- How To Mask Mac Address
- How To Hide Mac Address
- How To Hide Ip Free
- How To Hide Ip Address Free Mac Computer
My IP Hide video tutorial. My IP Hide supports both Windows and Mac. It can change your IP to an US or UK IP address. So you can hide you. After the process is completed, your Mac will automatically launch the app. Click the green “Sign In” button and use Command + V to paste the activation code. To hide your IP address, click.
Learn how to spoof your MAC address with a MAC address hider.
Learn how to hide your MAC address (courtesy Christiaan Colen / CC BY-SA 2.0)
Why learn to hide MAC address for your computer and protect your privacy? It is interesting to note how our Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or Sensitive Personal Information (SPI) is increasingly under attack. A quick check on Wikipedia gives you a long list of over 20 different pieces of data which can be (and are) used to identify, locate, profile and target you.
Although it’s of scary, I guess we all have become used to the threat of our privacy being compromised. Long gone are the days when the only way persons were identified was by their face, fingerprints, or handwriting.
By the way, for cynics who may scoff at the need for privacy as simply an excuse to do illegal activities, they should know that there is a community of law-abiding citizens who do prefer privacy. In fact, what seems more unethical is that there is an entire industry ranging into the billions of dollars involving the sale and resale of our personal information – not to mention the wholesale spying of governments into every bit (literally) of our online data.
Our Privacy Under Increasing Attack
Our lives creep ever closer to what is depicted in futuristic dystopian movies. Check or yourself. Go to Facebook ads and check out how easily you can specifically target an audience. If this is the sort of targeting available to Joe and Jane Blo, imagine how specific the big & powerful players can target you? It’s no stretch to imagine they can target right down to the level of specific individuals.
You have probably noticed how Google can suggest a particular item for you to buy or when Facebook and LinkedIn suggest that you send a friend or connection request to a particular person. Of course, this is all just the tip of the iceberg.
As you become more informed, you will discover many more potential ways in which your privacy can be compromised or is already compromised—that is the reality. For starters, ensure that you read https://www.cogipas.com/top-10-essential-internet-privacy-tips/.
Tracking and Profiling is Getting More Sophisticated & Moving Away from IP Addresses
Most people know that the IP address of our devices can give away our location and a whole bunch of other information. That is just one important reason why we recommend using a trusted VPN service as a basic privacy measure.
- see What’s My IP Address?
However, another way in which individuals and their online activities can be identified is through the manipulation of the MAC address on their devices. The stark reality of this was highlighted by the famous whistle-blower Edward Snowden who disclosed that NSA tracks persons via their devices’ MAC addresses.
The startup company Renew tested this successfully by tracking mobile devices in and around London. This is why Apple has started introducing a system of generating random MAC addresses on their iOS devices.
What is a MAC Address?
The MAC acronym actually stands for Media Access Control. It is a unique identification code which is hard-wired or hard-coded into your computer’s and other mobile devices’ Network Interface Card (NIC) hardware. The NIC is needed by your devices when connecting to a network whether it is wired (Ethernet) or wireless (Wi-Fi). The MAC address is usually in the form of six sets of two-digit characters, separated by colons. A typical MAC address may look something like 00:0a:98:9d:65:16.
Please note that there is a different MAC address for each network interface. And so, a laptop computer that has an Ethernet port and a Wi-Fi radio will have different MAC addresses for the wired and the wireless network interfaces.
MAC addresses are 48 bits in length and the first 24 bits contain a unique set of characters known as the Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI) or vendor ID. This identifier or ID uniquely identifies the manufacturer of the networking hardware. The following are the OUI for some manufacturers:
Belkin: 00-30-BD
Cisco: 00-40-96
Dell: 00-14-22
Nortel: 00-04-DC
Some manufacturers of larger networking hardware may use more than one set of Organizationally Unique Identifiers (OUI).
With your MAC address, you become identifiable on a network. As a matter-of-fact, there are some schools and companies which require that persons accessing their wifi provide their MAC address. With that information (and, may I say, under normal conditions), network administrators can use MAC filtering and prevent unauthorised entry to their network even if the unwanted device was issued a different IP address by DHCP.
Network administrators also use MAC addresses for diagnosing network issues since they don’t change (under normal circumstances) in comparison to dynamic IP addresses which may change.
Can I Block my MAC address?
Well, the answer to this question may have a YES-NO kind of answer. As for the NO-part of the answer, every device on a network has to present a MAC address and so access to a MAC address cannot be blocked. The situation can be compared to the postal system. For persons to get their mail, they need to use an address. Without an address, the postman will not know where to leave a package. In a similar way, devices on a network have to present a MAC address so that their data packets can be routed to them. However, that MAC address need not be the original hard-coded MAC address that the device was manufactured with. And so, in this context, YES we can hide (or if you prefer block) our original MAC address by using another MAC address. This pseudo-MAC address may be a random one that is changed by the user or generated by computer software or it could be one that is spoofed from another device which has access to the network. In this way, a computer system may be manipulated so that the MAC address reported by the operating system does not match the permanent physical MAC address. This is beneficial for addressing privacy concerns when doing things like using a Wi-Fi hotspot.
IMPORTANT: This method of switching the MAC address is not permanent. The computer will restore the permanent physical MAC address after it is rebooted.
NOTE: Apart from the MAC address on your computer’s network adapters, there is also a MAC address for your router. Therefore, if you are operating your own home network, you may have to change your router’s MAC address as well as your computer’s MAC address. You will be able to change the MAC address on your router using your router’s web interface.
Software which can spoof your MAC Address
The following is a list of software tools which may be used to change your computer’s MAC address. The list includes tools for both Windows and Mac systems.
- Technitium MAC Address Changer https://technitium.com/tmac/
- NoVirusThanks MAC Address Changer http://www.novirusthanks.org/products/mac-address-changer/
- SMAC MAC Address Changer http://www.klcconsulting.net/smac/#Download
- Change MAC Address http://lizardsystems.com/change-mac-address/
- MacAppStuff Spoof MAC for Mac http://download.cnet.com/MacAppStuff-Spoof-MAC/3000-2144_4-75289372.html
- ChangeMAC for Mac http://download.cnet.com/ChangeMAC/3000-18508_4-169342.html
- MAC Change http://download.cnet.com/MAC-Change/3000-2085_4-10343579.html
Spoofing your MAC Address in Windows
Although there is software designed specifically to spoof MAC addresses, spoofing is possible without the use of additional software. It can be done safely within the Windows operating system — and it is legal too. The following sets out how you may spoof your MAC address within Windows — of course, you do so at your own risk.
STEP 1: Locate the Device Manager
For Windows 8.1 and higher, you may press Windows Key + X before clicking Device Manager.
For Windows 7, you may type “Device Manager” in the Search box which comes up when you press the Windows key. Click Device Manager or press enter to open the console.
STEP 2: Identify the network interface that you wish to modify or spoof.
Identify “Network Adapters” from the list of devices. Double-click it to reveal all available network interfaces. Right-click the one you wish to modify and then click Properties.
STEP 3: Change the MAC address
Open the Properties window, click the Advanced tab and then select Network Address from the options listed. If you don’t see this option then your network driver doesn’t have this feature.
Switch the option from “Not Present” to “Value”. You may see “0000000000” in the Value box. Remove this entry and then insert your new MAC address without any additional spaces or characters. Press OK.
Spoofing your MAC Address on Apple’s Mac OS X
Although the Mac OS X allows you to see the MAC address for each network interface via its System Preferences, it does not allow users to change it from that point. However, users may change it by using a single command.
Press Command + Space, type “Terminal”, and press the Enter key to open a Terminal window. You will need to run the command below. Remember to replace en0 with the correct network interface name and replace xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx with your desired MAC address.
sudo ifconfig en0 xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
Generally speaking, the network interface will be en0 or en1 based on whether you are modifying the Wi-Fi or Ethernet interface. If unsure of the network interface name, run the ifconfig command to view all interfaces.
REMEMBER: This method of switching the MAC address is not permanent. The computer will restore the permanent physical MAC address after it is rebooted.
Cyber-threats are getting worse day after day. Once you are online, there is hardly any information of yours that skilled hackers can’t get their hands on. IP Address is an easy piece of information for Hackers to extract. Websites use your IP Address to identify the user behind the request. One should always take measures to hide IP addresses in order to protect online privacy. But how can we do so? How to hide your IP Address to protect our online privacy?
There aren’t many techniques to hide your IP Address. But we have accumulated four best techniques through which you can easily hide your IP to protect your online privacy.
What is an IP Address?
An IP Address (Internet Protocol) is an Identification number assigned to a device connected to a network. Different IP Addresses are assigned to different geographical locations. Hence, two different devices at the same place may have the same IP address. Your ISP and Websites you visit identify you on through your IP Address
4 Different techniques to Hide the IP address:
These are the four different techniques through which you can hide your IP address to protect your online privacy and data. Let’s dig deeper into these techniques and learn about the Pros and Cons of using these methods to hide the IP address:
1. Hide IP Address with a VPN:
VPNs (Virtual Private Network) are a popular tool to protect the users from various cyber-threats including Identity theft. VPNs have gained a lot of popularity in recent times in light of exceeding number of cybercrimes. Increasing number of users are relying on VPNs to protect their online privacy and data. How to unreal engine 3 for mac.
VPNs do a lot more than just hiding the IP Address. VPNs work on different protocols (Performance Guidelines) to protect the user’s data. But the heart of all the VPN protocols lies in securely encrypting user’s data (including IP address), masking the user’s IP address and securely transmitting the data over the internet. I will not get into the explanation of how VPN works
VPNs can be paid as well as free to use methods to hide IP addresses depending upon the VPN you use (We suggest using paid VPN services for utmost protection). There are a plethora of VPN options available in the market.
Systweak VPN (Recommended Paid VPN)
Systweak VPN is among the most popular VPNs available in the market. Systweak VPN uses second to none protection methods to safeguard user privacy and data. Let’s look at some of its features:
Download Now Systweak VPN
IP Address Masking:
To safeguard user’s online privacy and data, Systweak VPN hides IP addresses and masks it with the IP address of the different servers around the world. Hence, when a website tries to determine the user who is trying to access the information, it gets the IP address of the Systweak VPN server located in a different country.
Large Number of Servers:
Systweak VPN offers more than 4500 servers in over 50 countries. Large number of servers help ensure that every time you connect to the internet, you get connected with a different server. It makes it impossible for any hacker to track back to your real IP Address.
With the above given features and more, you can rest assured that your online privacy is 100% protected with Systweak VPN.
Hotspot Shield VPN (Recommended Free VPN):
Hotspot VPN is a wonderful option to hide IP Address for Free. Although it doesn’t offer a large number of servers like Systweak VPN, it definitely can help you hide your IP Address from hackers.
Hotspot only proffers one server which can be a compromise on your online security. But it is still better than using no software to hide IP addresses at all. Hotspot Shield Free VPN allows 500MB/day data usage.
Download: Hotspot Shield
2. Hide IP Address using Proxy:
Proxies (Proxy Servers) are widely used as a method to hide IP address. They serve as a gateway between your device and the internet. While connected to a proxy server, the websites you visit can access your Private IP address but the IP address of the Proxy server (Similar to a VPN) to hide your IP Address.
Proxy servers, however, aren’t secure enough to completely protect you from different cyber-threats. They are rather aimed at bypassing the security of Firewalls at your workplace or at school.
How To Mask Mac Address
How hard it would be for a hacker to crack the security totally depends on the Proxy you choose. There are several paid and free proxies available in the market to help you hide your IP Address.
Also Read:How To Find Your IP Address
RSocks (Recommended Paid Proxy)
RSocks is a paid proxy that helps you hide your IP address. The plans are a bit expensive and RSocks charge as per the data requirement of the user. RSocks offers over 3 million different servers available for users to use to hide IP Address.
Hidester (Recommended Free Proxy)
Hidester Proxy isn’t a software nor a tool. It is a simple website that helps redirect your data through servers in the USA or Europe. Users can simply head over to the website and enter the URL of the website they want to visit. It is a simple and easy to use method to hide the IP address for free.
However, Hidester also offers browser extensions if you decide to use it regularly, you can simply use the extension. It provides decent security and can help you bypass geographical blocks on different websites.
3. Hide IP Address using TOR (Free)
TOR is a popular and widely used method to hide IP addresses for Free. Word for mac footnote separator. It also offers considerable protection to your online privacy. TOR (The Onion Router) is a worldwide network initially made for the US Army. TOR is a group of different individual nodes spread around the world. An internet request is transmitted through a new random sequence of these nodes every time you connect to the internet. The website only gets the IP address of the last node through which the data has passed.
The most feasible means of using the TOR system is a TOR Browser. TOR Browser encrypts the data and sends it through a random sequence of nodes to make it impossible for anyone to track back to the original IP address of the user. It is an effective and cost-efficient technique to Hide IP addresses and protect online privacy. TOR Browser can be used on Windows, Android, Linux, and MacOS devices to hide IP addresses for free.
Download: TOR Browser
4. Hide IP Address Using NAT Firewall (Free)
How To Hide Mac Address
Most Wireless routers these days come with inbuilt NAT Firewall. NAT Firewall functions by hiding your IP address and reflecting the IP Address of the routers is different from your Private IP Address. Therefore, when you use a wireless router with NAT Firewall built-in, it hides the IP Address (private) and the website you visit only gets the Public IP Address. Different devices connected with same router share the same Public IP Address while their private IP Address is hidden. This is an effective method to hide IP addresses for free.
All you have to do is choose a router that has NAT Firewall in-built. Most Wi-Fi routers come with NAT Firewall equipped. However, NAT Firewall isn’t a fool proof method of hiding IP address. It has flaws and shortcomings of its own and that can be misused by hackers.
How To Hide Ip Free
Security | |
---|---|
1. Paid VPN | Excellent |
2. Free VPN | Average |
3. Paid Proxy | Good |
4. Free Proxy | Low |
5. TOR Browser | Good |
6. NAT Firewall | Low |
So, this was the list of 4 Free and Paid methods to Hide IP addresses to safeguard your online privacy and data. We hope we were able to expose to you the various possible ways to protect and Hide IP Address. Do let us know about any query you have.
How To Hide Ip Address Free Mac Computer
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