Spoof a MAC Address

If you've landed on this page you probably know that there are valid reasons for wanting to change or spoof your address. Spoofing your MAC Address can help you avoid network restrictions by mimicking a different MAC Address, and give you added privacy when you're out trying to connect to a network. Or, perhaps your router is broken, but you still need internet access. Assigning a new MAC Address presents a viable solution to the mentioned problems, and others. Read on to find out various methods for altering your MAC Address in Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.

Steps

Spoofing A MAC Address In Windows

  1. Open your Start menu. Look to the bottom left side corner of your screen, and locate the Start icon. It looks like a round, multi-colored window[1].
  2. Select Control Panel. Once you've opened the Start menu, look to the right side of the menu, and click on Control Panel[1].
  3. Click on Network and Internet. After launching the Control Panel, you'll have several options to choose from. Click on Network and Internet[2].
  4. Click on Network and Sharing Center. From within the Network and Internet category, locate the Network and Sharing Center option. It'll likely be the very first choice you see in the new window. Once you've located it, click on it.
  5. Click on Change Adapter Settings. After entering the Network and Sharing Center, you'll be able to view your communications/network set up and connections. Look to the left side of the window, and select Change Adapter Settings[3].
  6. Select Local Area Connection. In this window, you'll be able to view various network connections. Click on Local Area Connection.
  7. Click on Properties. From within the Local Area Connection window, click on Properties. Then, select Configure.
  8. Select Advanced. From the Configure window, look to the top right side of the window and locate Advanced options. Click on Advanced.
  9. Click on Locally Administered Address. Under the new Advanced options, you'll see a smaller window with the header Settings. Scroll down until you hit Locally Administered Address. Click on it.
  10. Look to the bottom part of the new window. Once you've clicked on Locally Administered Address, you'll see some text within a yellow background. It'll say something along the lines of Change the MAC Address used by the network adapter. This indicates the option of changing your MAC Address[4].
  11. Locate Value to spoof your MAC Address. Right next to the Settings window, you'll see space provided under the header Value. That's where you'll be typing in a new combination of characters to change your address. Before typing in a new value, you should take a look at the combination of your current MAC Address.
  12. Enter CMD in the Start menu search bar. Go to the Start button, and click on it. You'll note a search bar on the bottom, below All Programs. Type in cmd, and look to the top of the search results within the same window. You'll see something labeled as cmd.exe. Click on it.
    • A new, black window with some text will appear.
  13. Type in Getmac. Looking at the window, note where a blank underscore blinks off and on. That's the space you can type in. Type getmac, and press enter[5].
    • A list of Physical Addresses will appear. The first address is your current MAC Address.
  14. Pull up the Advanced options window. Now, you can change your current MAC Address to a new one by following the format of your current address (12 characters total), and changing the numbers and letters. You may arbitrarily use letter combinations from A to F, and any numbers. Under Value, type in your new address.
    • For example, if the first 4 characters are arranged as F1-D2 you can change them to F4-D1. Perform the same action for the remaining characters. You're maintaining the format, but changing the combination.
  15. Click OK. Once you've entered a new address of your choice, click on OK on the bottom of the window. The Advanced options window will disappear, and you'll see some movement in the Local Area Connection under the Network Connections tab.
    • At first, you'll see a red cross next to Local Area Connection and it'll say Disabled, or Unplugged. This means the system is registering a change.
    • After only a few seconds, you'll see the red cross vanish and the Local Area Connection will be Enabled. You have successfully spoofed your MAC Address.

Spoofing A MAC Address In Mac OS X

  1. Launch the Applications app. On your dock, locate the Applications app. It usually looks like a folder with a circled letter A. Click on it to launch it[6].
  2. Click on Utilities. Once you've opened the Applications app, scroll down until you find Utilities. Click on it[6].
  3. Select Terminal. From with the Utilities folder, scroll down until you reach the app called Terminal. The app's icon is a black square. Click on Terminal[6].
  4. Change your MAC Address. Once you've opened Terminal, click on the new window, and enter the following command: sudo ifconfig en0 ether xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx. Note that the 12 X characters need to be replaced with actual values. You can make up a combination of your choice, as long as you only use letters A to F and numbers. You might want to follow the format below with your own combination.
    • An example combination might be: sudo ifconfig en0 ether d4:33:a3:ed:f2:12
    • If the above command doesn't work, try the following: sudo ifconfig en1 Wi-Fi xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx (replace Xs with your own combination).
  5. Hit Return on your computer keyboard. Then, enter your password to register the new address[6].
  6. Confirm that the address has been changed. After having entered your new MAC Address, type in the following: ifconfig en0 |grep ether. This action will confirm your change of address.

Spoofing A MAC Address In Linux With Macchanger

  1. Open a Terminal. Look to the top left corner of your screen, and click on the square icon representing your Terminal option[7].
  2. Enter the command Macchanger. Once you've opened Terminal, type in Macchanger in the space provided. You might have to type it twice. So if you enter the command and the system comes back saying Try Macchanger, simply type it again and hit the Return button on your keyboard[5].
    • Several commands will come up with the corresponding codes.
    • Towards the bottom you'll see various characters labeled as MAC Address.
  3. Type the command macchanger eth0 -r. Then, hit the Return key on your keyboard. The system will generate three addresses. The top two will likely say Permanent, and Current MAC Address. The last one will say New[8].
    • You can choose to keep the new address provided, in which case no further action is needed.
    • To choose a MAC Address of your own choosing, follow the next steps.
  4. Type in the command macchanger eth0 -m. Then, choose your new numerical address configuration. Keep in mind that your new address must be 17 characters long, including the colons. Make sure to follow the following format: XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX. Replace the Xs with any number combination, and only use the letters A through F. For example: 56:95:ac:ee:6e:77[8].
    • The full command would look something like: macchanger eth0 -m 56:95:ac:ee:6e:77
  5. Press Return. Your new MAC Address is now set. You'll be able to see it under New.
    • If the above macchanger steps haven't worked for you, you might need to turn off your interface. To do so, simply go back to Terminal and type in the following command: ifconfig eth0 down.
    • Now try the above steps again.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/how-to-change-mac-address/
  2. ↑ http://compnetworking.about.com/od/networkprotocolsip/a/macaddressing_2.htm
  3. ↑ http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/it-security/how-to-spoof-a-mac-address/
  4. ↑ http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E19604-01/821-0406/assignmacaddressesautomaticallyormanually/index.html
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 http://www.aboutlinux.info/2005/09/how-to-change-mac-address-of-your.html
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 http://osxdaily.com/2012/03/01/change-mac-address-os-x/
  7. ↑ http://xmodulo.com/spoof-mac-address-network-interface-linux.html
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 http://linuxconfig.org/change-mac-address-with-macchanger-linux-command
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