Fwd: Question regarding your mac-geolocation script

[Gorjan Petrovski <mogi57 () gmail com>]

Hi list,

It seems Google have cut access to their geolocation service and our
mac-geolocation script no longer works. I've tested it with several
MAC addresses and no results were returned. Any testing would be
welcome. I'll research a bit these days if there is an alternative,
but the chances for that are slim.


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Gorjan Petrovski <mogi57 () gmail com>
Date: Wed, Jul 13, 2011 at 7:09 PM
Subject: Re: Question regarding your mac-geolocation script
To: Bex HIRDMAN <bhirdman () our ecu edu au>


Hi Bex,

Thank you for contacting me with this information. I've tested the
mac-geolocation script with several MAC addresses and it no longer
returns results. It would seem that Google have indeed cut access to
their service. It used to return locations of BSSID addresses (which
are MAC addresses on WiFi routers), but now it doesn't any more.

Currently I don't know of another way of MAC based geolocation. If I
get into researching that again I'll send you the results.

Such a functionality can only be achieved through a service which
collects the MAC addresses manually - by input or roaming the streets
and scanning and as you know, access to a service can be cut for the
general public. What I'm trying to say is that it's hardly likely
we'll ever see such a functionality for the general public without
requiring a couple of clever, if not ingenious, hacks.

Again, thank you for contacting me. You've helped Nmap in the process,
since we always tend to have a smaller memory and executable
footprint.

Best Regards,
Gorjan

On Wed, Jul 13, 2011 at 12:26 PM, Bex HIRDMAN <bhirdman () our ecu edu au> wrote:
> Hi Gorjan,
>
> I am a security science student at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia with a particular interest in computer 
> and information security.
>
> One of my current assignments is a research article which focuses on the security risks of Google's aggregation of 
> data and the ways their technology can be exploited to the detriment of individuals.
>
> Curious as to whether Google's Geolocation API could be used to retrieve the last known location of a device I came 
> across your script in the nmap-dev mailing list. For the purpose of the accuracy in my article could you please 
> confirm whether mac-geolocation.nse can still be used to locate a device based on the MAC address? and if not, are 
> there any other methods that can be used to perform the same function?
>
> A recent article published on cnet 
> http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20074571-281/google-curbs-web-map-exposing-phone-locations/
>
> States "Google has taken steps to limit the disclosure of the locations of millions of iPhones, laptops, and other 
> devices with Wi-Fi connections after a CNET article drew attention to privacy concerns....
>
> But Nick Doty, a lecturer at the University of California at Berkeley who co-teaches the Technology and Policy Lab, 
> said Google's service appeared to be returning results when used in a browser instead of a Perl or Python script. 
> "Maybe they're just trying to crack down on people using it for independent testing," said Doty, whose laptop had 
> been linked in Google's database to his previous home in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Seattle."
>
> I wasn't sure if Google's "steps" had affected the functionality of your script too.
>
> Thank you for your time.
>
> Kind Regards,
>
> Bex Hirdman


Thanks,
Gorjan
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