A method for allocating an addressing identifier includes: notifying, by an access point, at least two stations of an encrypted new MAC address that corresponds to each station, and indicating a predetermined update condition, so that the at least two stations update respective MAC addresses to the respective new MAC addresses when the predetermined update condition is met; and when the predetermined update condition is met, updating, by the access point, the MAC addresses of the at least two stations to the new MAC addresses that correspond to the stations, so that when a message is subsequently received from the stations or sent to the stations, the new MAC addresses are used as the MAC addresses of the stations. In the foregoing manner, the present invention can prevent an eavesdropper from tracing, by using a MAC address, a terminal to acquire user privacy, ensuring security of the user privacy.