Find anyone's address from their router MAC code

Re:Find anyone's address from their router MAC code by cschneid on Monday October 04, 2010 @11:32AM (#1755971)

How does google know where MAC addresses are? I thought that they were non-routable, so they are limited to the extremely local connection. Presumably the range from your computer to the termination of the cable modem on the other end.

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Re:Find anyone's address from their router MAC code by eli on Monday October 04, 2010 @11:34AM (#1755983)

It's the MAC or your wireless router. They collected them with their street view cars.

There was a big, overblown privacy scare some months ago because it was discovered that the cars also accidentally saved some stray unencrypted packets of traffic as they cruised around.

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Re:Find anyone's address from their router MAC code by skybrian on Monday October 04, 2010 @12:04PM (#1756106)

Actually, there are third-party services that have made a business of collecting locations of Wi-Fi routers and I believe Google subscribes to them.

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Re:Find anyone's address from their router MAC code by jonknee on Monday October 04, 2010 @12:51PM (#1756348)

They used to, but now do it themselves and then keep the database up to date with Android phones. This is why Skyhook is upset and suing:

http://gigaom.com/2010/09/15/skyhook-sues-google-in-a-locati...

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Re:Find anyone's address from their router MAC code by borism on Monday October 04, 2010 @05:38PM (#1757574)

well, the same is true for Apple who are now collecting location/wireless footprint themselves with iOS devices without Skyhook.

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Re:Find anyone's address from their router MAC code by pasbesoin on Monday October 04, 2010 @12:14PM (#1756156)

Yes, it's significant to note that Google (à la Street View scanning) is not the only party that's made a concerted effort to collect them. Whether Google's purchased (or absorbed) such data from others, I don't know.

I speculate that further routes for collection may be available. E.g. a user uses a wi-fi connection with a device that has geo-location turned on, and "Bob's your uncle".

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Re:Find anyone's address from their router MAC code by tfh on Monday October 04, 2010 @12:13PM (#1756153)

I didn't know you could (legally) earn money for wardriving.

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Re:Find anyone's address from their router MAC code by mseebach on Monday October 04, 2010 @02:41PM (#1756754)

It's just 21st century map-making. Instead of plotting the location of physical landmarks, you'd be plotting electromagnetic landmarks.

I'm sure pioneer map-makers got in trouble for plotting perfectly visible stuff that was located on private property.

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Re:Find anyone's address from their router MAC code by yardie on Monday October 04, 2010 @11:37AM (#1755994)

It relies on the fact that the router web admin page is unsecured and someone hasn't changed the default password. I'm pretty certain this could also work on linksys:linksys or admin:password default login routers.

So if you don't want to be hacked, change your password.

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Re:Find anyone's address from their router MAC code by nkassis on Monday October 04, 2010 @11:43AM (#1756024)

you don't even need the password. Some routers display it on the admin page before login in (dd-wrt does this).

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Re:Find anyone's address from their router MAC code by tdupree on Monday October 04, 2010 @12:59PM (#1756372)

That behavior can easily be toggled on/off in the Administration->Management section for your DD-WRT router. Take a look at "Info Site Password Protection" and "Info Site MAC Masking" on that page.

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Re:Find anyone's address from their router MAC code by ars on Monday October 04, 2010 @06:15PM (#1757729)

At least for me, dd-wrt only displays it for connections coming from "inside".

For connections coming from outside it forwards it to the DMZ computer, or blocks it.

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Re:Find anyone's address from their router MAC code by Deadsunrise on Monday October 04, 2010 @11:36AM (#1755991)

I think that the google street view cars also log the wifi networks they find.

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