MAC Authentication: Some Internet service providers may require authentication with a MAC address and only allow a device with that MAC address to connect to the Internet. You may need to change your router or computer’s MAC address to connect. I know that all computers have a unique MAC address. But how traceable are they? If my laptop gets stolen, and I know my MAC address, can I get back to it if the person stole it gets connected to internet, even after formatting the machine and thinking that it’s safe to connect? Seems like this could stop laptop burglaries if that MAC address thing is traceable. You’re correct it could put a big dent in laptop burglaries if MAC addresses were truly traceable. It would at least increase the odds of stolen equipment being recovered. ![]() But they’re not traceable at least not in any way that could help. Let’s look at why. Become a and go ad-free! MAC addresses are unique – sort of A MAC address, or “Media Access Control” address, is a unique 48-bit number assigned to every interface. If your computer has multiple network interfaces – say both a wired and a – each interface will have its own MAC address. In theory, it’s unique. In theory, every network card or network interface should have its own unique MAC address that is different from every other network card on the planet. There are two problems: • Occasionally, manufacturers don’t ensure they’re unique, so multiple network interfaces can in fact have the same MAC address. • In many network interfaces, the MAC address can be set in software – meaning whatever the original MAC address, it can be overridden and changed. So the uniqueness on which we might want to rely is not completely reliable. But that isn’t really the biggest problem. MAC addresses travel only so far, usually The MAC address is used by the network to identify which piece of hardware a of information is to be sent to. While the IP addresses involved indicate the original source and ultimate destination, a MAC address is used only on connections from one piece of networking equipment to the next. That means when information leaves your computer, it has your computer’s ’s MAC address. But when it arrives at your, that MAC address is removed. When your router sends the information further upstream to your ’s router, it contains the MAC address of your router. When it moves from the ISP’s router to another router on the internet, it contains the MAC address of the ISP’s router. When it comes to data traveling over the network, your MAC address never makes it further than the first piece of networking equipment between you and the internet. MAC addresses gone wild MAC addresses, however, have been used for other things.
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March 2019
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