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Using MAC Address to Uniquely Identify Computers

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the now-there's-a-useless-idea dept.

An anonymous reader writes "One of Australia's gaming networks, GamesArena has recently imposed a third party program required to access their gaming servers. One of it's features is that it records your NIC's MAC address to identify your computer, and subsequently in future, ban you if you cheat/break the rules etc. The response from players is mixed. It is not open source software, nor is it optional to install. "Install it or find another server to play on". Question remains, is it going too far?" Definitely not- unfortunately it won't work since MACs are changable.

22 of 561 comments (clear)

  1. Oh this will be pissing people off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    1) Get your mac adress banned
    2) Sell Network Card
    3) Some one buys new card
    4) They are banned
    There will be plenty of second hand NICS for sale becuase of this. its a 1 2 3 profit plan.

  2. Re:Changable? by snookerdoodle · · Score: 5, Funny

    Uh, that might actually BE the point - anyone with $10 for a new NIC can change their MAC address, no brains required...

    If you have brains, you can save $10... ;-)

    Mark

  3. Re:Shh... by MichaelDelving · · Score: 3, Funny

    Don't worry, only the CHEATERS will go to the trouble to change their MAC address or swap out network cards. The rest of the non-cheating gamers won't go to the trouble to circumvent the system.

  4. OMG OMG G4/\/\354R3|\|4 0\/\/5 J00! by pumkinut · · Score: 4, Funny

    As if people whining on CounterStrike weren't bad enough, now we have to listing to 14 year olds complain about having to buy a new NIC every time they cheat online.

    --
    "It's hard to be a man when there's a gun in your hand"
  5. Hah! Won't work for me! by Gambit+Thirty-Two · · Score: 4, Funny

    I keep a fresh supply of token ring cards handy to swap out if the need arrises.

    And im not joking:
    http://gambit32.org/albums/other/aag.jpg

  6. Modems by DJPenguin · · Score: 5, Funny

    What happens if you are logged in via dial-up? Will it ban the MAC address of the box at the ISP that you're dialed in to? :)

  7. out of line! by mary_will_grow · · Score: 5, Funny

    >"...Question remains, is it going too far?" Definitely not-

    Thanks for answering that one for us. Without your moral framework we would be lost in the chaotic hell of self determination.

    --
    Why stick up for big business?
  8. Re:Shh... by mary_will_grow · · Score: 3, Funny

    SHHH! Dont tell people that deadbolt locks made by manufacturer X have a flaw that allows anyone to gain entry into a house that uses them!! If we let people know that their houses are not adequately locked, then break-ins will be more common!! And we'll have to FIX the locks!!! and make them actually work!!!
    SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

    --
    Why stick up for big business?
  9. Lol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Like i dont have a spare Nic card

  10. My MAC is 00:00:00:37:33:73 by bartman · · Score: 5, Funny

    I wonder how many people will change theirs to same as mine...

    --
    -- bartman
  11. Changeable MACs by ari_j · · Score: 3, Funny

    Yeah, this definitely won't work with my Sun IPX. (As if that's an issue...) Ever since I left it in the trunk of my car for an entire winter (a harsh one, at that - nary a night of temperatures above -10F did we see, and quite frequently it was much colder even than that), the NVRAM gets reset when the box is powered down. So now I get errors from the PROM at power-up, because my MAC address is ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff and my machine ID is also all 1's. So I have to write some Forth every time I boot up (the only bad part being that I have to do it at the console, and I don't have a serial console cable, so I have to lug out the behemoth 19" monitor that goes with it), in order to set my MAC address to something valid and to generate all the parity and checksums and whatnot.

  12. It won't work by tkrotchko · · Score: 3, Funny

    For a bunch of reasons, but two to think about:

    1) Many windows drivers let you put in arbitrary MAC's. Ban me? No prob, I'll change it to something else.

    2) Many firewalls will let you do the same thing.

    3) Ethernet cards cost what...a dollar or two at a used computer swap meet? If it comes down to it just keep a stack of 10.

    It appears this is intended to catch people clever enough to cheat, but not clever enough to change their MAC address.

    Another example of poorly contructed solutions to a badly defined problem.

    --
    You were mistaken. Which is odd, since memory shouldn't be a problem for you
  13. Easy way to find out if you're cheating on dial-up by rcs1000 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Simple: if you are winning at Counter Strike despite a ping of 1,000+, then you must be cheating.

    I mean, duh...

    --
    --- My dad's political betting
  14. Re:What of windows? by tom.allender · · Score: 5, Funny

    If everyone uses DEADBEEFBABE that will create another problem...

  15. Re:High road to the Locked Down Computer(tm) by jdcook · · Score: 3, Funny

    Wow. "Dialectic" on Slashdot. It's a brave new frontier.

    --
    Q:How many libertarians does it take to stop a Panzer division? A:None. Obviously market forces will take care of it.
  16. Re:buy a new network card by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Congratulations, you just violated the DMCA.

    The MAC address checker is a security measure, and you just published information on how to circumvent it.

  17. Re:Exposing myself. by jayayeem · · Score: 5, Funny

    It is a typo for "Tolkien Ring", a system in which the computer that holds the "One True Ring" becomes the most powerful machine on the network.

    --
    I metamoderate, therefore I am
  18. Re:MAC Adress and Cable Modems by isorox · · Score: 3, Funny


    We log on a machine, write down the address, shut it down, boot mine up, change the address, and log on.

    Who does it stop? Honest people.

    I guess you're not honest then :)

  19. .Mac Address by peel · · Score: 2, Funny

    How on earth can they ban me using my .Mac address form Apple? This just seems crazy. Well if they do I will just go get another one. -peel

  20. I don't have a MAC address by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm using a PC.

  21. New way to remove honest players by Jeppe+Salvesen · · Score: 5, Funny

    Great. This is another way to get rid of those pesky, honest players and my enemies.

    I'll just assume their MAC address, misbehave like hell. Their MAC gets banned, and I get rid of the losers.

    Alone, I shall reign through spite and malice.

    --

    Stop the brainwash

  22. Re:What of windows? by Keith_Beef · · Score: 3, Funny

    I prefer to
    FEEDBABEBEEF