diff --git a/spring-vault-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/vault/authentication/MacAddressUserId.java b/spring-vault-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/vault/authentication/MacAddressUserId.java
index 760a4b80..6bc1d227 100644
--- a/spring-vault-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/vault/authentication/MacAddressUserId.java
+++ b/spring-vault-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/vault/authentication/MacAddressUserId.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2016 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2016-2017 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -13,19 +13,22 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-
 package org.springframework.vault.authentication;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.lang.reflect.Method;
 import java.net.InetAddress;
 import java.net.NetworkInterface;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.Comparator;
 import java.util.List;
 
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
+import org.springframework.util.ReflectionUtils;
 import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 
 /**
@@ -39,6 +42,10 @@ import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
  */
 public class MacAddressUserId implements AppIdUserIdMechanism {
 
+	// Compatibility with Java 1.7 and greater
+	private final static Method GET_INDEX = ReflectionUtils
+			.findMethod(NetworkInterface.class, "getIndex");
+
 	private final Log log = LogFactory.getLog(MacAddressUserId.class);
 
 	private final String networkInterfaceHint;
@@ -86,8 +93,8 @@ public class MacAddressUserId implements AppIdUserIdMechanism {
 		try {
 
 			NetworkInterface networkInterface = null;
-			List<NetworkInterface> interfaces = Collections.list(NetworkInterface
-					.getNetworkInterfaces());
+			List<NetworkInterface> interfaces = Collections
+					.list(NetworkInterface.getNetworkInterfaces());
 
 			if (StringUtils.hasText(networkInterfaceHint)) {
 
@@ -112,6 +119,12 @@ public class MacAddressUserId implements AppIdUserIdMechanism {
 				InetAddress localHost = InetAddress.getLocalHost();
 				networkInterface = NetworkInterface.getByInetAddress(localHost);
 
+				if (networkInterface == null
+						|| networkInterface.getHardwareAddress() == null) {
+
+					networkInterface = getNetworkInterfaceWithHardwareAddress(interfaces);
+				}
+
 				if (networkInterface == null) {
 					throw new IllegalStateException(String.format(
 							"Cannot determine NetworkInterface for %s", localHost));
@@ -120,9 +133,9 @@ public class MacAddressUserId implements AppIdUserIdMechanism {
 
 			byte[] mac = networkInterface.getHardwareAddress();
 			if (mac == null) {
-				throw new IllegalStateException(String.format(
-						"Network interface %s has no hardware address",
-						networkInterface.getName()));
+				throw new IllegalStateException(
+						String.format("Network interface %s has no hardware address",
+								networkInterface.getName()));
 			}
 
 			return Sha256.toSha256(Sha256.toHexString(mac));
@@ -132,7 +145,7 @@ public class MacAddressUserId implements AppIdUserIdMechanism {
 		}
 	}
 
-	private NetworkInterface getNetworkInterface(Number hint,
+	private static NetworkInterface getNetworkInterface(Number hint,
 			List<NetworkInterface> interfaces) {
 
 		if (interfaces.size() > hint.intValue() && hint.intValue() >= 0) {
@@ -142,7 +155,7 @@ public class MacAddressUserId implements AppIdUserIdMechanism {
 		return null;
 	}
 
-	private NetworkInterface getNetworkInterface(String hint,
+	private static NetworkInterface getNetworkInterface(String hint,
 			List<NetworkInterface> interfaces) {
 
 		for (NetworkInterface anInterface : interfaces) {
@@ -154,4 +167,46 @@ public class MacAddressUserId implements AppIdUserIdMechanism {
 
 		return null;
 	}
+
+	private static NetworkInterface getNetworkInterfaceWithHardwareAddress(
+			List<NetworkInterface> interfaces) throws IOException {
+
+		List<NetworkInterface> networkInterfacesToUse = interfaces;
+
+		if (GET_INDEX != null) {
+			networkInterfacesToUse = new ArrayList<NetworkInterface>(interfaces);
+			Collections.sort(networkInterfacesToUse,
+					NetworkInterfaceIndexComparator.INSTANCE);
+		}
+
+		for (NetworkInterface anInterface : networkInterfacesToUse) {
+			byte[] hardwareAddress = anInterface.getHardwareAddress();
+			if (hardwareAddress != null) {
+				return anInterface;
+			}
+		}
+
+		return null;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @since 1.0.1
+	 */
+	enum NetworkInterfaceIndexComparator implements Comparator<NetworkInterface> {
+		INSTANCE;
+
+		@Override
+		public int compare(NetworkInterface o1, NetworkInterface o2) {
+
+			try {
+				int left = (Integer) GET_INDEX.invoke(o1);
+				int right = (Integer) GET_INDEX.invoke(o2);
+				return (left < right) ? -1 : ((left == right) ? 0 : 1);
+			}
+			catch (Exception e) {
+				throw new IllegalStateException(
+						"Cannot retrieve index from NetworkInterface", e);
+			}
+		}
+	}
 }
diff --git a/spring-vault-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/vault/authentication/MacAddressUserIdUnitTests.java b/spring-vault-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/vault/authentication/MacAddressUserIdUnitTests.java
index a8346da3..8c961786 100644
--- a/spring-vault-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/vault/authentication/MacAddressUserIdUnitTests.java
+++ b/spring-vault-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/vault/authentication/MacAddressUserIdUnitTests.java
@@ -17,18 +17,18 @@ package org.springframework.vault.authentication;
 
 import java.net.NetworkInterface;
 import java.net.SocketException;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.List;
 import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 
 import org.junit.Test;
 
-import org.springframework.util.CollectionUtils;
-
 import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
 import static org.junit.Assume.assumeTrue;
 
 /**
  * Unit tests for {@link MacAddressUserId}.
- * 
+ *
  * @author Mark Paluch
  */
 public class MacAddressUserIdUnitTests {
@@ -38,8 +38,8 @@ public class MacAddressUserIdUnitTests {
 
 		String userId = new MacAddressUserId().createUserId();
 
-		assertThat(userId).matches(Pattern.compile("[0-9A-F]+")).doesNotMatch(
-				Pattern.compile("[a-f]"));
+		assertThat(userId).matches(Pattern.compile("[0-9A-F]+"))
+				.doesNotMatch(Pattern.compile("[a-f]"));
 	}
 
 	@Test
@@ -50,25 +50,25 @@ public class MacAddressUserIdUnitTests {
 
 		String userId = new MacAddressUserId(index).createUserId();
 
-		assertThat(userId).matches(Pattern.compile("[0-9A-F]+")).doesNotMatch(
-				Pattern.compile("[a-f]"));
+		assertThat(userId).matches(Pattern.compile("[0-9A-F]+"))
+				.doesNotMatch(Pattern.compile("[a-f]"));
 	}
 
 	/**
 	 * Obtain index for {@link NetworkInterface} with a HardwareAddress.
-	 * 
+	 *
 	 * @return -1 if none, otherwise index.
 	 * @throws SocketException
 	 */
 	private int getValidNetworkInterfaceIndex() throws SocketException {
 
-		NetworkInterface[] networkInterfaces = CollectionUtils.toArray(
-				NetworkInterface.getNetworkInterfaces(), new NetworkInterface[0]);
+		List<NetworkInterface> interfaces = Collections
+				.list(NetworkInterface.getNetworkInterfaces());
 
 		int index = -1;
 
-		for (int i = 0; i < networkInterfaces.length; i++) {
-			if (networkInterfaces[i].getHardwareAddress() != null) {
+		for (int i = 0; i < interfaces.size(); i++) {
+			if (interfaces.get(i).getHardwareAddress() != null) {
 				index = i;
 				break;
 			}