Comments for Can a MAC address be traced?

Comment from Ron on 2012-01-21

2012-01-22T01:10:19Z

Hello Leo,
I have a problem with one comment you made in this article. The MAC address of a networking device has nothing to do with the Media Access Control sublayer of the Data Link Layer of the OSI model. The MAC address is an identifier that is put on every networking device that is made. The MAC sublayer on the other hand deals with how data is put on the physical media.

MAC stands for Media Access Control - ref: Wikipedia.

22-Jan-2012

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Comment from Rey Rey on 2012-01-20

2012-01-21T06:43:42Z

One thing that I believe is an exception to the rule is when one connects to the internet using an ISP's "Hotspot" or Wifi Network (like Xfinity, Optimum Wifi) on the road or some of those "free" connections like the ones in McDonald's, Starbucks, etc. Some of these hotspots require you to have an account and log-in first, while others are free to roam on or give you a time-limited trial. I experimented with the "free" ones (no log-in credentials needed) and realized after going to the same spot several days that my MAC address was totally traceable because obviously the ISP controls their switches and routers (I cleaned all cookies, etc so I know it was MAC-related tracing). If you actually look at the first URL once you start browsing, you will see your MAC address as identifier at the end of the URL, as a way of remembering you the next time you are on their network. Also, the "fine print" disclaimers on these connections (which no one bothers to read) explain that your MAC address is being logged. If you think about it, in theory, if a laptop was stolen and you knew your mac address and someone tried to log on one of these hotspots, the ISP should be able to identify such connection, however I'm assuming that only law-enforcement would be able to obtain such records and as Leo kindly pointed out, equipment manufacturers can't ensure that a MAC is unique...just food for thought...cheers

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Comment from dean on 2011-12-18

2011-12-18T22:20:55Z

could say a big corporate company with the right hardware/software access your mac address as so to identify you?

Please read the article - the MAC address never leaves your network. Unless they have access to your network somehow I don't see how they could. I suppose if they planted spyware on your machine anythign's possible.

18-Dec-2011

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Comment from Rutasprofavok on 2011-11-04

2011-11-04T07:05:11Z

Leo,
The MAC is changed on every router that it goes througg, noy when arrives but when is sending!
just gotta see an IP Packet between two routers.

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Comment from Mark J on 2011-10-29

2011-10-30T00:29:26Z

@Jojo
If you accessed the internet through a router the MAC address of your computer would only be visible to the router

http://ask-leo.com/whats_the_difference_between_a_mac_address_and_an_ip_address.html

It possible that this blocking was accomplished through something as simple as a cookie. Try clearing your Saved Cookies and see if that helps.

This article on clearing the browser cache will show the steps needed to do that, just press Delete Cookies where it says Delete Temporary Internet Files (or Clear Cache depending on which browser you use). You might also Delete the Temporary Internet Files anyway, just in case.
http://ask-leo.com/whats_a_browser_cache_how_do_i_clear_it_and_why_would_i_want_to.html

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Comment from Jojo on 2011-10-29

2011-10-29T23:35:23Z

I thought they could be traced. I opened 47 hushmail email accts for my students one morning at Starbucks. When we went to log into them, hushmail said they had blocked my computer (not closed the accts) in case of fraud or spam and to contact them. I did (but they never responded). I went home and tried again. That's 3 different IP addresses that hushmail knew it was my computer. I thought they'd IDed my mac address. If not, what was it.

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Comment from chandra kant yadav on 2011-10-15

2011-10-16T06:08:06Z

can i trace a stolen laptop by mac adress . just like a mobile phone can be traced from its service provider mobile number by using imei number

Nope. That's actually discussed in the article you just commented on.

16-Oct-2011

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Comment from Mark on 2011-01-23

2011-01-23T15:33:09Z

I'm studying for a middleware exam atm, reading about home gateways.
When talking about device discovery and management (DHCP) my lecture notes say "This data will be accessible to the RMS" (ISP's Remote Management System)
Does this not mean that the ISP's sytem can see what devices are connected to my network and therefore trace a stolen laptop if it's connected via one of their clients networks??

Thanks

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Comment from Saadhana on 2010-09-27

2010-09-27T12:45:39Z

I received a mail, which is sent from a system of network from my office. I want to know from which system it was sent.

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Comment from lew on 2010-08-16

2010-08-16T11:58:37Z

Hi, interesting... " Your MAC address never makes it further than the first piece of networking equipment between you and the internet".

I have to confess up to making an ill-advised comment on a forum post. I know that the blog is being watched by my bosses now. I want to remove the post the same way I put it on - by using my netbook on a public wifi network (free one). I think my paranoia may be just a bit overboard but I don't want them to trace the comment (or removal) back to me - free wifi safe for this purpose? Thanks

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Comment from saransh on 2010-06-12

2010-06-12T09:08:28Z

hiii....

i want to know that whether the websites i visit through my laptop be traced by the company i work for, if they dont know my MAC id.

Depends on how you're connected to the internet. If it's through the company's internet connection, of course they can. If that's a company laptop, I'm guessing they can too. Safest to assume that they can.

12-Jun-2010

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Comment from amit tomer on 2009-12-29

2009-12-29T09:16:03Z

everytime u have some thing special to tell
but i still confuse why i need mac address when there ip address is still there to identify the unique host on the network at point of time
plz plz plzz
can anybody help me in finding the answer plzz
sir help in this topic

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Comment from Chris on 2009-01-27

2009-01-27T18:02:33Z

What you can do is install a tool like dyndns or no-ip on your system. What they do is resolve the wan ip address of the system the software is installed on into a hostname. You can then log into your account and see the IP address last used when the software was running. This can aid law enforcement with the combination of the ISP used by the thief, to track him down. You can even run a tracert on the hostname and get a general idea where they are located by the routers the ping packets hop through.

All this is one of the many things software like Leo is talking about and law enforcement use to track down stolen computers. Chances are though, if it was a professional thief, they would have whipped the drives, software and all, making it virtually impossible.

A hostname will definitely log an IP Address the machine used to connect from so you at least get something if the machine was connected before being wiped.

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Comment from jyothish kumar on 2009-01-27

2009-01-27T17:31:35Z

Great.I never imagined that this is the way things actually work out .Every time i visit your site i always learn something new.

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