Track someone using thr MAC/Physical Address?
MAC ID is a hardware identifier that really has nothing to do with tracking locations. IP does. To gain that you can go to cmd type ip config and see their local ip addresses, also you can go to places like www.ipchicken.com and view their external IP, though this will change if the computer changes locations. So without a trojan/backdoor/malware, you cannot track a mobile computer long term using just those bits of information.
don't quote me on this one, but I always thought that MAC add is determined by the device, and ip by the router you connect through, so you can change your MAC but can't change IP ( I know you can using proxy, but originally you'll still have the same ip ). So basically if you know ip, you can find out MAC, but it doesn't work vice versa…
clone4 wrote: don't quote me on this one, but I always thought that MAC add is determined by the device, and ip by the router you connect through, so **you can change your MAC but can't change IP **( I know you can using proxy, but originally you'll still have the same ip ). So basically if you know ip, you can find out MAC, but it doesn't work vice versa…
clone4 your statement was good enough to answer the original authors question . Your right you cant trace a machine from the MAC address .
Well that is for now anyway heres something i found :
"The next generation of TCP/IP, IPv6, also has the capability to use the MAC address as a portion of the TCP/IP address. The main reason for using the MAC address as a portion of the protocol address is for ease of management. However, the side effect of this capability is an audit trail that can be difficult to avoid. Tying the MAC address to TCP/IP exponentially increases the ability to track a machine's activity, as the TCP/IP addressed is logged all over the Internet."
Found here : http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/sec/1101sec2.html
From the sounds of it people may be able to trace machines from a MAC address when this happens .
clone4 wrote: **you can change your MAC but can't change IP **
Also you can change your ip address . By turning off your modem , this will change your ip address (usualy , it does for me) . You can also sometimes change your machines physical ip address in most windows machines with start>run>cmd>ipconfig/release or ipconfig/renew . I usualy just hit the reset button on my modem for a quick ip change in a pinch , witch is usualy sufficient to me .
Neqtan wrote:
clone4 your statement was good enough to answer the original authors question . Your right you cant trace a machine from the MAC address .
Well that is for now anyway heres something i found :
"The next generation of TCP/IP, IPv6, also has the capability to use the MAC address as a portion of the TCP/IP address. The main reason for using the MAC address as a portion of the protocol address is for ease of management. However, the side effect of this capability is an audit trail that can be difficult to avoid. Tying the MAC address to TCP/IP exponentially increases the ability to track a machine's activity, as the TCP/IP addressed is logged all over the Internet."
Found here : http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/sec/1101sec2.html
From the sounds of it people may be able to trace machines from a MAC address when this happens .
Wow didn't know that. But I'm not sure if I like the idea, more reduction of internet privacy…
Also you can change your ip address . By turning off your modem , this will change your ip address (usualy , it does for me) . You can also sometimes change your machines physical ip address in most windows machines with start>run>cmd>ipconfig/release or ipconfig/renew . I usualy just hit the reset button on my modem for a quick ip change in a pinch , witch is usualy sufficient to me .
This is only with dynamic ip, e.g. dial up, but when you have lets say cable tv internet connection you will get usually one or two ips assigned and once you are connected through that IPS, you won't be able to change it. Of course unless you contacted the IPS and asked for the change. If anybody finds some inaccuracies, please point them out, as I'm not 100% sure on these grounds ;)