#405 Enable stable random MAC addresses by default
Closed: Deferred to upstream 11 months ago by catanzaro. Opened 11 months ago by boredsquirrel.

[device-mac-randomization]
# "yes" is already the default for scanning
wifi.scan-rand-mac-address=yes

[connection-mac-randomization]
# Generate a random MAC for each Network and associate the two permanently.
ethernet.cloned-mac-address=stable
wifi.cloned-mac-address=stable

This is not in any form anonymous, but at least avoids sending out the device MAC to all connected networks.

Different from full randomization it doesnt spam the DHCP channel with new MAC addresses, which can cause Router slowdown, Repeater disconnects and more.

It should also not interfere with Radius or other MAC-based IP-subnet authentication systems, that rely on static MAC addresses.

Until a good GUI way to opt-out (or opt-in, using a popup) at least in GNOME exists for this, full MAC radomization is not possible.


note: presetting the device hostname to something generic like "PC" should be done too.

I get that this branding is nice, but it lets users stand out somewhat in networks, as it follows the "hey this is my name, I am using this awesome device!" tradition of Samsung, IPhones and many more.

This also has no real disadvantages for usability etc, but would make users stand out less.

I would like to discuss these, and the standpoint of the Fedora Project, its goals and ideas on these things.

Metadata Update from @catanzaro:
- Issue close_status updated to: Deferred to upstream
- Issue status updated to: Closed (was: Open)

11 months ago

https://pagure.io/fedora-workstation/issue/350

Status update is it will probably happen for Fedora 40, but isn't being tracked in this issue tracker anymore.

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