[Opensim-users] IAR Files

[Karen Palen]

Actually if you look closely the Cable modem MAC address is the only way your ISP can identify you!

I actually had to change my MAC address when I got a new modem a few years ago because the repair guy didn't have the password to change it at their end! Well so he said anyway.

He admitted that this was the only way they could identify a user.

I am sure there are many exploits based on this too :-(

Karen

--- On Tue, 2/23/10, Len Brown <lenwbrown at gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Len Brown <lenwbrown at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Opensim-users] IAR Files
> To: opensim-users at lists.berlios.de
> Date: Tuesday, February 23, 2010, 4:36 PM
> On Tue, Feb 23,
> 2010 at 5:04 PM, Karen Palen <karen_palen at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
> 
> Well said Len, that is exactly my problem with the panic
> and the witch hunts!
> 
> 
> 
> Karen
> 
> 
> Karen,
> 
>      Something just came to mind and I checked it out
> and had to laugh - hard...
> 
>      I have a Linksys Wireless Router.  No biggie. 
> Typical cheap-o Wal-Mart Special.  But I lgged into it like
> I did when I set up my wifi and encryption.
> 
> 
>      There in black and white it shone out at me -
> "MAC Address Replicator" which allows me to plug
> in my desktop pc, 'replicate its MAC Address' and
> then the router will tell my ISP that my router is, in fact,
> my desktop computer.
> 
> 
>      This has been standard in all routers I can
> remember, even before wireless was even a commodity on home
> computers.  That's because (used to) many ISPs would
> grant access to a single desktop computer by its MAC
> address.  If you changed to a different computer you had to
> call your ISP and have them manually accept the new MAC of
> the new computer.  Of course, that is now pretty much
> history.  With most cable Internet accounts you do have to
> restart your cable modem before another computer will be
> able to access the Internet.
> 
> 
>      Thing is, back in the day the idea was 1 Internet
> Connection = 1 Computer System.  When routers appeared, to
> the dismay of ISP's they immediately included the MAC
> Address replication feature so the ISP would think the
> router was a pc.  Then of course, all pcs connected to it
> appears to come from a single computer.
> 
> 
>      And with port-forwarding, etc, well the rest is
> history in the making.
> 
> Anyway, just found it amusing to remember the MAC Addy
> replication thing.  Though if it comes from your house,
> your ISP still knows it was YOU.
> 
> 
>      Unless you learn from the Chinese who learned how
> to bypass their firewalls and access the net unrestricted. 
> Virtual Private Networking is just the tip of that
> iceberg.  :)
> 
> -- 
> - Len W. Brown 
> 
>    lenwbrown at gmail.com
> 
>  
> 
> 
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