Filed under: iPod Family, Hacks, Internet Tools, Security, iPhone
TUAW Responds: MAC Addresses on the iPhone
In the "use at your own risk" department, TUAW reader Carter P. wrote in asking, "Hey, I know this is a lot to ask, but would it be possible for you to build me a simple application? All I would like the app to do is to spoof a MAC address on my iPhone." MAC addresses are Media Access Control identifiers that are used to distinguish one network adapter from another. Spoofing involves changing your hardware's MAC address from one setting to another. You can use spoofing to fix problems connecting to your ISP or to test your network firewall.
To help Carter out, I put together this iPhone/iPod touch utility. It prompts you to enter a new MAC address and then runs ifconfig en0 lladdr address. No further error checking is done so use the tool with all due caution.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Colin said 3:36PM on 4-04-2008
is there a way to change the bluetooth mac address? or does this program do it too? all i need changed is the bluetooth on, the wifi is not my issue
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Bender Bending Rodriguez said 1:53PM on 1-14-2008
Nice!
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Michael Schartung said 2:09PM on 1-14-2008
Yet another "wow" for TUAW. I can't think of another site that I've seen that responds to readers in such an awesome way - and even in the middle of Macworld '08!
As a switcher, I definitely can't recall a site that responded to the needs of PC/Windows users like this!
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Milan said 3:12PM on 1-14-2008
Go Erica!
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artifex said 2:12PM on 1-14-2008
Erica, I can't wait to see what you do when Apple gives us a real SDK for iPhone.
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Ondra Soukup said 2:23PM on 1-14-2008
Certainly not app to spoof MAC addresses :))
But don't take this comment negative, awesome!!! Regular MacOS X has this kinda locked out, you have to patch the .kexts :)
Imagine what you could do with full kernel sources of the iPhone. You have google maps, some API, someone would do a proper bluetooth stack with serial port support and everything, someone else would do passive scanning support for WiFi on iPhone. Then just turn it on, dump packets to large 8GB memory, get GPS position over bluetooth, pull maps over EDGE..."imagine the possibilities" ;)
ianlive said 2:22PM on 1-14-2008
Well done Erica.
It's people like you that make the Mac community what it is. And the notion that a Mac user would even think to ask for such a task shows the tight-knit community that Window just doesn't seem to have.
Nearly all of my fmily and friends own PC's and without TUAW and the online Mac community I would be lost, adrift at seas, so to speak. This site and the Mac world at large helps me feel connected to something great.
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jake said 2:23PM on 1-14-2008
Could you maybe write an application to get 802.1X working on the iPhone? It's the only thing keeping me from buying one...
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Shade said 3:11PM on 1-14-2008
Hey Erica could you make it so it remembers multiple MAC addresses?
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Russell said 3:25PM on 1-14-2008
Ok, that takes care of the easy half of my problem. Now do you suppose you could write me a WEP cracking utility?
Also, maybe a utility that will capture the MAC addresses of wireless devices nearby?
Just kidding...
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Dasutin said 4:59PM on 1-14-2008
So how will I be able to find out my MAC Address first so I can write it down before I change it? Modify the app so it shows the MAC it has already? Thanks Erica, I had the same question about a month ago about changing the MAC Address.
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John said 5:16PM on 1-14-2008
Since you did something to modify the wireless software on the iphone, think theres a chance someone could create wpa enterprise support so we could type in a username and domain, along with a network password?
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Russell said 5:44PM on 1-14-2008
I've never written anything for an iPhone in my life, but my understanding is that all this app does make a nice GUI for a simple command line call. Doesn't really "modify the wireless software".
Of course if you can connect to WPA enterprise from the command line then the same thing could be done for that.
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Ryan Worrell said 10:58AM on 1-15-2008
Will we get a "REVERT" button Erica?
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George said 5:35PM on 1-16-2008
Erica, can this utility be useful in case my iPhone loose its own Wi-Fi address ?; I mean, I had the "No Wi-Fi" issue as Mac address was lost; may I now insert the Mac Address manually and have the wi-fi connection back again? Thanks :)
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mk573 said 8:31AM on 1-22-2008
Thanks alot.
But one question, in what format do you enter the new adress?
like AA-BB-... or AA:BB:... ?
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sunna said 5:54AM on 1-23-2008
Hi, I was wondering how to get this to work? I tried to open the link on my iphone but it says "Safari can't download this file" and I don't know how to download it to my computer and then move it somehow to then iphone! Sorry if it is a silly question but I just started to use my iphone and don't know very much how to use it's featurs.
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