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Re: [perpass] privacy implications of UUIDs for IoT devices

Fernando Gont <fgont@si6networks.com> Fri, 14 October 2016 10:26 UTC

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To: Dave Thaler <dthaler@microsoft.com>, George Michaelson <ggm@algebras.org>, Peter Saint-Andre - Filament <peter@filament.com>
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From: Fernando Gont <fgont@si6networks.com>
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Subject: Re: [perpass] privacy implications of UUIDs for IoT devices
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On 10/05/2016 09:09 PM, Dave Thaler wrote:
> The issue with IEEE MAC's is that it's sent to untrusted observers, not that it is a stable identifier per se.
> It just so happens that you typically don't have a choice but to send it in packets such that it can be observed
> by untrusted observers, hence the need to use randomized MACs.

The issue with MAC addresses is that they are constant across networks
when, if anything, they just need to be stable within the same subnet.

Besides, they have semantics (vendor ID) when in fact they need not.

And well, the problem is exacerbated by IPv6 SLAAC traditionally
generating IPv6 IIDs by embedding the underlying MAC address into them...

Thanks,
-- 
Fernando Gont
SI6 Networks
e-mail: fgont@si6networks.com
PGP Fingerprint: 6666 31C6 D484 63B2 8FB1 E3C4 AE25 0D55 1D4E 7492

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