general location assigned to the IP address entered. The output location is usually a random point in an area with an identical IP address to the input IP. However, it could also be an ISP routing junction. It is an approximate location, however.

Omegle Geotracking: Should you be concerned?

Although it is disturbing to think of your PIN being called back by someone you don’t know, they do not have access to any critical information. They don’t know where you live. They only have an idea of the location where IPs similar to yours are located online. The region in which your IP number is active is being tracked, not you.

This is a creepy prank but there’s not much to fear.

How to stay safe on Omegle

Online security is your only responsibility. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Your online safety is dependent on basic internet hygiene and being vigilant while surfing. They are easy targets for scammers, especially in networks such as Omegle.