Randomize Sys-Net

davemyfree · November 8, 2021, 3:15am

Would it be possible to script the renaming of sys-net qube on startup to an alphanumeric? Wouldn’t this be similar to renaming hostname on boot?

ppc · November 8, 2021, 3:18am

github.com

Qubes-Community/Contents/blob/master/docs/privacy/anonymizing-your-mac-address.md#randomize-your-hostname


Anonymizing your MAC Address
============================

Although it is not the only metadata broadcast by network hardware, changing the default [MAC Address](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAC_address) of your hardware could be [an important step in protecting privacy](https://tails.boum.org/contribute/design/MAC_address/#index1h1).
Currently, Qubes OS *does not* automatically "anonymize" or spoof the MAC Address, so unless this gets implemented by default you can randomize your MAC Address with the following guide.


## Upgrading and configuring Network Manager in Qubes

Newer versions of Network Manager have options for randomizing MAC addresses, and can handle the entire process across reboots, sleep/wake cycles and different connection states.
In particular, versions 1.4.2 and later should be well suited for Qubes. Qubes R4.0's default sys-net should have 1.8.2-4 by default.  
However, use of the NetworkManager GUI to set these options is **unreliable** - there are numerous reports of changes not being saved for particular cards or interfaces.
You should check carefully that any settings you make in the GUI are saved, before relying on this method.
If the settings are not saved, you can use the method described below using a config file.


Network Manager 1.4.2 or later is available from the Fedora 25 repository as well as the Debian 10 repository.

Check that Network Manager version is now at least 1.4.2:

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