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MAC address randomization update (#2303)

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docs/os/macos-overview.md
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@ -117,12 +117,6 @@ Decide whether you want personalized ads based on your usage.
- [ ] Uncheck **Personalized Ads**
##### Security
Apps from the App Store are subject to stricter security guidelines, such as stricter sandboxing. If the only apps you need are available from the App Store, change the **Allow applications downloaded from** setting to **App Store** to prevent accidentally running other apps. This is a good option particularly if you are configuring a machine for other, less technical users such as children.
If you choose to also allow applications from identified developers, be careful about the apps you run and where you obtain them.
##### FileVault
On modern devices with a Secure Enclave (Apple T2 Security Chip, Apple silicon), your data is always encrypted, but is decrypted automatically by a hardware key if your device doesn't detect it's been tampered with. Enabling FileVault additionally requires your password to decrypt your data, greatly improving security, especially when powered off or before the first login after powering on.
@ -139,17 +133,21 @@ On older Intel-based Mac computers, FileVault is the only form of disk encryptio
### MAC Address Randomization
Unlike iOS, macOS doesn't give you an option to randomize your MAC address in the settings, so you'll need to do it with a command or a script.
macOS uses a randomized MAC address when performing Wi-Fi scans while disconnected from a network. However, when you connect to a preferred Wi-Fi network, the MAC address used is never randomized. Full MAC address randomization is an advanced topic, and most people don't need to worry about performing the following steps.
You open up your Terminal and enter this command to randomize your MAC address:
Unlike iOS, macOS doesn't give you an option to randomize your MAC address in the settings, so if you wish to change this identifier, you'll need to do it with a command or a script. To set a random MAC address, first disconnect from the network if you're already connected, then open **Terminal** and enter this command to randomize your MAC address:
``` zsh
openssl rand -hex 6 | sed 's/\(..\)/\1:/g; s/.$//' | xargs sudo ifconfig en1 ether
openssl rand -hex 6 | sed 's/^\(.\{1\}\)./\12/; s/\(..\)/\1:/g; s/.$//' | xargs sudo ifconfig en0 ether
```
en1 is the name of the interface you're changing the MAC address for. This might not be the right one on every Mac, so to check you can hold the option key and click the Wi-Fi symbol at the top right of your screen.
`en0` is the name of the interface you're changing the MAC address for. This might not be the right one on every Mac, so to check you can hold the option key and click the Wi-Fi symbol at the top right of your screen. "Interface name" should be displayed at the top of the dropdown menu.
This will be reset on reboot.
This command sets your MAC address to a randomized, "locally administered" address, matching the behavior of iOS, Windows, and Android's MAC address randomization features. This means that every character in the MAC address is fully randomized except the second character, which denotes the MAC address as *locally administered* and not in conflict with any actual hardware. This method is most compatible with modern networks. An alternative method is to set the first six characters of the MAC address to one of Apple's existing *Organizational Unique Identifiers*, which we'll leave as an exercise to the reader. That method is more likely to conflict with some networks, but may be less noticeable. Given the prevalence of randomized, locally administered MAC addresses in other modern operating systems, we don't think either method has significant privacy advantages over the other.
When you connect to the network again, you'll connect with a random MAC address. This will be reset on reboot.
Your MAC address is not the only unique information about your device which is broadcast on the network, your hostname is another piece of information which could uniquely identify you. You may wish to set your hostname to something generic like "MacBook Air", "Laptop", "John's MacBook Pro", or "iPhone" in **System Settings** > **General** > **Sharing**. Some [privacy scripts](https://github.com/sunknudsen/privacy-guides/tree/master/how-to-spoof-mac-address-and-hostname-automatically-at-boot-on-macos#guide) allow you to easily generate hostnames with random names.
## Security Protections