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macchanger: command not found

by Deepika

“macchanger” is a Linux utility for manipulating (changing, setting, or spoofing) the MAC address of a network interface.

A MAC (Media Access Control) address is a unique identifier assigned to a network interface controller (NIC) for use as a network address in communications within a network segment.

By using macchanger, a user can change the MAC address of a network interface to any arbitrary value or a randomly generated one. This can be useful for various reasons, such as:

  • Hiding the true identity of a system
  • Bypassing MAC address filters on a network
  • Testing network security by simulating an attacker trying to evade detection

It’s important to note that changing a MAC address does not guarantee anonymity or security, and some systems may have limitations on changing MAC addresses.

If you encounter the below error while running the command macchanger:

macchanger: command not found

you may try installing the below package as per your choice of distribution:

Distribution Command
Debian apt-get install macchanger
Ubuntu apt-get install macchanger
Alpine apk add macchanger
Arch Linux pacman -S macchanger
Kali Linux apt-get install macchanger
Fedora dnf install macchanger
Raspbian apt-get install macchanger

macchanger Command Examples

1. View the current and permanent MAC addresses of a interface:

# macchanger --show interface

2. Set interface to a random MAC:

# macchanger --random interface

3. Set interface to a specific MAC:

# macchanger --mac XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX interface

4. Reset interface to its permanent hardware MAC:

# macchanger --permanent interface

Filed Under: Linux

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