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

Hi Mark McIntyre,

Huh? Of course you can. You're pretty exasperating to converse with.

For example, in the next thirty seconds, I can go back fifteen years on google to find the exact IP address I used on a particular post to alt.personals (since my NNTP posting host is actually my router's IP address).

If I can do that in half a minute, a script kiddie can do thousands of those kind of searches in that same minute.

Can't you?

There is nothing you can do about *anything* when it comes to the IP the NG server is using. You're (your machine is just) a client and you the client can do *nothing* about the IP being used by the NNTP server.

So, the information about the IP that's assigned to your router from the ISP to communicate on their network and the NNTP are the same IP. It's only an IP that's pointing back to the ISP's network It doesn't mean that the IP is pointing to an NNTP server.

Port 80 and port (119 NNTP port) are two different ports and two different protcols. HTTP traffic is on port 80 and NNTP traffic is on port 119. The common factor is the IP assigned by the ISP to the modem, your public IP. But I would suspect that port 119 traffic is forwarded/routed to another IP/machine on the ISP's network whether or not the NNTP server is physically sitting on the ISP's network.

But again, what does any of this have to do with the context of your original post about *secuirty and privacy*?

I'll tell you. It means nothing.

Duane :)

Did you have the same router 15 years ago?

Hi Mark McIntyre,

I'm glad I can help teach you the ways of the "Black Pages". :)

For example, take this USA telephone number: +1-815-547-1780

Let's find who owns it in about four seconds or less...

This web site says it's owned by Mark McIntyre, 222 High Line St, Belvidere, IL 61008-1901

Same with this web site: Same with this web site (and dozens of others): Likewise, another four seconds and we have all the neighbors and THEIR names, addresses, and phone numbers Smith, J E

191 High Line St Belvidere, IL 61008-1931 815-544-3375

Meier, V M

193 High Line St Belvidere, IL 61008-1931 815-547-5162

Raynoso, Maria

203 High Line St Belvidere, IL 61008-1929 815-544-7673

Koga, Sandra

210 High Line St Belvidere, IL 61008-1942 815-544-9469

Lagunas, Andrew

210 High Line St Belvidere, IL 61008-1942 815-544-6944

Reza, Javier

210 High Line St Belvidere, IL 61008-1942 815-547-1614

Rodriguez, Jorge

210 High Line St Belvidere, IL 61008-1942 815-544-2057

Voorhies, Jayne

210 High Line St Belvidere, IL 61008-1942 815-547-0047

Diaz, Medina J

215 High Line St Belvidere, IL 61008-1921 815-547-8893

Galvan, Cinthia

215 High Line St Belvidere, IL 61008-1921 Add to Outlook

How can you possibly say a reverse phone lookup is "bollocks"?

If this took me all of a few seconds for a USA phone number, imagine what someone can find out about you who actually knows what they are doing!

Note: According to Wikipedia, reverse phone directories, which are all over the Internet, are illegal in the UK (but they exist according to Wikipedia).

Hi Dana,

Now you're finally agreeing with me!

It's precisely because I had a DIFFERENT IP ADDRESS 15 years ago that we can't easily collect all my posts from then to now.

Hi Duane, This is very interesting.

Can I infer from your helpful reply that I can do nothing to change what is listed as my NNTP posting host (being my router's unique IP address).

For example, if I look at the header of YOUR posts, I see: NNTP-Posting-Host: 4.252.209.155 Does that mean your router currently has that IP address?

But, that doesnt' mesh with what I see by looking at other people's posts. For example, posts from "Dana" or "Mark McIntyre" don't even seem to have an NNTP Posting Host line. And those from "Warren Oates" have the news server as the NNTP posting host: NNTP-Posting-Host: 5b202376.news.astraweb.com

Does YOUR NNTP posting host indicate your news server or your router's IP address?

The better question would be how can we remove the NNTP Posting Host line from our posts like "Dana" and "Mark McIntyre" seem to cleverly achieved?

You have way to much time on your hands.

Hi Leythos, I think this is wholly irrelevant but I understand and I apologize.

I'm sorry I used the word "security" in my initial requests.

What I meant was "privacy". A more descriptive word might be "anonyminity".

All I want is to not make it trivial for some kook out there (or my kids ... same thing) to instantly connect me to my posts simply by following the IP address trail.

Well no, not really. I still say changing your IP or MAC on your PC is doing nothing to increase your privacy from those who really want to dig into your life.

If someone wanted to, they could. and that is the point people are trying to make, more than likely you would not be a target of such people. Unless of course you are a politician like Foley found out.

Hi Ansgar Wiechers, I don't mean to be argumentative, but, as I understand it, there is such a thing.

Maybe I'm reading the literature wrong so I'll let you guys who know more than I tell me if I'm wrong after you read this.

And this: And this: If I read these correctly, a bit is set that indicates whether you changed the hardware MAC address via software.

Someone who knows this better than I ... can you confirm or deny this MAC address tattletale bit?

Hi Dana,

Privacy is always worth the extra few seconds.

Since I am using OE there is not a lot I can do to my headers, especially changing my nntp posting host. According to the RFC for NNTP, your news server can remove that if the client (for me outlook express) sends it. So I am thinking it is my ISP that is doing the removal, or it is your news reader. Since you seem to have so much time, the posts with no nntp posting host, are they all using the same reader like I am using outlook express.

The router doesn't get the IP it's the modem that gets the IP. The router is connected to the modem and uses the public IP/Internet facing IP that has been assigned to the modem by the ISP.

The "posting host - you're the one that's making the post back to the server". It is one of your machines that has the client NG reader running on it that's using the public facing IP that has been assigned to your modem to make the post. You can switch all you want to different NNTP servers. There is only one IP that's being used by your router that has been provided to your modem by your ISP that's allowing communications with the ISP's network for a machine that has a direct connection of a machine to the modem or a router connected to the modem with machines connected to the router, with, all the machines connected to your router using that one public facing IP assigned by the ISP to your modem. .

Again, it's your public facing IP assigned to your modem that's used by your router and your machines using the router are connected to the router, that is the posting host IP back to the ISP's network.

If you don't know how that NAT router is working, then here is some info.

Duane :).

Hi Dana, I think we already agreed otherwise in a few cases (did we not?).

For example, I think we have established (or at least nobody has reliably refuted) that taking the five seconds to change your wireless card's MAC address before connecting at a public hot spot is additive to privacy. (Did we not?)

Also, you tacitly underscored my point that changing the IP address of my router definately makes it harder for someone to easily connect my posts to alt.personals vs my separate posts to comp.security.firewalls vs my posts to Bell Laboratories. As such, the time it takes to change the IP address is also additive to privacy. (Did we not?)

It's important that we agree or agree to disagree on these two points: POINT 1: Changing MAC address is additive to privacy in public hotspots. POINT 2: Changing IP address is additive to privacy in those cases where the user's NNTP posting host is their IP address.

This whole thread basically leaves us with three technical questions:

1. Does the MAC really have a bit which indicates it has been changed? (I think it does ... but I await confirmation from the group)
2. How can I eliminate the NNTP Posting Host line in my nntp headers? (I think it can be eliminated as Dana and Mark seemed to have done so)
3. How can I force the router to dial into the PPPoE on software demand? (I am following instructions previously posted to see if that works)

This should be a simple technical discussion ... not an emotional paranoia discussion.

Where I live, our privacy is actually pretty nice as we are not a very large place. As for your NNTP posting host showing up, you may want to look at your news reader and see if you can manipulate the headers, some of those other readers allow you to do that. I am using OE, hence Bill Gates does not give us a lot of playroom on that. It may be your ISP, as my ISP sends my post straight to supernews, and depending on how those news servers are set up will determine how the NNTP posting host parameter is displayed. It appears mine is being stripped by the news server, or OE does not send one.

He is right. The actual bit in question is the local/global bit. It will be set to local if you use an address you assign it.

Hi Dana,

Nope. For example, Mark McIntyre's header implies he is using: X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 3.3/32.846

I will download and install Forte Agent to see if it's the newsreader or the ISP who is forcing my NNTP Posting Host to be the same unique IP address as my router.

If the solution (to not post my unique IP address with every post) is as simple as switching newsreaders, that's would finally be the technial answer I was looking for all along.

It's so easy to get emotional ... it's much harder to answer the question! :)

Hi Duane, Oh my. You are great! Instead of getting emotional and working around the question, you not only helped me better understand the question, you also helped me better understand what is really going on.

I see now that it is not the "router's" IP address in my NNTP POsting Host, but, the MODEM's IP address!

Thanks... I'll try to say it correctly in all future posts.

I think we have only three questions to agree or disagree on:

1. Does the MAC have a bit which indicates it has been changed?
2. Is changing a MAC before public hotspot access additive to privacy?
3. Is removing the modem's IP address from posts additive to privacy?

This is still up in the air. I have never used a public hotspot, so I do not know if there is some kind of registration process, even if it is free.

No. You made the remark about going back 15 years, so I as a joke asked if you had the same router 15 years ago, knowing full well you were probably on a dial up at 2400, or 9600 speed. I remember those days as well.

If they are pay services: NO if they are free I want to say yes, but I need to see if there is a registration process, so I am going with a maybe.

No, as there are other ways just as easy to track your newsgroup post, all one needs to do is look at your path.

Yes and no. There is a global/local bit wich tells if you are using the burned in address (global) or a locally assigned (you make one up) address.

Your reader may allow you to modify your headers. I am doing nothing to mine, so either OE does not send it, or my news server is stripping it off.