Mac address! What is the mac address’ meaning? And what can you do with a mac address? This is what we are interested to know in this article. The term MAC here stands for “media access control.” It is one hardware aspect of your networking system.

Like an IP address (a software address), the Mac address is one hardware address directly connected to a network device in your PC, typically known as NIC or network interface card. 

So, in simple words, we can say that the Mac address is the physical serial number on your NIC card. Your network router accesses it to ensure the data flow.

What is an IP Address, then?

IP address stands for internet protocol, a unique number provided by your ISP (Internet service provider). These addresses help your system connect with various internet devices. 

It’s a set of different numerical numbers. An example of an IP address could be 26.127.176. So, the primary difference between IP Addresses and Mac addresses is their source. Your internet service provider provides an IP address, whereas your NIC Manufacturer provides a MAC address.

Is a Mac Address Accessible easily?

As we discussed, a Mac address is your network’s physical address which your system knows. It is only accessible by you through your system. Why only you? Because you are connected to your local area network system, and this is mandatory to access a Mac Address. 

This rule implies to all Mac addresses, whether on Windows, Mac Os, or Linux. In short, any Mac address isn’t that easily accessible.

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What can you do with a Mac address?

Well, your Mac address is your own property. It is like your home address, where you spend most of your time. This is what you do with such an address. 

The interesting fact here is that the hackers try to access your Mac address for illegal purposes. So, here is what hackers can do with your Mac address. 

1. Bypass Wireless Encryption

Hackers try to bypass your wireless encryption by spoofing your MAC address. Unless your Wireless Access Point filters its connections based on MAC Addresses, giving out your MAC address shouldn’t be a problem. You can let us test your wireless connection via wireless penetration testing. MAC address spoofing is also used to imitate an approved device to access paid software programs or internet services.

What To Do?

Certificate-based wireless connections are much more difficult to bypass than MAC address filtering. If you can’t use certificates for wireless connections, ensure your AP uses WPA2, at least for encryption and a strong password consisting of letters, numbers & symbols.

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2: Track You Down

If your smartphone is connected to a Wi-Fi network, geolocation is performed using the MAC address of the access point or router that offers the connection. You can be tracked using your MAC address if someone knows which one belongs to you and is connected to that network.

What to Do?

You can use a Private Address option on your Android or Apple device to spoof your MAC address; this way, you don’t reveal your actual MAC address.

Summary:

So you should have got the right solution for your question. Look, it is your property; it is not going anywhere. 

Though, it is always prone to suspicious attacks from hackers. So, you should keep your Mac address and IP address as secure as possible to avoid mishaps.

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