How to Determine Mac Address

The rise of random MAC rotation has sparked concerns about how enterprises and networking vendors can identify devices on their networks. Traditionally, MAC addresses have been used as a unique identifier for devices connecting to a network. However, with the increasing use of MAC randomization, it's becoming essential to understand how to determine mac address and ensure secure communication on your network.

DHCP Servers: A Potential Solution

One potential solution to this issue is to move to Hotspot 2.0, which provides a secure end-to-end communication for users and automated network discovery. This technology also offers granular user-based identification, making it more difficult to track devices using their MAC addresses.

Guest Portals with MAC Registration: A Challenge

Another challenge posed by random MAC rotation is the use of guest portals with MAC registration. These portals require users to register once and then automatically log in without requiring frequent browser re-login. However, if a user enables daily MAC randomization, they may encounter issues with captive portal sign-up pages on a daily basis.

Banned Client List: A Future Consideration

Many InfoSec systems rely on client banning or quarantine functions that are tied to a device's MAC address. As random MAC rotation becomes more widespread, it's essential to consider how this will affect these systems in the future.

MAC Association Lists: A Potential Issue

Enabling MAC randomization on a per SSID level may not directly affect MAC ACLs functionality. However, if users enable daily MAC rotation in their device settings, this could lead to issues with network connectivity and communication.

The Shift towards Randomized MAC Addresses

In recent years, the mobile device industry has shifted towards randomizing MAC addresses during both the network discovery phase and association phase. This is changing with the upcoming release of iOS 14/WatchOS 7, Android 10+, and Windows 10. Devices will now use their real hardware MAC address during association.

In conclusion, random MAC rotation presents several challenges for enterprises and networking vendors. While it's essential to ensure secure communication on your network, it's also crucial to understand how to determine mac address and identify devices. By considering these issues and implementing solutions like Hotspot 2.0 and granular user-based identification, we can ensure a more private and secure online experience.

How to determine mac address