Introduction
I sometimes like to do stuff that is considered ethical hacking, or “white hat hacking.” I’m not computer expert by any means, but I like to tinker with software and operating systems. Sometimes software and operating systems, by default, do not allow configurations through their basic interface. It is times like those that I like to tinker with back door solutions. It’s an infrequent hobby.
I write articles, mostly relating to software and computers, for a few online publishers. One of their assignments was relating to changing (called “spoofing”) the MAC address for a computer with the Vista operating system. It’s a very easy hack, and I admit it can be used for malicious purposes, such as infiltrating a computer network as an imposter. However, it can be useful because, as I discovered last year, some routers will not accept wireless adapters because the MAC address is unrecognizable to the router.
I hacked into my network last year when my 2 year-old Netgear router would not accept the MAC address for my new Belkin wireless adapter. The Belkin MAC address was peculiar, indeed, but I couldn’t see why Netgear wouldn’t allow it. I configured a back door method of forcing my router to receive my Belkin MAC address. You could say that I hacked my own network to get into it. Spoofing your MAC address on your computer is similar technique. And Microsoft has allowed this feature with Vista (and probably Windows 7, but I haven’t checked that edition).
Well anyway, my article was rejected (even though the company created the assignment) because they believe hacking is illegal. It’s not. Hacking as hacking is not illegal. However, I can understand the company’s position and I respect that. So I couldn’t publish the article, and, according to their terms of distribution and use, the content is mine and I am free to publish it wherever I wish. So I chose to publish it here. It’s not a big secret how to spoof the MAC address; it does require some effort because a malicious hacker would have to use millions of random combinations to infiltrate a network (which they do). If anything, this simple spoof shows everyone how EASY it is to infiltrate a network, pose as a computer user on the network, and evade detection. So next time you read about some harmless and nice Mr. Rogers of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood being busted for porn on his computer, please realize how EASY it is for someone to have framed poor Mr. Rogers by posing as him on his network and downloading the filth.
How to Spoof the MAC Address
Your computer’s network card is assigned a Media Access Control (MAC) address that identifies your computer on a network. This MAC address is permanently imprinted on the network card, but you can “spoof” or forge the MAC address through the operating system software. This may be a useful configuration if a network adapter MAC address is not compatible with a particular router, as many old routers do not read the newly-issued, newer forms of MAC address variations.
1. Go to the Start Menu and click on “Control Panel.”
2. Click on “Classic View” in the pane to the left, if it is not already displayed.
3. Double-click on “Network and Sharing Center.” Look in the left pane for “Manage network connections” and click it. In the window that appears, right-click on the network connection for your computer (if you connect via wireless, you will right-click “Wireless Network Connection.” If you conect via ethernet, right-click on “Local Area Connection.”
4. Select “Properties” in the menu that appears.
5. Click the button “Configure.”
6. Click the “Advanced” tab.
7. Click “Network Address” in the window titled “Property.”
8. Click the radio button that displays a blank box under the “Value” list, to the right.
9. Enter your desired 12-digit MAC address number. Do not enter dashes between the digits. For example, enter your digits in this manner: A1B2C3D4E5F6.
10. Click “OK” to save your changes and exit the dialog window. Close out the other dialog windows.
Verify the Change
1. Go to the Start Menu. Click “All Programs,” “Accessories,” and “Command Prompt.” A new window will appear.
2. Type in the following exactly; make sure you include the space between the”g” and the “/”:
ipconfig /all
Press “Enter” on your keyboard.
3. Scroll down and look for your computer’s network connection, either “Wireless Network Connection” (displayed as “Windows LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection” in the Command Prompt window), or as “Local Area Connection” (displayed as Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection”).
4. Look for the property “Physical Address.” Read the MAC address and verify that the address is the same address that you entered in Section 1, Step 9.
5. Close the Command Prompt window by clicking the “X” in the upper right side of the dialog window.
6. Reboot the computer to save the change.
Word to the wise
Now, be aware that some network administrations, such as those in educational or government institutions, do not allow computers with spoofed MAC addresses onto their networks. Always check with the network administrator before changing your MAC address. Moreover, if you use this method to illegally hack into a network, you can be prosecuted by law. Hack ethically, my friends.
April 7th, 2010 at 5:35 am
Its sad that your article didn’t got accepted but its is getting read by so many people here.
October 19th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
Mac address did not change, I am a novice but followed the steps. The only thing I can figure is you stated to type in desired mac address, I just replaced the last 2 digits, with 22 am I suppose to go somewhere and get a real mac address to replace mine with?