MAC Address- What is a MAC Address?
What is a MAC Address?
MAC address stands for Media Access Control address. Its purpose is to identify network devices such as smartphones, computers, WiFi cameras, routers, and more. A MAC address is a permanent piece of information often hard-coded in a Network Interface Card (NIC) of either a WiFi or Ethernet device.
Since it's often hard-coded, it cannot be changed. However, operating systems such as Windows and Android allow users to spoof a device's MAC address. Spoofing involves broadcasting a MAC address that is different from the genuine one. There are several reasons why spoofing a MAC address is necessary.
Format and Example of a MAC Address
A MAC address has a 12-digit format, grouped in twos and separated by the colon (:) or a hyphen (-). The hexadecimal number contains numbers from 0 through 9 and letters A through F. A MAC address is not case sensitive; therefore the MAC address A1:B7:67:10:A3:A0 is the same as a1:b7:67:10:a3:a0.
The Uniqueness of a MAC Address
A MAC address is unique information tied to a single device; that means that no two network devices can have the same MAC address. However, there are cases where MAC addresses can be spoofed. Once a MAC address is spoofed with an already existing one, then the uniqueness is removed. Further, it is suspected that manufacturers reuse MAC addresses from old devices that they suspect are not in use. Since MAC addresses are significant with a private network, there is no oversight on the concept of uniqueness.
