Privacy/Security: How to change my IP address daily or weekly on DSL

Thats EASY ! Change your gateway's IP address, as that is what your NTTP server see as your NNTP posting host. The gateway IP, will be your "point of contact" IP address, for the device terminating your ISP to yourself.

End of discussion! ;-)

/HC

btw: I assume your ISP provides you with a dynamic IP, using DHCP. Most DHCP servers will remember your MACadress, and offer you tha same IP adress again if you simply switch off/on, you will have to _release _ your current IP, and /request/ a new IP for it to change.

No.

Yes, you are.

You don't read them correctly. A MAC address is just a 6 byte (octet, to be precise) number. If you manually assign a MAC address you can assign any number you want, with or without the "globally unique" bit (which is probably what you are referring to) set. There's nothing hidden about it.

And will you please stop the crossposting?

cu

Hi Harald Andersen,

If by "gateway", you mean "modem" (I have DHCP DSL PPPoE), then that is what we were doing all along way before this thread ever started.

I have a new IP address today but the last test didn't work (changing the "connect on demand" setting. But, I might have performed the test wrong so I'll try again tonight.

If you know how to "change your gateway's address" without powering down the router ... that would answer the original question nicely.

Hi kingthorin,

I love the fact that you are helping to answer the original technical question (instead of getting into an endless & useless theoretical debate about paranoia). Thank you for sticking to the topic and for knowing enough to do so.

My test failed. Obviously I have a new IP address but that was never the problem. The problem was getting the new IP address (aka NNTP posting host) without having to power down the router (and the modem, if possible). I had to power the router off and then back on to get it to initiate the PPPoE DHCP DSL connection to the ISP.

However, you have told me that I performed the test wrong as I had powered down the modem (but not the router) in my successful attempt to get the modem to release its assigned IP address. Releasing the IP address isn't the problem ... it's getting a new IP address without having to power down the Linksys router that is the problem.

After reading your post just now, I will try a NEW test. I just took your suggestion and increased the maximum idle time to 5 minutes (the default).

DOES THIS look like a definitive MAX-IDLE-TIME test procedure?

a. Connect to the Internet, e.g.,

Is this a valid test procedure to prove whether the PPPoE connection is being dropped and then reconnected on demand after waiting for more than the max idle time?

Hi Warren Oates, What are you trying to say?

Are you saying that every single person who used the same ISP as I do will have a DIFFERENT nntp posting host because the ISP is using the IP addressed assigned to the subscriber as the nntp posting host?

If you're not saying that, then what you say doesn't jive with the actual results (notice my nntp posting host is again changed as I change my IP address daily and my nntp posting host follows suit).

Hi Balp (Anders Arnholm),

I thank you for trying to help ... but ...

As I have exasperatingly said time and time again, I'm not worried about the very many methods a person can track me down to find out who I am (I pay my ISP bill every month for Christ sake).

All I'm asking in this thread is how to release and renew the IP address that is assigned to my (PPPoE DSL DHCP) modem without having to power down the linksys router.

If you don't know the answer to that question, then all you are doing is contributing to the noise level.

Hi Mak,

I thank you for trying to help ... but ...

Only about three people have actually added value to this simple technical request. If you add up their posts, that's about five responses, in toto, that were germane to the original request.

All I'm asking in this thread is how to release and renew the IP address that is assigned to my (PPPoE DSL DHCP) modem without having to power down the linksys router.

I'm trying faithfully to respond to each and every concern (since you took the time to voice them, it is my responsibility to return the favor) but if you don't actually know the answer to that question, then all you are doing is contributing to the noise level.

Hi Greg Hennessy, I do appreciate your trying to add value and that is why I take the common courtesy and decency to respond to your kind posting ... but ... this is exasperating so I'll be a bit curt ...

Pleeeasssse ... if you don't really know the answer to the question ... you are just adding to the noise level in this thread.

Please do respond if you truly know how to force the router to initiate the PPPoE connection to the ISP without having to power down the router.

Yes.

Also, I checked my router's settings, and yes, one can set one's router to "On Demand" connection (mine's a Dlink) _IF_ one's using PPPoE to connect to one's ISP, but not with DHCP; I'm not sure which you're using.

Umm. Router's talk about WAN and LAN. The WAN is your connection via your ISP to the Internet (to the router); the LAN is everything connected to the router in your house. Your router gives out DHCP addresses, your ISP may or may not. Mine doesn't, it's PPPoE.

Anyway, look into your router's settings. It won't guarantee a change of IP address every time you wake your service up (that's my way of saying it, it's not "jargon"), but it will increase your chances of getting a different one. I don't think there's any way to guarantee that you won't ever get the same IP address - there was a court case that revolved around this in Canada.

Hi Warren Oates, Thank you for the response to the question.

Yes, I am using PPPoE and DHCP on DSL with a Linksys router and a DSL modem (if that helps narrow down the conversation).

I have set my on-demand max-idle-time setting to 5 minutes.

Are you saying that because I am both PPPoE and DHCP, that this setting won't actually work?

Please do ask if (and when) you know whether you connect to your ISP with DHCP or PPPoE. Hint: do you have to enter a username and password to connect?

It's actually your router that gets the IP address from your ISP not the modem. Think of it like you didn't have multiple systems (and therefore no router) your lone computer would initiate the PPPoE connection and get the IP address.

Yes if you check the router after 5.5 minutes (er whatever) then it should have dropped your connection and it should no longer have a public IP.

Once you're sure you've been disconnected there's no reason to wait longer. (Though this would usually be your overnight period which would exceed the hour or two you previously noted it takes for you to reconnect and attain a different IP then your previous connections. Make sense?)

or that you check the router again and the PPPoE connection is established and you have a public IP again.

Ya I think that'll work for you. Just remember that "Max Idle Time" is just for dropping the connection, you'll still have to wait the hour or two (between drop and establish) you previously observed to keep yourself from getting the same address twice in a row.

No. My guess is that your router's connected to your ISP via PPPoE, and that you're getting addresses from your router via DHCP. Does the router show an "on demand" setting?

Hi Warren Oates,

Thank you for the response to the question.

Yes, I am using PPPoE & DHCP on DSL with a Linksys router and a DSL modem (the router enters the username and password for me).

I have set my on-demand max-idle-time setting to 5 minutes.

The current hypothesis is that I will get a new IP address (hence NNTP posting host) every night as long as the connection is idle for a few hours (long enough for the ISP to give up the lease).

Hopefully this will work as it is indeed an elegant solution (if it works).

Thank you for asking questions that help flesh out the answers to the questions!

Hi Warren Oates, Thanks again for asking the right questions.

Are you asking about the IP address that the COMPUTER has? I'm not. I'm talking only about the one unique address (on the Internet) that my ISP has assigned to my account at that time.

There is some debate here whether it's the router or the dsl modem that is getting assigned the address via DHCP ... but let me answer your questions:

QUESTION: Is your router connected to your ISP by PPPoE? ANSWER: yes.

QUESTION: Are you getting addresses from your ISP via DHCP? ANSWER: yes

QUESTION: Does the linksys router show an "on demand" setting? ANSWER: I have set my on-demand max-idle-time setting to 5 minutes as per kingthorin's helpful suggestions.

Thank you for helping us out. Hopefully these latest settings will cause the ISP to give up my IP address when the computers are idle for a few hours and then hopefully (this is the clincher) the PPPoE connection will be AUTOMATICALLY established to the ISP (without having to reboot the router) so that a new IP address is obtained automatically.

Hi Warren Oates,

I would love to respond to technical questions related to the question! (Have I not shown a willingness to respond to posters?)

QUESTION: Do I have to enter a username & password to connect? ANSWER: Yes.

I long ago set the PPPoE username and password in the linksys router. Apparently the router initiates that logon as I never manually type the username or password to connect to the ISP.

I did have to reboot the router in order to force it to dial in to the ISP after leaving the dsl modem off for hours overnight ... but I am hoping (by this question) to learn how to re-establish the PPPoE connection without having to reboot the router!

Thank you for asking questions that are helpful to the end result of learning how to reestablish a PPPoE connection after hours of downtime without having to actually reboot the router to force it to dial in with the username and password.

If you *really* want to change/remove your NNTP posting host, then get yourself a linux server and a real netnews connection and a cooperative site that will forward your newsfeed into the usenet stream. That's the underlying technology, and if you do that, you can spoof any news connection you like. In the "old" days, that's the way we all needed to get our news into the queue. The only difference is that most posters worked for companies or went to schools who did that step for them (i.e. that was part of the system administrator's job). In recent years, ISPs have taken up that role. So, when you buy an AOL or NetZero or Charter or Verizon account, they have the System Administrator that does that job. Moreover, things like POP3 and NNTP have allowed them to easily extend that access onto the typical users Windows desktop. However, the old way, didn't go away. It's still there.

However, you are not likely to get the privacy desire both for free and with almost no effort. that's why people have been so "down" on your idea of changing your IP. The system isn't setup to do that. It doesn't provide any real value.

I don't know what you have posted on alt.personals and am not interested enough to find out. Moreover, if I did find something interesting you posted on alt.personals, I wouldn't go looking for other postings on the internet to locate more information about you. That would be slow inefficient amd mostly pointless.

In particular, I wouldn't look by IP address, because most IP addresses are not specific to one person, most of them are connected to large sites with lots of users. The fact that yours happens to be your router (are you sure of that? and certain that there is not one NNTP host for your entire ISP--that's how my ISP works), is just an artifact that is at most mildly interesting.

If you want more privacy and more security, you can get it by paying for it or by doing "hard work" and learning the way the network actually works. And to do so, you really should get yourself an "open source" platform (e.g. linux or netbsd or ...) and configure it yourself.

I have done both. I don't read news or mail on my own computer, but instead login to a machine with professional administrators that take care of the security. That way, I don't get viruses (at least not by that avenue). I also have my own linux box where I can actually study how things work, and change them to work the way I want. If I wanted to masquerade at someone else at some other site, having my own box and understanding it, would allow me to do it. However, I can't imagine why I would want to be someone else (or even be anonymous). The only people who I don't want contacting me, don't contact me by knowing who I am, they are telemarketeers and spammers, who are simply sending bulk junk to everyone. Those who know who I am rarely send me useless stuff.

That being said, if you really do post on alt.personals (seeking some sort of relationship I would presume), then you would be much better paying more money (or doing more work) and getting some real anonimity. You are not going to get enough anonymity from changing your IP to make it worthwhile. That's like taking a shower in a public square fountain and then deciding that the next public square over is "more private". Yeah, right....

By the way, changing your MAC address at a public hotspot isn't going to add that much to your privacy--especially if you go to the same hotspot all the time. Most hotspots don't preserve MAC address information over extended periods of time--it isn't useful information to keep. No one cares that it is you posting something, unless you are "important" in your own right (or what you are posting is important in its own right). And, in either of those cases, the interested people will come after YOU, not after some MAC or IP address.

If you haven't noticed, most of the technical content in this thread, has not been about giving you ways to achieve what you want, but instead trying to explain why what you think you want is not worth having, because it doesn't get you what you really want.

So, if you want to change your MAC address and post from a hot-spot thinking you will be more anonymous, go ahead. If you give me reason to track you down, it won't even slow me down. The real information to find you isn't there (even if it is a posting that gets me first interested), and I wouldn't bother looking there.

If you are posting on the internet, presumably you want to be read. If you want to be read, then you do things that make you easy to find. Trying to be anonymous and public at the same time is an oxymoron.

Hope this helps,

-Chris

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Very well said Chris.

Hi Chris Clark, Wow. Even though you didn't quite answer the specific question, you DID go into a thorough detail on how to do the job better in a variety of ways.

I fully agree with almost all your points; and I partially agree with the rest as explained below (for others to benefit from the conversation).

Understood. But, as you noted, that's a LOT more effort than just unplugging the router momentarily (which is what I do today to accomplish my goal). Actually, if I just found a router with an on/off switch, THAT would be work just fine too! I didn't know that was a desired feature when I originally purchased my Linksys router. In the future, a basic on/off switch is on my list of router niceties.

I only partially agree with you here. For you, and for most of the people who posted, changing the IP assigned to you provides no value. But, for me, where my ISP reports to the whole world my assigned IP address in every post, it does provide additive value for the amount of work involved (currently that work is merely unplugging the router momentarily after a night's rest).

I don't actually post on alt.personals, by the way. That was just an example to explain the "why" I was asking how to force the router to dial into my PPPoE connection on demand. I didn't want to get into a discussion of why ... it's all the nice people who responded who insisted we discuss the why before we discuss the how. So, I told them why by using analogies (some automatically assumed I was a criminal, paranoid, or worse!) :) LOL.

I think we've discussed the "why" to death ... if someone doesn't understand the why by now (yes, I know you understood), then they most likely won't ever get to the how (which is a much simpler question, albeit non emotional).

Yup. We proved it time and time again. Notice each day my nntp posting host changes? It is 100% correlated with the IP address my ISP assigns me. It doesn't matter which software I used (I tested Forte Free Agent, 40Tude dialog, and Outlook Express). If anyone KNOWs the trick to tell the ISP to not use my IP address as my NNTP posting host ... THAT would be a conversation worthy of having!

Or, I can just tell my router to dial into PPPoE every morning :)

Again. These were just examples. Do folks really think someone who wishes to hide their IP address is going to actually provide "real" targeting information to answer a wholly unrelated, yet still very personal, set of errant questions of why I want my router to dial into a PPPoE account on demand?

The made-up examples were illustrative of the only point I had which was that all my posts today under any name can be collected by the IP address for me (but not for most of you).

At the moment, the "cost" of changing my IP address is momentarily rebooting the router (sometimes it takes a few cycles). You are precisely agreeing with me in that I am trying to get that "effort" down to zero by intelligent setup of the router (to make it dial into the PPPoE account on demand).

I think I've set the router to do that so we are testing it now (it failed the first test, but, my test may have been flawed as I had shut down the modem).

It's more like the ISP is putting my name tag (i.e., my assigned DHCP IP address) over my shower in a very public place where everyone else is taking a shower ... but their (and your) ISP doesn't put their/your name tag over their/your shower so folks are not concerned with my problem with it because they don't have the same problem.

I think we've established that this is additive to security. Of course, we all know that a security camera can record that you were there and that someone can walk by and watch what you're doing (think tempest) ... but what we were talking about specifically was the PACKET traffic.

I think we've reliably established the only thing that the PACKET traffic reveals about you (other than the content which is likely more revealing overall in a global sense) is that you CHANGED your MAC address.

Thousands of identity theft victims believed as you do. I understand your point, and you understand mine, so we can just agree to disagree that setting up a router to automatically dial into a PPPoE account on demand is pointless (I believe it isn't; you believe it is).

Sigh. You do understand the situation well. So do I. It all boils down to the shower-curtain analogy. THEY don't have THEIR assigned IP address on their shower stall in the public shower; I do.

That makes my situation different than most of theirs. I know you understand that. But they (seemingly) fail to understand that; yet, in their willingness to help (which I do appreciate) they try to put me in their shower slippers instead of the other way around.

It will. For the five seconds it takes to change the MAC address, the security is additive and provides good ROI.

Please realize I never said it would. All you'd need to do is tempest monitoring or security cameras or food receipts or interviewing the hotel employees, etc. I KNOW that. That was NEVER the issue. Why people can't get that in their minds (yes, I know you understand), is beyond me. All I was asking on the MAC address question was about the tattletale bit.

Some people, sounding very knowledgeable, say there is "no such thing"; while others, sounding just as knowledgeable sare "there is such a thing". From what I read (and posted the references), there is such a thing but I asked the jury to help me here as we already determined changing the MAC address prior to initating a public hotspot connection IS additive.

I disagree with this whole set of statements (including the first line).

You don't just want to be read ... you want the answers (what good is being read without getting the answer????).

If you want the answer to the question, then you ask good questions and you respond promptly, accurately, and courteously to all questions that try to flesh out the problem ... and then you diligently try the viable suggested solutions.

Can anyone say I am not?

In summary ... I asked many times how to force the router to dial into the PPPoE account on demand ... and I am in the middle of tests from the one or two answers which provided how to do that ... I hope these tests work ... I'll know tomorrow morning after the router and modem have been down for a few hours.

My IP adddress is current: NNTP-Posting-Host: 69.110.16.49

Tomorrow, if it's different ... then we will have succeeded and I will thank you all for your kind help!