Has anyone changed the MAC address of their iPad? If so instructions on how to would be greatly appreciated.
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iPad MAC Address
- Thread starter Battlestar
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Certain access points that I use have a MAC filter enabled. It would be a lot easier and quicker to gain access to them through my iPad by simply broadcasting a MAC ID that is the same as my notebook that already has its MAC in the filter list than going through the IT deparment politics to get it done.
This can be done in the OS as shown by my attached image of Win XP NIC settings.
This can be done in the OS as shown by my attached image of Win XP NIC settings.
Attachments
MAC filtering is put in place for a reason. Obviously, your company's security policy adheres to the MAC filtering policy. IMO, this would be considered an illegal act and could be punishable by termination of employment, confiscate your iPad, and depending on the company, they could potentially prosecute you as a hacker.
Actually not as I was told to do this by the IT deparment help desk at the hospital as I have already signed the confidentiality agreement and am authorized to access the network. As with any notebook I may have I can plug into an ethernet connection and do what I need to. With wireless devices that are more of a convience to the end user it takes 2 to 4 weeks to get the MAC entered in their infastructure.
Yeah, keep thinking that way. If you are authorized to use a wired connection, then use a wired connection. If it doesn't make a difference to your superiors, then have them to authorize adding your iPad's MAC address to the hospital's router. Ask yourself:
Do you really want to lose your job before you payoff your iPad?
Word to the Wise: Just for laughs, pull out that confidentiality agreement that you signed and reread it.
I have been given full authotization to use the LAN as my contracted postion is related to the management of the Storage Area Network. Unfortuneately the Storage group does not also manage the switches and access points.
The signed agreement clearly outlines the protection of any and all private information on the entire network.
The MAC is already in a que to be entered so the device has been approved it is now only when it will get entered and it is not high on the list of priorities.
The issue is the 2 to 4 week time frame to get the MAC into the APs. I don't see why this thread has gone off on this tangent.
The legalities that have been mentioned here come under the Federal "illegal computer intrusion" statute. It specifically deals with unauthorized access to a computer network. This isn't even close.
Is there an answer to the original post?
You can't change the MAC address on the iPad or even iPhone. I don't think the iPhoneOS is able to change it even if there's jailbreak and an ifconfig tool available.
Even some laptops running SL can't get their MAC address to stay changed.
You used to be able to change it back in the 1.X.X days I believe, but I haven't heard of anyone trying since. It would be a jailbroken function for sure, but I'm not sure if the tools exist for FW 3.2 yet.
Then wait for your MAC address is approved for use on the network. Until it is approved, it is not approved. Attempts to circumvent your hospital's security measures will be taken as an exercise in bad judgment in the best case. It goes downhill from there.
If you insist on your current line of reasoning, then you will face most unpleasant consequences. In this economy, some more deserving and less rash person will be happy that your impatience opened a position for him or her.
Dude, how many times are you doing to say this? Stop derailing the thread. He knows what he's doing. He'll do what he wants to do, he's not asking for you to be his angel. He's asking a simple question, it's not up to us to decide what he should or should not do. He's an adult who has to make his own decisions and live with it.
Seeing how we can not stick on the original topic here a broader topic has arisen.
The fact that you cannot change the MAC address gives Apple the ability to track every place that you go on the interent with your iPad.
There are some serious ethical issues here that need to be addressed.
The fact that you cannot change the MAC address gives Apple the ability to track every place that you go on the interent with your iPad.
There are some serious ethical issues here that need to be addressed.
No one's forcing you to use one. If you are paranoid that Big Brother is tracking your every movement, don't use an iPad. Probably best not to use a cell phone either. Or a GPS unit. Or a car with OnStar. Or a credit card.
This seems wrong on two counts. Firstly MAC addresses are part of the Ethernet protocol and I don't think that they are used on the wider internet. The IP packet header that is used to route packets from your computer/iPhone/iPad/whatever to a remote web-site definitely doesn't include MAC addresses. If MAC addresses don't get to a web-site they can't be used for tracking.
Secondly even if MAC addresses were used over IP this wouldn't help Apple, in particular, track your usage. Your conversations would still be between your iPad and the web-sites that you visit. None of the information would be routed via Apple and hence they wouldn't gain any extra insight into where you're browsing.
I agree. A person working at a hospital where people's ePHI is stored trying to hack the MAC address on his iPad.
caveat: ...I could be horribly wrong and/or woefully out of date on some or all counts, but here goes:
Isn't the MAC address for any given network interface embedded in hardware? You can't "change" the hardware MAC address, you're really just "spoofing" another MAC address in software, correct?
Not to mention, as far as I can remember, the MAC address of a device is not used at the IP layer, i.e. you can't track a device beyond the local LAN's router based on the MAC address unless something on the device above the IP layer is reporting the MAC address.
Also, MAC filtering aside, I don't think you can have two devices with identical MAC's connected to the LAN at the same time (at least not in a switched network).
And why can't you wait for the established process, is there some sort of iPad-only SAN management app now that requires you to use the iPad to do your job?
And has the IT Department approved the device for use on their network? As a "patient" with personal medical records stored in the hospital's network, I can't say I would be comfortable with random contractors hacking random gadgets with varying and/or unknown levels of device security to gain access to the internal network for what may or may not be work-specific activities.
Isn't the MAC address for any given network interface embedded in hardware? You can't "change" the hardware MAC address, you're really just "spoofing" another MAC address in software, correct?
Not to mention, as far as I can remember, the MAC address of a device is not used at the IP layer, i.e. you can't track a device beyond the local LAN's router based on the MAC address unless something on the device above the IP layer is reporting the MAC address.
Also, MAC filtering aside, I don't think you can have two devices with identical MAC's connected to the LAN at the same time (at least not in a switched network).
And why can't you wait for the established process, is there some sort of iPad-only SAN management app now that requires you to use the iPad to do your job?
And has the IT Department approved the device for use on their network? As a "patient" with personal medical records stored in the hospital's network, I can't say I would be comfortable with random contractors hacking random gadgets with varying and/or unknown levels of device security to gain access to the internal network for what may or may not be work-specific activities.
The MAC address is embedded by the manufacturer and cannot be changed. The MAC address must be unique to the LAN. This, however, offers no cover to the OP. I assume that his hospital offers unsecured Wi-Fi for its patients and their visitors. The OP wants to breach a secured Wi-Fi network from within his LAN. We can reasonably infer that the hospital has implemented security measures intended to detect and stop attempts to spoof MAC addresses. The OP will literally be running up a red flag with "Catch Me" written on it in bold letters.
Mac masking
I am a programmer and network security/penetration admin, and Ive programmed various security tools for Linux, windows, and Mac.
Though I do believe that the fact of changing your Mac address can not be done without fear of legal action has already been stated various time. You can however mask you Mac address w/out permanently changing it. Which isn't illegal because there is no permanent changes to system hardware. It is still an unauthorized system accessing a network and that is illegal, if I were you I would wait for the paperwork to go through.
I first learned how to mask a Mac address on windows xp and set out to do it with all OS's.
Because iPhones and IPads do not have a command prompt or terminal you would have to create and app the would access system files and create a false mac address and temporarily broadcast that address while on the network. Or easier known as spoofing.
I've never set up hospital networks so I am unsure if they have protection against spoofing, but because of the constant changing in technology I'm sure if they don't they will soon.
Like I said you cannot change the mac address but you can mask/spoof a fake one. But I would not recommend it because even though nothing is unhackable nobody is uncatchable.
I am a programmer and network security/penetration admin, and Ive programmed various security tools for Linux, windows, and Mac.
Though I do believe that the fact of changing your Mac address can not be done without fear of legal action has already been stated various time. You can however mask you Mac address w/out permanently changing it. Which isn't illegal because there is no permanent changes to system hardware. It is still an unauthorized system accessing a network and that is illegal, if I were you I would wait for the paperwork to go through.
I first learned how to mask a Mac address on windows xp and set out to do it with all OS's.
Because iPhones and IPads do not have a command prompt or terminal you would have to create and app the would access system files and create a false mac address and temporarily broadcast that address while on the network. Or easier known as spoofing.
I've never set up hospital networks so I am unsure if they have protection against spoofing, but because of the constant changing in technology I'm sure if they don't they will soon.
Like I said you cannot change the mac address but you can mask/spoof a fake one. But I would not recommend it because even though nothing is unhackable nobody is uncatchable.
I m a student at university
I asked the it department for Internet access on my iPad they said they don't have technology to monitor u On ios so they simply can't allow me
Can I mail them my iPad Mac Adress and tell them this is my new laptops Mac
Or if they say they would like to see my lap
I spoof the mac of lap
Risking everything?