inkleput said:
How can an online forum identify you from previous contacts,
regardless of browser used, if:
1. They have no cookie on your computer.
2. You have no ID/password for them on your computer.
3. You have a firewall.
4. Your spyware tool turns up nothing.
Shenan said:
Hm. I thought those were variable.
Dynamic? (DHCP)
Yes - in essence.
However - since you gave no further details, one could assume you are
connecting from your home each time through a cable/dsl/satellite high-speed
connection. In that case, it is likely (but not necessary) that you have
some sort of wired/wireless router involved that does NAT for you. It gives
your internal machines IP addresses and it grabs and routes the external
information for you. The router will likely stay the same 'dynamically
assigned' address for months or years at a time - because it is seldom off
long enough to lose its 'lease' on that particular address.
Also - even dynamic IPs are only 'so-so' dynamic. Most ISPs likely give a
machine a lease for about 12 to 24 hours. At that point, after attaining
the original lease and being on the internet for that long, if the machine
is still on, it requests and receives the same address 99.99% of the time.
Also, if the lease is - for example - 24 hours and you turn off your machine
at midnight each night, turn it back on at noon each day - you will likely
have the same IP address as the request will be made of the server for a new
IP, the MAC address will be recognized and you get the same IP again.
Now - if you are taking this machine and bringing it to alternative
locations - that changes things. It could be they somehow got your MAC
Address.
