How to create a unique signature from IPv4, mac address

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i need to create a signature using combination of ipv4 address,mac address,PC-Name,UserName

this signature will be unique for every pc offcourse

is there any way i can do that in c++ cli?

What I have tried:

i can get ipv4 address mac address username pc name
but can't think of any way to generate a unique signature from all this info that can uniquely identify a pc

Posted 30-Jan-20 3:30am

Member 12899279

Updated 30-Jan-20 4:19am

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MadMyche · Answer 1 · 2020-01-30T04:20:00

i need to create a signature using combination of ipv4 address, mac address, PC-Name, UserName
this signature will be unique for every pc offcourse
is there any way i can do that in c++ cli?

Several flaws in the thought process:
1. IP Address is only unique within a local network segment or subnet.
2. MAC address may only be unique up to a router, and can be changed or spoofed.
3. PC-Name can be changed
4. UserName can only identify a user, and not the machine in use.

i can get ipv4 address mac address username pc name
but can't think of any way to generate a unique signature from all this info that can uniquely identify a pc

If you are satisfied that your flawed premises from above are accepatble, you could create your signature by using a Hash function such as the Message Digest suite (MD2, MD4, MD5) or a Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA1, SHA2)

Stefan_Lang · Answer 2 · 2020-01-30T03:48:00

Solution 1

The user name is hardly part of a pc identification, and the pc name is just that: a name - it does not have any guaranteed properties that help you identify a specific PC.

As for the IPv4 address, it may not be unique if it's in a local network, compared to addresses of PCs in other local networks. Moreover, since we've run out of globally unique IPv4 addresses, you can't use them reliably anyway.

The only thing you can use here is the mac address. Although it can be tampered with, it's guaranteed to be globally unique. Therefore you need to convert your mac address to IPV6. I'm sure you can find info on that in various places, e. g. here: Convert from MAC to IPv6 - Stack Overflow[^]

The IPV6 address will be globally unique, provided the mac address is genuine.

Posted 30-Jan-20 3:48am

Stefan_Lang

Comments

phil.o 30-Jan-20 9:56am

A mac address can now easily be spoofed, so its uniqueness is greatly compromised. The only thing that can eventually be said is that a mac address can be granted unique only on its network segment (if it isn't, router will start to complain).

Stefan_Lang 30-Jan-20 10:48am

That's why I said 'provided the mac address is genuine'.

If there is a better way to identify a specific PC; I'm not aware of it.

MadMyche 30-Jan-20 12:45pm

Nothing really server side; but client side has methods, such as the ones used for Windows Product Activation

Stefan_Lang 31-Jan-20 2:42am

There are plenty of (illegal) sites offering Windows 10 product keys. There is no 100% safe method.

Member 12899279 30-Jan-20 23:43pm

so if i add uuid along with mac address still it doesnt make it unique?if yes then kindly tell the solution also instead of just telling that all the mentioned things aren't unique and cant be used collectively to identify a pc uniquely

Stefan_Lang 31-Jan-20 2:52am

The mac address *used to be* globally unique, but unfortunately some (or most?) network cards offer a way to change it. AFAIK this functionality was introduced to help managing local networks, so Mad Myche is right in that they can be relied on up to the level of the router of your local network only.

Depending on your needs, you could gather hardware-related info that cannot be changed *easily*, such as a mainboard or CPU ID, and combine those values into a hash. But I can't help with details on how to obtain them.