Hardware Identification (HWID) Privacy Guide

Disclaimer: This guide is for privacy research, hardware fingerprint testing, and education. It is not for violating any Terms of Service. What this guide is: A deep, technical hardware privacy guide about spoofing/changing hardware identifiers to make a machine as unidentifiable and untraceable as possible under advanced fingerprinting.

Read it as a website: hwid.idkzal.cc New here? Start with Getting Started: what an HWID is, the order of work, and how to check before and after. Anti-cheats: see the Reported anti-cheat status (evidence matrix: vendor statements, artifact-backed reports, and unverified claims, graded). HWIDChecker: a Windows app that lists the identifiers these guides change. Screenshots and download.

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HWIDChecker

A Windows 10/11 app that lists the hardware identifiers these guides change, exports them, and compares a before and after export. Download HWIDChecker.exe and run it as administrator.

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Table of Contents

• Hardware Identification (HWID) Privacy Guide
  • HWIDChecker
  • Table of Contents
  • Hardware Categories & Evasion Strategies
    • 1. Motherboard
      • Serial Spoofing
      • RGB Control/USB Serials
    • 2. Storage
      • NVMe SSDs (M.2)
      • SATA SSDs (2.5")
      • Hardware RAID
    • 3. Network Interface Card (NIC)
      • MAC Address Spoofing
    • 4. GPU
    • 5. RAM
    • 6. USB Peripherals
    • 7. EDID / Monitor Spoofing
    • 8. Router (ARP Table Isolation)
    • 9. TPM
  • HWID Checker References
  • Contribution & Updates
    • Credits

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Hardware Categories & Evasion Strategies

1. Motherboard

Changes the SMBIOS serials and UUID that Windows, fingerprinting tools, and anti-cheats read from the board.

Serial Spoofing

• Complete Guide: Motherboard Spoofing Guide
• NVRAM / EFI variables: NVRAM Guide
• Key Points:
  • Use DMIEdit (for AMI BIOS)
  • Change only 2–5 digits of original serial
  • Avoid odd patterns (e.g., SPOOFER-XXXX)
  • Reflash BIOS and clear CMOS after changes

RGB Control/USB Serials

• Intel: Disable USB ports used for RGB in BIOS (some boards provide per-port toggles).
• AMD (AM4/AM5): Unplug RGB headers or use boards with hardware toggles (e.g., ASUS ROG, MSI).
  • Note: Some RGB controllers (e.g., MSI Mystic Light) expose distinct USB serials.

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2. Storage

Rewrites the controller-reported model, serial, and firmware of supported SSDs. Volume serials and RAID identities are separate layers that do not prove the drive serial changed.

• Complete Guide: Storage Guide (identifier layers, controller check, USB enclosures, RAID vs volume serials)

NVMe SSDs (M.2)

• Controller: Maxio MAP1202 needed
• How-To:
  • M.2 SSD Spoofing

SATA SSDs (2.5")

• Controller: YANSEN SSD needed
• How-To:
  • NORMAL 2.5' SSD Spoofing

Modifying these drives can void warranties.
RAID behavior depends on the controller. The logical array identity, and whether member-drive serials pass through, depend on the exact controller, firmware, and driver. Neither hardware RAID nor software/BIOS RAID is established as an accepted identity-change method.

Older info (outdated)

Software/BIOS-based RAID0 is generally virtual and unsafe for HWID evasion.

Hardware RAID

• Why: A hardware RAID controller hides member-drive serials from the OS only if the controller and its driver do not pass them through. Whether a given anti-cheat still reads member serials through an array is reported both ways; the reports conflict and none includes a versioned test. Controller-level spoofing (above) changes the serial itself and does not depend on this. See Reported anti-cheat status and RAID, disk identity, and volume identity in the storage guide.
• Examples:
  • S322M225R (for M.2 drives).
  • LSI/MegaRAID models for SATA/SAS drives.
• Note: True hardware RAID tends to cost more. Whether it masks member-drive identifiers depends on the controller, its firmware, and its driver. Check pass-through on your exact controller before you rely on it.

Older info (outdated)

• Note: True hardware RAID tends to cost more, but it helps mask original drive identifiers on a lower level.
• Why: A proper hardware RAID controller prevents the OS (and fingerprinting agents) from querying individual drive serials.

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3. Network Interface Card (NIC)

Changes the MAC address the network sees. A Windows NetworkAddress override is software-only; a controller write (EEPROM, NVM, OTP, or eFuse) is permanent.

MAC Address Spoofing

• Complete Guide: MAC Spoofing Guide
• Internal NICs: Permanent changes possible for Intel, Realtek, and Mellanox:
  • Intel i225 from NVM 1.53 and all i226 versions lock the NVM after a unique MAC is provisioned and the card is power-cycled. Retail i226 is normally already provisioned once, so it is not repeatably rewritable. [A] (Intel Community)
  • Intel NIC MAC Spoofing Guide
  • Realtek NIC MAC Spoofing Guide
  • Mellanox ConnectX-3 MAC Spoofing Guide - firmware-level, repeatable, 10 Gbps SFP+
  • Note: Certain models might not support flashing or may revert.
• USB NICs: Both Realtek and ASIX adapters support MAC changes:
  • Complete USB NIC Guide
  • Recommended: USB‑C 2.5GbE Adapter • Amazon DE
• Purchasable HWID Spoofers: Some handle NIC spoofing, but certain NICs resist it, and they can produce questionable serial data in other areas.
• Best Practice: Keep the first 6 digits (vendor ID), change only the last 6. For a self-chosen address, the IEEE-correct form is a locally administered unicast address (first octet with the local bit set, multicast bit clear, for example 02:); Windows, Android, and Apple all use this form for randomized Wi-Fi. [A]

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4. GPU

No verified persistent-change method for current cards. Both vendors document a per-unit GPU ID. Which ID a program can read depends on the card, the driver, and the OS.

• NVIDIA: UUID accessible via nvidia-smi.
  • No stable public spoofing guide is widely known. Advanced driver-level hooking may exist, but it's risky and can be flagged.
  • NVIDIA defines the GPU UUID as globally unique and immutable. It also exposes a 64-bit per-device ID (PDI) and, on supported products, a board serial. [A] (nvidia-smi documentation)
• AMD: The Linux AMDGPU driver exposes a persistent unique_id on supported GFX9+ GPUs. AMD SMI exposes amdsmi_get_gpu_device_uuid() and an ASIC serial, and ROCm SMI has --showuniqueid. Support depends on the device and platform; unsupported cards return N/A. [A] (AMDGPU docs, AMD SMI header)

Older info (outdated)

• AMD has no publicly documented UUID.
• NVIDIA GPU UUIDs are not always globally unique, but they can still be used for correlation.
• AMD: No publicly documented UUID. Generally seen as safer for HWID privacy.

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5. RAM

RAM modules carry a serial in SPD storage. Modules that ship with null serials need no write; otherwise an external programmer can edit the SPD identity fields. A null serial is a real-world exception, not the JEDEC-compliant norm (unique serials required).

• Complete Guide: RAM Guide
• Null Serials:
  • Corsair DDR4/DDR5
  • GEIL DDR4/DDR5
  • Trident Z G.Skill DDR4/DDR5

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6. USB Peripherals

Keyboards, mice, and sticks expose USB serials that fingerprinting stacks can read directly from the protocol. Registry edits do not hide them.

• Keyboards/Mice: Serial behavior is per model and per connection mode, not per brand. Check the exact VID:PID.
  • Razer DeathAdder V3 wired (1532:00b2): SerialNumber=0, so no serial descriptor. One log. [S] (log)
  • Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro wired (1532:00b7): serial string 000000000000. The descriptor exists but is zero-filled and not unique. One log. [S] (log)
  • Razer HyperPolling receiver (1532:00c3): SerialNumber=0. One log. [S] (OpenRazer issue)
  • The printed warranty serial on the product is a separate ID. It does not tell you whether a USB serial descriptor exists. [A] (Razer support)
  • No current per-model evidence exists for ROCCAT, whose product lines moved to Turtle Beach, or for Xtrfy.
• USB Sticks: Some “UDisk” drives default to 00000000. This is an unverified historical report. [S]
  • Verify with USBDeview.
• Avoid: Devices with hardcoded hardware serials you cannot edit.
  • Don't trust software claiming to hide USB serials via registry edits. Windows IgnoreHWSerNum only changes how Windows builds the PnP instance ID. It does not change the device's descriptor serial, which a program can still request at the protocol level. [A] (Microsoft)
  • Any advanced fingerprinting stack can pull serials directly from the USB protocol. Registry changes do not hide that data. You can validate this yourself: hide USB devices in the registry, then inspect traffic with a USB debugger; the serials still appear.

Older info (outdated)

• Roccat (now Turtleshell), Xtrfy models and "all" Razer products should not have USB serials.
• Don't trust software claiming to hide USB serials via registry edits; those methods are useless.

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7. EDID / Monitor Spoofing

Changes the EDID identity (manufacturer, model, serial) a monitor reports to the system, through a software override, an inline emulator, or a firmware tool for a supported monitor.

• Complete Guide: Monitor / EDID Guide
• Why It Matters: Monitors contain EDID data with a potentially unique serial.
• Tools:
  • Fuser or Dr.HDMI (4K version).
  • EDID can be dumped, edited in a hex tool, and re-flashed via these devices.
  • ASUS ROG Swift PG27AQDP (firmware MCM107): this project's pg27aqdp-serial tool changes the serial stored in the monitor through its own update interface, on HDMI and DisplayPort. No soldering, no emulator. Verified on the studied unit only.
• Result: The monitor appears as a different device, reducing traceability.
• Using a Fuser on 🍊 is not recommended, even with EDID spoofing.

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8. Router (ARP Table Isolation)

Puts a router you control between the PC and the primary network, so the PC's ARP table shows the isolation router's MAC as gateway instead of your home router's.

• Complete Guide: Router / ARP Guide
• Hardware: GL.iNet running OpenWrt firmware or a custom-flashed OpenWrt router.
• Process:
  • Change the router's MAC and hostname.
  • Change the MAC of the port you're using on the router.
    • (This is different from the router's main MAC!)
  • Plug only your target test machine into the router's LAN port.
  • Connect the router's WAN port to your home router.
    • Keep other devices off the isolation router's LAN. The isolated ARP table still shows the gateway router, plus the normal Windows multicast entries below.
    • And don't worry about those ARP addresses; they are normal and not unique. They're created by Windows:
      • 224.0.0.22 01-00-5e-00-00-16 static
      • 224.0.0.236 01-00-5e-00-00-ec static
      • 224.0.0.251 01-00-5e-00-00-fb static
      • 224.0.0.252 01-00-5e-00-00-fc static
      • 192.168.8.255 ff-ff-ff-ff-ff-ff static
      • 239.255.255.250 01-00-5e-7f-ff-fa static
      • 255.255.255.255 ff-ff-ff-ff-ff-ff static

Older info (outdated)

• Avoid connecting other devices, so the ARP table shows only your target test machine.

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9. TPM

The TPM carries its own endorsement identity (EK, EK certificate). Clearing the TPM does not replace it; see the TPM and fTPM reset guides for what does.

• Complete Guide: TPM Spoofing Guide
• fTPM identity reset (AMD AM5): fTPM Reset Guide
• Warning: dTPM support is product-specific. A faulty dTPM can fail attestation; FACEIT documents this and suggests fTPM as the fix. [A] Call of Duty's TPM requirements explicitly list systems with a discrete TPM chip as supported. [A] Blanket "dTPM is flagged" rules (e.g., 🍊) are community reports, not vendor statements. [S]
• Current Recommendation: Use fTPM for 🍊/🍒.

Older info (outdated)

• Warning: dTPM is flagged by some strict telemetry stacks (e.g., 🍊).
  • Since 2025-04-04, 🍒 enforces fTPM if you’re flagged; dTPM no longer works there.

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HWID Checker References

HWIDChecker is a standalone native Rust Windows 10/11 x64 app with 15 hardware sections. Download the executable below and run it as administrator. Screenshots: see HWIDChecker at the top. See the app readme for usage, build, and release commands.

• Download for Windows 10/11 x64: HWIDChecker.exe
• How to run, export, and compare before/after: Take before and after snapshots

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Contribution & Updates

• Additional NIC spoofer models may be listed in the future.
• This guide evolves as new findings emerge.

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Credits

Credits are a weird thing: not everything can be traced, and a lot of work/info in this guide came from many different places and people. I only list the people I know helped or are responsible for these sections in the first place.

• Storage guide/info: Priventive.de
• Network guide/info: fA, and "the collective hive mind of the internet"
• EDID guide/info: fA (he did not invent the wheel, only gave me the info)
• The broad base guide/structure was written by a "French", Old Guide Link
• Fundryi for pasting/collecting this info and putting it out for everyone in one place (☭ ͜ʖ ☭)

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