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Fortunately, this technique cannot be used to identify devices across the Internet. The timing effects are the result of how various components in a machine create packets. Other Location Tracking Risks Authentication Fingerprinting Techniques Īn authentication technique can fingerprint devices by observing inter-packet timings on a LAN's wire-segment one side effect is that user devices can be tracked.
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CHANGING WIRELESS MAC ADDRESS HOW TO
At present, Whonix ™ cannot provide detailed instructions on how to create appropriate MAC addresses fulfilling the criteria above. The initial, second part of the MAC address can safely be random or unique. When spoofing MAC addresses, it is critical to use a popular vendor ID. Even if it exists, it is possible to end up with a vendor ID which has either never been used or not for decades. The problem with using a random MAC address is that the chosen vendor ID may be non-existent. While this technique might be sufficient to confuse lesser adversaries, it will not defeat skilled adversaries. Warning: Using a completely random MAC address is not recommended. A different burner stick should be used for each new location to avoid geographical profiling / tracking. If this advice is ignored and burner devices are used for network connections at locations tied to or regularly visited by the user, this can lead to deanonymization. Burner devices should only be enabled for connectivity at the intended public destination. Take care to disable the computer's native Wi-Fi functionality in the BIOS settings if pursuing this option - the computer's characteristics will have likely been logged if it was ever used from an untrusted hotspot. One immediate workaround for the Wi-Fi card profiling threat is to buy new "burner" Wi-Fi USB sticks from different manufacturers.
CHANGING WIRELESS MAC ADDRESS DRIVERS
Unfortunately, a viable solution requires manufacturers to modify drivers or firmware of their hardware products to add privacy preserving mitigations.Īpart from the difficulty in creating an appropriate MAC address for spoofing purposes, there are also technical hurdles to overcome in the form of preventing automatic network connections. Warning: According to recent research, MAC address spoofing is not effective against advanced tracking techniques that can still enumerate the address by inspecting the physical characteristics of the Wi-Fi card. If users intend to use an untrusted, public network then MAC spoofing should be considered. However, other computers on the local network can potentially log it, which would then provide proof the user's computer connected to that specific network. The MAC address is normally not traceable because it is not passively sent to computers beyond the local router. MAC addresses are stored in hardware and are used to assign an address to computers on the local network.
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