diff --git a/usr/local/share/bastille/clone.sh b/usr/local/share/bastille/clone.sh
index 9dae7f44..c913db56 100644
--- a/usr/local/share/bastille/clone.sh
+++ b/usr/local/share/bastille/clone.sh
@@ -118,9 +118,13 @@ update_jailconf_vnet() {
                     local uniq_epair_bridge="${_num}"
 	            # since we don't have access to the external_interface variable, we cat the jail.conf file to retrieve the mac prefix
                     # we also do not use the main generate_static_mac function here
-                    local macaddr_prefix="$(cat ${JAIL_CONFIG} | grep -m 1 ether | grep -oE '([0-9a-f]{2}(:[0-9a-f]{2}){5})' | awk -F: '{print $1":"$2":"$3}')"
-    	            local macaddr_suffix="$(echo -n ${NEWNAME} | sha256 | cut -b -5 | sed 's/\([0-9a-fA-F][0-9a-fA-F]\)\([0-9a-fA-F][0-9a-fA-F]\)\([0-9a-fA-F]\)/\1:\2:\3/')"
-                    local macaddr="${macaddr_prefix}:${macaddr_suffix}"
+                    if grep -oq ether ${JAIL_CONFIG}; then
+                        local macaddr_prefix="$(cat ${JAIL_CONFIG} | grep -m 1 ether | grep -oE '([0-9a-f]{2}(:[0-9a-f]{2}){5})' | awk -F: '{print $1":"$2":"$3}')"
+    	                local macaddr_suffix="$(echo -n ${NEWNAME} | sha256 | cut -b -5 | sed 's/\([0-9a-fA-F][0-9a-fA-F]\)\([0-9a-fA-F][0-9a-fA-F]\)\([0-9a-fA-F]\)/\1:\2:\3/')"
+                        local macaddr="${macaddr_prefix}:${macaddr_suffix}"
+                        sed -i '' "s|ether.*:.*:.*:.*:.*:.*a\";|ether ${macaddr}a\";|" "${JAIL_CONFIG}"
+                        sed -i '' "s|ether.*:.*:.*:.*:.*:.*b\";|ether ${macaddr}b\";|" "${JAIL_CONFIG}"
+                    fi
 	            # Update the exec.* with uniq_epair when cloning jails.
                     # for VNET jails
                     sed -i '' "s|bastille\([0-9]\{1,\}\)|${uniq_epair}|g" "${JAIL_CONFIG}"
@@ -128,8 +132,6 @@ update_jailconf_vnet() {
                     sed -i '' "s|e\([0-9]\{1,\}\)b_${NEWNAME}|e${uniq_epair_bridge}b_${NEWNAME}|g" "${JAIL_CONFIG}"
                     sed -i '' "s|epair\([0-9]\{1,\}\)|epair${uniq_epair_bridge}|g" "${JAIL_CONFIG}"
 		    sed -i '' "s|exec.prestart += \"ifconfig e0a_bastille\([0-9]\{1,\}\).*description.*|exec.prestart += \"ifconfig e0a_${uniq_epair} description \\\\\"vnet host interface for Bastille jail ${NEWNAME}\\\\\"\";|" "${JAIL_CONFIG}"
-                    sed -i '' "s|ether.*:.*:.*:.*:.*:.*a\";|ether ${macaddr}a\";|" "${JAIL_CONFIG}"
-                    sed -i '' "s|ether.*:.*:.*:.*:.*:.*b\";|ether ${macaddr}b\";|" "${JAIL_CONFIG}"
                     break
                 fi
             fi