DHS in Seattle is tracking your wi-fi MAC address

[AZRedhawk44]

http://www.infowars.com/dhs-funds-installation-of-white-boxes-that-can-track-population-of-entire-city/

Boxes all over the city, updating every 30 seconds.

I know that on a conventional PC I have the ability to hand-alter the MAC address of my wi-fi card.  I can set it to 00:00:00:12:34:56, if I want. 

For those of you who don't know what a MAC is, it's a permanent address your wi-fi or hardwired network adapter has assigned to it.  It is a lower layer of addressing than your IP address.  When you request an IP address from a particular network, the server that handles the request (a DHCP server) will store your MAC address in a table and correlate it to the IP it just gave you.

The first 6 digits of a MAC signify the manufacturer and model number of the device.  The last 6 digits represent the unique ID of that particular model or device.  For instance, the hardwired NIC on my laptop has a MAC of 50:46:5D:EC:65:F5.  The first six (50:46:5D) means I have a RealTek PCIe Gigabit ethernet adapter.  The last 6 are unique among all models of that card, making my computer uniquely identifiable by that address.

The only way I see this having value, is if telecoms and ISP's are sharing (with the government) MAC address correlations of devices to people.  Otherwise, MAC addresses are relatively anonymous.  It'd take a hell of a lot of work to cross-reference your credit card number to your Dell laptop, then search Dell's databases for the MAC address included in your laptop... and then to determine which MAC address is for a wireless card and which one is for a hardwired card.


Does anyone know if it's possible to change the MAC address of an iPhone or Android device like it can be changed via software in most windows drivers?

[AZRedhawk44]

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wireless.macchanger&hl=en

This does it manually, one-time, on demand.

Even better would be something that constantly changes it every 30 seconds.  An "auto-cycle" feature that just randomizes a new MAC constantly.

[AJ Dual]

I wish I knew the MAC addresses of any phones or PC's seized overseas in AWOT. Those would be good ones to choose. 

[MillCreek]

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/you-are-a-rogue-device/Content?oid=18143845

The article in the Stranger that started people looking at this.

[AZRedhawk44]

Seattle says they've deactivated the system, now.

http://rt.com/usa/seattle-mesh-network-disabled-676/

"Until they can come up with a policy for its use."

#1 - How can anyone tell they're actually powered off, rather than just hiding the SSID?
#2 - I propose they be used as boat anchors.

[brimic]

How long until people's bodies have their own MAC address?

[RevDisk]

Meh, mix of legit concern and BS.

The mesh network as an independent commo net for emergency use is entirely legit purpose. If they used it for bugs, it'd be really really stupid because of the number of off the shelf tools that can be used to monitor for such things (such as "any modern laptop or tablet" with netstumbler installed). So, bad for clandestine bugs. Also, not great for mass video streaming.

But yes, those models of APs can passively look for other wireless networks being announced. As for snagging random MAC addresses, yes and no. Only if your device actively solicited info from their router. If your phone is set to autoconnect to wifi networks, you should be more concerned with your lack of generalized information security rather than concerned with the Seattle cops.



Another random security thought. I'm fairly sure it's legal to repin your phone's USB connector. For instance, to put a massive excrement ton of power through pin 2 or 3 instead of the normal 1+, 5-. Just be sure to add a sticker so folks know not to use a regular USB cable, such as police who have been downloading phone information without a warrant.