Say Goodbye to the Open Internet

[GTM]

Google OSI Model - specifically read up on layers 1 through 3. HTTP has absolutely nothing to do with it. Your question is nonsense.

Your MAC address isn't visible past your default router. This is Networking 101.

 

[Tsigos]

This isn't difficult to solve.

Stop using IE (which barely qualifies as a browser) and stop using Chrome if you have privacy concerns, Google doesn't give a damn about your privacy.

Use Firefox, given it's open source nature any malicious code would be spotted quickly. Use Firefox with Ad Block Pro and Ghostery to ignore cookies and ads. If you're super paranoid, use NoScript.

For searches, use DuckDuckGo for privacy. https://duckduckgo.com

 

[KLB]

Google OSI Model - specifically read up on layers 1 through 3. HTTP has absolutely nothing to do with it. Your question is nonsense.

What are you are talking about? As stated below, your MAC address is only visible on your local subnet. They can track you by your IP address on the Internet, but not by MAC.

Unless of course you think the .gov has access to traffic logs of every router connected to the Internet.

 

[HeadlessRoland]

Unless of course you think the .gov has access to traffic logs of every router connected to the Internet.

Are you claiming that doing so is beyond the reach of the NSA?

This is the same agency that does BIOS-level remote malware installs, has a catalog of malicious hardware they can use for targeting, including fake GSM towers to pull cell data, can retrieve data from offline computer systems via radar/wireless, sweeps all e-mail/SMS/call log metadata, and routinely puts satellites with unknown capabilities into orbit. Their new motto for the last mission was "Nothing is beyond our reach". They've either backdoored or completely defeated most encryption algorithms, including a severe weakness in double-elliptical curve that THEY paid RSA Security to weaken SecurID two-factor authentication tokens. They've spent millions upon millions to try to create a useful quantum computer which will render all forms of non-quantum cryptography pointlessly easy to decrypt. These are not the sort of people I would underestimate.

So, I would call the suggestion that NSA also has access to MAC addresses to be a little farfetched, but not really tin-hat. Not anymore.

 

[Caleb]

What are you are talking about? As stated below, your MAC address is only visible on your local subnet. They can track you by your IP address on the Internet, but not by MAC.

Unless of course you think the .gov has access to traffic logs of every router connected to the Internet.

According to snowden, NSA has installed a backdoor in many computer components such as hard drives, routers, switches, etc.

 

[PistolBob]

If you think you have any privacy on the public internet, you're being taken to the river. Enjoy the swim.

 

[MiNDRiVE]

What are you are talking about? As stated below, your MAC address is only visible on your local subnet. They can track you by your IP address on the Internet, but not by MAC.

Unless of course you think the .gov has access to traffic logs of every router connected to the Internet.

Ok lets talk about the OSI model again. DOCSIS (cable modems) are basically layer 2 devices. Your cable internet at home is layer 2 up to the CMTS (cable modem termination system) This is the mac address that the ISP can see. Now lets say your in a Starbucks using the wifi. That wifi endpoint can see every mac that's connected to it but it doens't pass that mac along to its next hop which would be the cable modem, dsl modem etc whatever. These crappy consumer wifi endpoints do have logging features. It would be entirely possible if enough effort was put into it to track down a user at a starbucks on a specific ip/mac. but anything in realtime would be theoretically impossible due to the number of router's your internet traffic hops through. And saying that a mac address is only visible on a subnet is not accurate. A subnet exists on layer 3 and does not care about layer 2 traffic. To further complicate things there are mac addresses in layer 3 protocols. but those mac addresses are from the device that forwarded the packet. Trying to simplfy this as much as possible and hope I cleared a few things up.

Ex Network Engineer CCNP

 

[KLB]

Ok lets talk about the OSI model again. DOCSIS (cable modems) are basically layer 2 devices. Your cable internet at home is layer 2 up to the CMTS (cable modem termination system) This is the mac address that the ISP can see. Now lets say your in a Starbucks using the wifi. That wifi endpoint can see every mac that's connected to it but it doens't pass that mac along to its next hop which would be the cable modem, dsl modem etc whatever. These crappy consumer wifi endpoints do have logging features. It would be entirely possible if enough effort was put into it to track down a user at a starbucks on a specific ip/mac. but anything in realtime would be theoretically impossible due to the number of router's your internet traffic hops through. And saying that a mac address is only visible on a subnet is not accurate. A subnet exists on layer 3 and does not care about layer 2 traffic. To further complicate things there are mac addresses in layer 3 protocols. but those mac addresses are from the device that forwarded the packet. Trying to simplfy this as much as possible and hope I cleared a few things up.

Ex Network Engineer CCNP

You are just going to confuse people. No one said there were no MAC addresses included in an IP packet. I said that the user's MAC address was not visible beyond their local subnet. It is right their in my quote.

Is it possible to track people down from their traffic on a network? Very much so, and it can easily be done in real time actually.

Whether they are able to actually find YOUR device depends entirely on the network you are connected to and whether the person looking has access to the device that connects the users to the Internet.

 

[KLB]

It is scary how easy it is to get information about you on the Internet.

 

[PistolBob]

Well there's not much one can do with that now is there.

 

[OneShotFOGE]

The Internet isn't safe. That's why I switched to carrier pigeons.

 

[ryan3030]

Google OSI Model - specifically read up on layers 1 through 3. HTTP has absolutely nothing to do with it. Your question is nonsense.

I'm familiar with the OSI model and the basics of TCP/IP tranmission. No one past your ISP has any knowledge of your MAC address on any outbound requests.

My question is not nonsense because you specifically referenced the internet, which, in this context, is 99% HTTP usage.

 

[ryan3030]

Oh brother.

NSA used Firefox flaws to snoop on you

Firefox is no more safer than any other browser out there.

This reply was based on a user complaining about advertisements and cookie tracking....not TOR and the NSA.

A bit out of context don't you think?

 

[PistolBob]

The Internet isn't safe. That's why I switched to carrier pigeons.

I hate watching Netflix over Carrier Pigeon, although it does give you plenty of options to go pee and make a sandwich.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Less government regulation, more free market. Sounds like exactly what INGO usually claims they want.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Less government regulation, more free market. Sounds like exactly what INGO usually claims they want.

Just don't get 'em started on Peyton Manning being greedy and his high salary is somehow unfair to the rest of the team.

 

[mrjarrell]

Less government regulation, more free market. Sounds like exactly what INGO usually claims they want.

There is NO free market where internet access is concerned. Just little fiefdoms and government sponsored monopolies. While I'm not in favour of government regulations this is one that I am torn on.

 

[Dauvis]

Just think... the same company that owns Comcast owns MSNBC.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

There is NO free market where internet access is concerned. Just little fiefdoms and government sponsored monopolies. While I'm not in favour of government regulations this is one that I am torn on.

Really? I can get Internet from:

Via landline/cable:

Comcast
AT&T
Brighthouse Networks

Via wireless/satellite uplink:
Hughes Net
EarthLink
Every cell phone provider in the market (except Jitterbug, I suppose).

Tough to claim monopoly when there's at least a dozen choices spread over multiple medias (telephone, cable, wireless telephone, satellite uplink).