A transit-yard manager asks why MAC filtering alone cannot stop a cloned tablet address on the yard Wi-Fi. What is the best explanation?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
On Wi-Fi the badge number is printed on the outside of the envelope. Anyone sniffing can copy a permitted MAC and walk right past a filter that trusts addresses alone—so explain spoofability, not mythical encryption of the MAC.
Full Explanation
MAC addresses appear in clear in 802.11 frame headers and are trivial to spoof. That visibility is a core reason MAC filtering is deprecated as a security strategy. Managers should understand that an allow-list without modern cryptographic authentication does not stop a cloned address.