Snow Leopard Security Config v10.6

Mac OS X
Security Configuration
For Mac OS X Version 10.6 Snow Leopard
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1 Contents
Preface 11 About This Guide

11 Audience
11 What’s in This Guide
12 Using This Guide
13 Using the Command-Line Instructions from This Guide
13 Using Onscreen Help
13 Mac Help
13 Related Snow Leopard Server Security Guide
14 Viewing PDF Guides on Screen
14 Printing PDF Guides
14 Getting Documentation Updates
15 Getting Additional Information
16 Acknowledgments
Chapter 1 17 Introduction to Mac OS X Security Architecture

18 Security Architectural Overview
18 UNIX Infrastructure
18 Access Permissions
19 Security Framework
20 Layered Security Defense
20 Network Security
21 Credential Management
21 Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
22 What’s New in Snow Leopard v10.6
22 Existing Security Features in Snow Leopard
23 Signed Applications
23 Mandatory Access Controls
24 Sandboxing
24 Managed User Accounts
25 Enhanced Quarantining
26 Application-Based and IP Firewalls
26 Memory and Runtime Protection
27 Securing Sharing and Collaborative Services
3
27 Service Access Control Lists
27 VPN Compatibility and Integration
27 Improved Cryptography
28 Extended Validation Certificates
28 Wildcard in Identity Preferences
28 Enhanced Command-Line Tools
28 FileVault and Encrypted Storage
29 Enhanced Encrypted Disk Image Cryptography
29 Smart Card Support for Unlocking Encrypted Storage
30 Enhanced Safari 4.0 Security
Chapter 2 31 Installing Mac OS X

31 System Installation Overview
31 Installing from DVD
32 Installing from the Network
33 Restoring from Preconfigured Disk Images
33 Initial System Setup
33 Using Setup Assistant
34 Creating Initial System Accounts
35 Setting Correct Time Settings
35 Turning Off Auto-login
35 Updating System Software
36 Updating from an Internal Software Update Server
37 Updating from Internet Software Update Servers
38 Updating Manually from Installer Packages
40 Verifying the Integrity of Software
40 Repairing Disk Permissions
41 POSIX Permissions Overview
41 ACL Permissions Overview
41 Using Disk Utility to Repair Disk Permissions
Chapter 3 43 Securing System Hardware

43 Protecting Hardware
44 Preventing Wireless Eavesdropping
45 Understanding Wireless Security Challenges
45 About OS Components
45 Removing Wi-Fi Support Software
46 Removing Bluetooth Support Software
47 Removing IR Support Software
48 Preventing Unauthorized Recording
48 Removing Audio Support Software
49 Removing Video Recording Support Software
51 Preventing Data Port Access
4 Contents
51 Removing USB Support Software
52 Removing FireWire Support Software
53 System Hardware Modifications
Chapter 4 54 Securing Global System Settings

54 Securing System Startup
55 Protecting Intel-Based Mac Systems
55 Using the Firmware Password Utility
56 Using Command-Line Tools for Secure Startup
57 Configuring Access Warnings
57 Enabling Access Warnings for the Login Window
58 Understanding the AuthPlugin Architecture
59 Using the BannerSample Project
60 Enabling Access Warnings for the Command Line
61 Turning On File Extensions
Chapter 5 62 Securing System Preferences

62 System Preferences Overview
64 Securing MobileMe Preferences
67 Securing Accounts Preferences
70 Securing Appearance Preferences
72 Securing Bluetooth Preferences
73 Securing CDs & DVDs Preferences
75 Securing Date & Time Preferences
77 Securing Desktop & Screen Saver Preferences
79 Securing Display Preferences
79 Securing Dock Preferences
80 Securing Energy Saver Preferences
83 Securing Exposé & Spaces Preferences
84 Securing Language & Text Preferences
84 Securing Keyboard Preferences
84 Securing Mouse Preferences
85 Securing Network Preferences
87 Network Access Control (802.1X)
88 User Profile
88 Login Window Profile
88 System Profile
89 System Profile Plus Login Window Profile
89 About Certificates in an 802.1X Environment
90 Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) Methods
91 Connecting to a 802.1X Network
93 Securing Managed User Accounts Preferences
96 Securing Print & Fax Preferences
Contents 5
99 Securing Security Preferences
99 General Security
100 FileVault Security
101 Firewall Security
104 Securing System Swap and Hibernation Storage
105 Securing Sharing Preferences
107 Securing Software Update Preferences
109 Securing Sound Preferences
110 Securing Speech Preferences
111 Securing Spotlight Preferences
114 Securing Startup Disk Preferences
115 Securing Time Machine Preferences
117 Securing Universal Access Preferences
Chapter 6 118 Securing Accounts

118 Types of User Accounts
119 Guidelines for Creating Accounts
119 Defining User IDs
120 Securing the Guest Account
121 Securing Nonadministrator Accounts
121 Controlling Local Accounts with Parental Controls
124 Securing External Accounts
124 Protecting Data on External Volumes
124 Securing Directory-Based Accounts
124 Securing Administrator Accounts
125 Securing the System Administrator Account
127 Understanding Directory Domains
128 Understanding Network Services, Authentication, and Contacts
129 Configuring LDAPv3 Access
129 Configuring Active Directory Access
130 Using Strong Authentication
130 Using Password Assistant to Generate or Analyze Passwords
131 Using Kerberos
132 Using Smart Cards
133 Using Tokens
133 Using Biometrics
134 Setting Global Password Policies
134 Storing Credentials
135 Using the Default User Keychain
136 Creating Additional Keychains
137 Securing Keychains and Their Items
138 Using Smart Cards as Keychains
139 Using Portable and Network-Based Keychains
6 Contents
140 About Certificates
140 Creating a Self-Signed Certificate
141 Adding Certificates to a Keychain
Chapter 7 143 Securing Data and Using Encryption

143 Understanding Permissions
144 Setting POSIX Permissions
144 Viewing POSIX Permissions
145 Interpreting POSIX Permissions
146 Modifying POSIX Permissions
146 Setting File and Folder Flags
146 Viewing Flags
146 Modifying Flags
147 Setting ACL Permissions
148 Modifying ACL Permissions
148 Changing Global Umask for Stricter Default Permissions
149 Restricting Setuid Programs
152 Securing User Home Folders
153 Encrypting Home Folders
154 Overview of FileVault
154 Managing FileVault
155 Managing the FileVault Master Keychain
157 Encrypting Portable Files
157 Creating an Encrypted Disk Image
158 Creating an Encrypted Disk Image from Existing Data
159 Creating Encrypted PDFs
159 Securely Erasing Data
160 Configuring Finder to Always Securely Erase
160 Using Disk Utility to Securely Erase a Disk or Partition
161 Using Command-Line Tools to Securely Erase Files
162 Using Secure Empty Trash
162 Using Disk Utility to Securely Erase Free Space
162 Using Command-Line Tools to Securely Erase Free Space
163 Securing Guest Operating Systems with Boot Camp
163 Understanding the Time Machine Architecture
163 Deleting Permanently from Time Machine backups
164 Storing Backups Inside Secure Storage
164 Restoring Backups from Secure Storage
Chapter 8 165 Securing Applications

165 Protecting Data While Using Apple Applications
165 Setting Mail Security
166 Enabling Account Security
Contents 7
167 Remote Content and Hidden Addresses
168 Disabling the Preview Pane for Mail Messages
169 Signing and Encrypting Mail Messages
170 Setting Web Browsing Security with Safari
171 Verifying Server Identity
172 Client-Side Authentication
172 Managing Data Communication and Execution
173 Opening Safe Files
174 Nonsecure Forms
174 Syncing Bookmarks
175 AutoFill
176 Controlling Web Content
177 Cookie Storage or Tracking Information
177 Advanced Settings
177 Securing File Downloads
178 Using Instant Message Security with iChat
179 iChat AV Security
179 Enabling Privacy
180 Enabling Encryption Using MobileMe Identity
181 Enhancing Multimedia Security with iTunes
181 Setting Photo Sharing Security with iPhoto
181 Setting Contact Sharing Security with Address Book
182 Strengthening Data Security with MobileMe
182 Securing iDisk Service Access
182 iDisk Service Access
182 Securing Public Folder Access
Chapter 9 183 Securing Network Services

183 Securing Internet Communication with Host-Based Firewalls
183 Firewall Protection
184 The Application Firewall
185 Application Firewall Architecture
185 Stealth Mode
186 Protection from Unauthorized Applications
187 The IPFW2 Firewall
187 Configuring the IPFW Firewall
187 Understanding IPFW Rulesets
188 Implementing an IPFW Ruleset
192 Protecting Data While Using Apple Services
192 Securing Remote Access Communication
192 VPN Security
194 Securing Bonjour (mDNS)
197 Securing the Back to My Mac (BTMM) Service
8 Contents
198 BTMM Service Architecture
198 Securing BTMM Access
199 Securing Network Sharing Services
199 DVD or CD Sharing
199 About DVD or CD Sharing
200 Screen Sharing (VNC)
200 About Screen Sharing
200 Restricting Access to Specific Users
201 File Sharing (AFP, FTP, and SMB)
201 File Sharing
204 Printer Sharing (CUPS)
204 Scanner Sharing
204 Web Sharing (HTTP)
204 Web Sharing
205 Remote Login (SSH)
206 Enabling an SSH Connection
207 Configuring a Key-Based SSH Connection
210 Preventing Connection to Unauthorized Host Servers
211 Using SSH as a Secure Tunnel
212 Modifying the SSH Configuration File
213 Generating Key Pairs for Key-Based SSH Connections
214 Updating SSH Key Fingerprints
215 Remote Management (ARD)
216 Remote Apple Events (RAE)
217 Xgrid Sharing
219 Internet Sharing
220 Bluetooth Sharing
220 Restricting Access to Specified Users
221 Understanding and Managing Daemons and Agents
221 Listing Active Daemons and Agents on the System
221 Configuration Files for Daemons and Agents
222 Disabling and Re-enabling Daemons and Agents
224 Where to Get Additional Information
Chapter 10 225 Advanced Security Management

225 Managing Authorization Through Rights
225 Understanding the Policy Database
Contents 9
225 The Rights Dictionary
227 The Rules Dictionary
228 Managing Authorization Rights
228 Creating an Authorization Right
228 Modifying an Authorization Right
229 Example Authorization Restrictions
229 Example of Authorizing for Screen Saver
231 Maintaining System Integrity
231 Validating File Integrity
232 About File Integrity Checking Tools
232 Using Digital Signatures to Validate Applications and Processes
233 Validating Application Bundle Integrity
233 Validating Running Processes
234 Using Activity Analysis Tools
234 Validating System Logging
235 Configuring syslogd
235 Local System Logging
236 Remote System Logging
236 Auditing System Activity
237 Security Auditing
237 Enabling Security Auditing
237 Analyzing Security Audit Logs
238 Auditing Additional Events
239 Using Antivirus Tools
239 Using Intrusion Detection Systems
Appendix A 240 Security Checklist

240 Installation Action Items
241 Hardware Action Items
241 Global System Action Items
242 System Preferences Action Items
243 Account Configuration Action Items
244 Encryption (DAR) Action Items
244 Application Action Items
245 Services Action Items
246 Advanced Management Action Items
Appendix B 247 Security Scripts
Index 268
10 Contents
About This Guide
Preface
This guide provides an overview of features in Mac OS X that
you can use to customize security, known as hardening your
computer.
This guide provides instructions and recommendations for securing Mac OS X v10.6
Snow Leopard, and for maintaining a secure computer.
Important: This document is intended for use by security professionals in sensitive

environments. Implementing the techniques and settings found in this document
impacts system functionality and may not be appropriate for every user or
environment.
Audience
This guide is for users of Mac OS X v 10.6 Snow Leopard or later. If you’re using this
guide, you should be an experienced Mac OS X user, be familiar with the Mac OS X user
interface, and have experience using the Terminal application’s command-line interface.
You should also be familiar with basic networking concepts.
Some instructions in this guide are complex, and use could cause serious effects on the
computer and its security. These instructions should only be used by experienced
Mac OS X users, and should be followed by thorough testing.
What’s in This Guide

This guide can assist you in securing a client computer. It does not provide information
about securing servers. For help securing computers running Mac OS X Server v10.6
Snow Leopard, see Mac OS X Server Security Configuration.
This guide includes the following chapters:

Â Chapter 1, “Introduction to Mac OS X Security Architecture,” explains the
infrastructure of Mac OS X. It also discusses the layers of security in Mac OS X.
11
Â Chapter 2, “Installing Mac OS X,” describes how to securely install Mac OS X. The
chapter also discusses how to securely install software updates and explains
permissions and how to repair them.
Â Chapter 3, “Securing System Hardware,” explains how to physically protect your
hardware from attacks. This chapter also tells you how to secure settings that affect
users of the computer.
Â Chapter 4, “Securing Global System Settings,” describes how to secure global system
settings such as firmware and Snow Leopard startup. There is also information on
setting up system logs to monitor system activity.
Â Chapter 5, “Securing System Preferences,” describes recommended settings to secure
Mac OS X system preferences.
Â Chapter 6, “Securing Accounts,” describes the types of user accounts and how to
securely configure an account. This includes securing the system administrator
account, using Open Directory, and using strong authentication.
Â Chapter 7, “Securing Data and Using Encryption,” describes how to encrypt data and
how to use Secure Erase to verify that old data is completely removed.
Â Chapter 8, “Securing Applications,” describes how to protect your data while using
Apple applications.
Â Chapter 9, “Securing Network Services,” describes how to secure your computer
services.
Â Chapter 10, “Advanced Security Management,” describes how to use security audits
to validate the integrity of your computer and data.
Â Appendix A, “Security Checklist,” provides a checklist that guides you through
securing your computer.
Â Appendix B, “Security Scripts,” provides a script template for creating a script to
secure your computer.
Note: Because Apple periodically releases new versions and updates to its software,
images shown in this book may be different from what you see on your screen.
Using This Guide

The following list contains suggestions for using this guide:
Â Read the guide in its entirety. Subsequent sections might build on information and
recommendations discussed in prior sections.
Â The instructions in this guide should always be tested in a nonoperational
environment before deployment. This nonoperational environment should simulate,
as much as possible, the environment where the computer will be deployed.
Â This information is intended for computers running Mac OS X. Before securely
configuring a computer, determine what function that particular computer will
perform, and apply security configurations where applicable.
12 Preface About This Guide

Â A security checklist is provided in the appendix to track and record the settings you
choose for each security task and note what settings you change to secure your
computer. This information can be helpful when developing a security standard
within your organization.
Important: Any deviation from this guide should be evaluated to determine security
risks that might be introduced and to take measures to monitor or mitigate those risks.
Using the Command-Line Instructions from This Guide

The command-line instructions included in this document are for example only.
They cannot be copied and pasted directly into a working environment and function
properly.
The commands require customizing to your own environments needs and settings
before they can be used. Read the appropriate man pages and usage instructions for
each command before attempting to use the commands.
All the commands must be run with sudo or root authority. Failing to authenticate as a
sudoer will result in failed commands or worse unintended consequences.
Using Onscreen Help

To see the latest help topics, make sure the computer is connected to the Internet
while you’re using Help Viewer. Help Viewer automatically retrieves and caches the
latest help topics from the Internet. When not connected to the Internet, Help Viewer
displays cached help topics.
Mac Help
You can view instructions and other useful information and documents in the server
suite by using onscreen help.
On a computer running Mac OS X, you can access onscreen help from the Finder or
other applications on the computer. Use the Help menu to open Help Viewer.
Related Snow Leopard Server Security Guide

If you want information about Snow Leopard Server, refer to Mac OS X Server Security
Configuration. That guide contains information about making Snow Leopard Server and
the computer it’s installed on more secure, as required by enterprise and government
customers.
Preface About This Guide 13

Viewing PDF Guides on Screen
While reading the PDF version of a guide onscreen:
Â Show bookmarks to see the guide’s outline, and click a bookmark to jump to the
corresponding section.
Â Search for a word or phrase to see a list of places where it appears in the document.
Click a listed place to see the page where it occurs.
Â Click a cross-reference to jump to the referenced section. Click a web link to visit the
website in your browser.
Printing PDF Guides

If you want to print a guide, you can take these steps to save paper and ink:
Â Save ink or toner by not printing the cover page.
Â Save color ink on a color printer by looking in the panes of the Print dialog for an
option to print in grays or black and white.
Â Reduce the bulk of the printed document and save paper by printing more than one
page per sheet of paper. In the Print dialog, change Scale to 115% (155% for Getting
Started). Then choose Layout from the untitled pop-up menu. If your printer supports
two-sided (duplex) printing, select one of the Two-Sided options. Otherwise, choose
2 from the Pages per Sheet pop-up menu, and optionally choose Single Hairline from
the Border menu. (If you’re using Mac OS X version 10.4 Tiger or earlier, the Scale
setting is in the Page Setup dialog and the Layout settings are in the Print dialog.)
You may want to enlarge the printed pages even if you don’t print double sided,
because the PDF page size is smaller than standard printer paper. In the Print dialog
or Page Setup dialog, try changing Scale to 115% (155% for Getting Started, which has
CD-size pages).
Getting Documentation Updates

Periodically, Apple posts revised help pages and new editions of guides. Some revised
help pages update the latest editions of the guides.
Â To view new onscreen help topics for a server application, make sure your server or
administrator computer is connected to the Internet and click “Latest help topics” or
“Staying current” in the main help page for the application.
Â To download the latest guides in PDF format, go to the Mac OS X Server
documentation website:
www.apple.com/server/documentation

Â An RSS feed listing the latest updates to Snow Leopard Server documentation and
onscreen help is available. To view the feed use an RSS reader application, such as
Safari or Mail:
feed://helposx.apple.com/rss/snowleopard/serverdocupdates.xml
Getting Additional Information

For more information, consult these resources:
Â Read Me documents—important updates and special information. Look for them on
the server discs.
Â Mac OS X Server website (www.apple.com/server/macosx)—gateway to extensive
product and technology information.
Â Mac OS X Server Support website (www.apple.com/support/macosxserver)—access to
hundreds of articles from Apple’s support organization.
Â Apple Discussions website (discussions.apple.com)—a way to share questions,
knowledge, and advice with other administrators.
Â Apple Mailing Lists website (www.lists.apple.com)—subscribe to mailing lists so you
can communicate with other administrators using email.
Â Apple Customer Training website (train.apple.com)—instructor-led and self-paced
courses for honing your server administration skills.
Â Apple Certification Programs website (train.apple.com/certification/)—in-depth
certification programs designed to create a high level of competency among
Macintosh service technicians, help desk personnel, technical coordinators, system
administrators, and other professional users.
Â Apple Product Security Mailing Lists website (lists.apple.com/mailman/listinfo/security-
announce)—mailing lists for communicating by email with other administrators
about security notifications and announcements.
Â Open Source website (developer.apple.com/opensource/)—access to Darwin open
source code, developer information, and FAQs.
Â Apple Product Security website (www.apple.com/support/security/)—access to
security information and resources, including security updates and notifications.
For additional security-specific information, consult these resources:

Â NSA security configuration guides (www.nsa.gov/snac/)—The US National Security
Agency provides a wealth of information on securely configuring proprietary and
open source software.
Â NIST Security Configuration Checklists Repository (checklists.nist.gov/repository/
category.html)—This is the US National Institute of Standards and Technology
repository for security configuration checklists.
Preface About This Guide 15

Â DISA Security Technical Implementation Guide (www.disa.mil/dsn/policies.html)—This
is the US Defense Information Systems Agency guide for implementing secure
government networks. A Department of Defense (DoD) PKI Certificate is required to
access this information.
Â CIS Benchmark and Scoring Tool (www.cisecurity.org/bench_osx.html)—The Center for
Internet Security benchmark and scoring tool is used to establish CIS benchmarks.
Â Smart Card Services Project (smartcardservices.macosforge.org)—The Smart Card
Services Project provides instructions for implementing smart cards in Apple’s
Common Data Security Architecture (CDSA).
Acknowledgments
Apple would like to thank the National Security Agency, the National Institute of
Standards and Technology, and the Defense Information Systems Agency for their
assistance in creating and editing the client and server security configuration guides for
Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

1 Introduction to Mac OS X Security
Architecture 1
Use this chapter to learn about the features in Mac OS X that
enhance security on your computer.
Whether you’re a home user with a broadband Internet connection, a professional with
a mobile computer, or an IT manager with thousands of networked systems, you need
to safeguard the confidentiality of information and the integrity of your computers.
With Mac OS X, a security strategy is implemented that is central to the design of the
operating system. To enhance security on your computer, Snow Leopard provides the
following features.
Â Modern security architecture. Mac OS X includes state-of-the-art, standards-based
technologies that enable Apple and third-party developers to build secure software
for the Mac. These technologies support all aspects of system, data, and networking
security required by today’s applications.
Â Secure default settings. When you take your Mac out of the box, it is securely
configured to meet the needs of most common environments, so you don’t need to
be a security expert to set up your computer. The default settings make it very
difficult for malicious software to infect your computer. You can further configure
security on the computer to meet organizational or user requirements.
Â Innovative security applications. Mac OS X includes features that take the worry out
of using a computer. For example, FileVault protects your documents by using strong
encryption, an integrated VPN client gives you secure access to networks over the
Internet, and a powerful firewall secures your home network.
Â Open source foundation. Open-source methodology makes Mac OS X a robust,
secure operating system, because its core components have been subjected to peer
review for decades. Problems can be quickly identified and fixed by Apple and the
larger open-source community.
17
Â Rapid response. Because the security of your computer is important, Apple responds
rapidly to provide patches and updates. Apple works with worldwide partners,
including the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), to notify users of
potential threats. If vulnerabilities are discovered, the built-in Software Update tool
notifies users of security updates, which are available for easy retrieval and
installation.
Security Architectural Overview

Mac OS X security services are built on two open-source standards:
Â Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD). BSD is a form of UNIX that provides
fundamental services, including the Mac OS X file system and file access permissions.
Â Common Data Security Architecture (CDSA). CDSA provides an array of security
services, including more specific access permissions, authentication of user identities,
encryption, and secure data storage.
UNIX Infrastructure
The Mac OS X kernel—the heart of the operating system—is built from BSD and Mach.
Among other things, BSD provides basic file system and networking services and
implements a user and group identification scheme. BSD enforces access restrictions to
files and system resources based on user and group IDs.
Mach provides memory management, thread control, hardware abstraction, and

interprocess communication. Mach enforces access by controlling which tasks can send
a message to a Mach port. (A Mach port represents a task or some other resource.) BSD
security policies and Mach access permissions constitute an essential part of security in
Mac OS X, and are critical to enforcing local security.
Access Permissions
An important aspect of computer security is the granting or denying of access
permissions (sometimes called access rights). A permission is the ability to perform
a specific operation, such as gaining access to data or to execute code.
Permissions are granted at the level of folders, subfolders, files, or applications.

Permissions are also granted for specific data in files or application functions.
Permissions in Mac OS X are controlled at many levels, from the Mach and BSD
components of the kernel through higher levels of the operating system, and
—for networked applications—through network protocols.
18 Chapter 1 Introduction to Mac OS X Security Architecture

Authorization Versus Authentication
Authorization is the process by which an entity, such as a user or a computer, obtains
the right to perform a restricted operation. Authorization can also refer to the right
itself, as in “Anne has the authorization to run that program.” Authorization usually
involves authenticating the entity and then determining whether it has the correct
permissions.
Authentication is the process by which an entity (such as the user) demonstrates that
they are who they say they are. For example, the user, entering a password which only
he or she could know, allows the system to authenticate that user. Authentication is
normally done as a step in the authorization process. Some applications and operating
system components perform their own authentication. Authentication might use
authorization services when necessary.
Security Framework
The security framework in Mac OS X is an implementation of the CDSA architecture.
It contains an expandable set of cryptographic algorithms to perform code signing
and encryption operations while maintaining the security of the cryptographic keys.
It also contains libraries that allow the interpretation of X.509 certificates.
The CDSA code is used by Mac OS X features such as Keychain and URL Access for
protection of login data.
Apple built the foundation of Mac OS X and many of its integrated services with open
source software—such as FreeBSD, Apache, and Kerberos, among others—that has
been made secure through years of public scrutiny by developers and security experts
around the world.
Strong security is a benefit of open-source software because anyone can inspect the
source code, identify theoretical vulnerabilities, and take steps to strengthen the
software.
Apple actively participates with the open-source community by routinely releasing

updates of Mac OS X that are subject to independent developers’ ongoing review
—and by incorporating improvements. An open-source software development
approach provides the transparency necessary to increase Mac OS X security.
Chapter 1 Introduction to Mac OS X Security Architecture 19

Layered Security Defense
Mac OS X security is built on a layered defense for maximum protection. Security
features such as the following provide solutions for securing data at all levels, from
the operating system and applications to networks and the Internet.
Secure Worldwide Communication Internet
Secure Applications Applications
Secure Network Protocols Network
Security Services Operating System
Secure Boot/”Lock Down” Hardware
Â Secure worldwide communication—Firewall and mail filtering help prevent

malicious software from compromising your computer.
Â Secure applications— Encrypted Disk Images and FileVault help prevent intruders
from viewing data on your computer.
Â Secure network protocols—Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a protocol that helps
prevent intruders from viewing information exchange across a network, Kerberos
secures the authentication process, and a firewall prevents unauthorized access
to a computer or network.
Â Security Services—Authentication using keychains, together with POSIX and ACL
permissions, helps prevent intruders from using your applications and accessing
your files.
Â Secure boot and lock down—The Firmware Password Utility helps prevent people
who can access your hardware from gaining root-level access permissions to your
computer files.
Network Security
Secure Transport is used to implement SSL and Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols.
These protocols provide secure communications over a TCP/IP connection such
as the Internet by using encryption and certificate exchange. A firewall can then
filter communication over a TCP/IP connection by permitting or denying access to
a computer or a network.

Credential Management
A keychain is used to store passwords, keys, certificates, and other data placed in the
keychain by a user. Due to the sensitive nature of this information, keychains use
cryptography to encrypt and decrypt secrets, and they safely store secrets and related
data in files.
Mac OS X Keychain services enable you to create keychains and securely store keychain
items. After a keychain is created, you can add, delete, and edit keychain items, such as
passwords, keys, certificates, and notes for users.
A user can unlock a keychain through authentication (by using a password, digital
token, smart card, or biometric reader) and applications can then use that keychain to
store and retrieve data, such as passwords.
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)

The Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) includes certificate, key, and trust services
functions to:
Â Create, manage, and read certificates
Â Add certificates to a keychain
Â Create encryption keys
Â Manage trust policies
These functions are used when the services call Common Security Service Manager
(CSSM) functions. This is transparent to users.

What’s New in Snow Leopard v10.6
Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard offers the following major security enhancements:
Â Increased security for memory and protection: Snow Leopard running on
the 64-bit chip improves support for memory and executable protection
against arbitrary code execution. Technologies such as execute disable, library
randomization, and sandboxing help prevent attacks that try to hijack or
modify the software on your computer.
Â Better Trojan horse protection: Snow Leopard maintains profiles for known
malicious software, and prevents its download through many applications.
Â Increased VPN compatibility: Virtual private network (VPN) support has been
enhanced to support Cisco IPSec VPN connections without additional software.
Â Improved Cryptology technologies: Snow Leopard includes Elliptical Curve
Cryptography (ECC) support in most of its encryption technologies.
Â Support for Extended Validation Certificates: Extended Validation (EV) Certificates
requires the Certificate Authority to investigate the identity of the certificate holder
before issuing a certificate.
Â Support for wildcards in domains for Keychain Access identity preferences: This
allows a client certificate-authenticated connections to multiple servers or paths
defined within a single ID Pref.
Â Updated security command-line tools: The security and networksetup command-
line tools have been enhanced.
Â Enhanced Safari 4.0 security: Safari has enhanced detection of fraudulent sites. It
also runs many browser plug-ins as separate processes for enhanced security and
stability.
Existing Security Features in Snow Leopard

Snow Leopard continues to include the following security features and technologies
to enhance the protection of your computer and your personal information.
Â Application signing: This enables you to verify the integrity and identity of
applications on your Mac.
Â Mandatory access control: These enforce restrictions on access to system resources.
Â Quarantined applications: Snow Leopard tags and marks downloaded files with
first-run warnings to help prevent users from inadvertently running malicious
downloaded applications.
Â Application based firewall: After you activate the new application firewall, the
firewall configures itself to restrict incoming applications without requiring the user
to write complicated rules.
Â Runtime protection: Technologies such as execute disable, library randomization,
and sandboxing help prevent attacks that try to hijack or modify the software on
your system.

Â Meaningful security alerts: When users receive security alerts and questions too
frequently, they may fall into reflexive mode when the system asks a security-related
question, clicking OK without thought. Snow Leopard minimizes the number of
security alerts that you see, so when you do see one, it gets your attention.
Signed Applications
By signing applications, your Mac can verify the identity and integrity of an application.
Applications shipped with Snow Leopard are signed by Apple. In addition, third-party
software developers can sign their software for the Mac. Application signing doesn’t
provide intrinsic protection, but it integrates with several other features to enhance
security.
Features such as parental controls, managed preferences, Keychain, and the firewall use
application signing to verify that the applications they are working with are the correct,
unmodified versions.
With Keychain, the use of signing dramatically reduces the number of Keychain dialogs
presented to users because the system can validate the integrity of an application that
uses Keychain. With parental controls and managed preferences, the system uses
signatures to verify that an application runs unmodified.
The application firewall uses signatures to identify and verify the integrity of
applications that are granted network access. In the case of parental controls and
the firewall, unsigned applications are signed by the system on an ad hoc basis to
identify them and verify that they remain unmodified.
Mandatory Access Controls

Snow Leopard uses an access control mechanism known as mandatory access controls.
Although the Mandatory Access Control technology is not visible to users, it is included
in Snow Leopard to protect your computer.
Mandatory access controls are policies that cannot be overridden. These policies set
security restrictions created by the developer. This approach is different from
discretionary access controls that permit users to override security policies according to
their preferences.
Mandatory access controls in Snow Leopard aren’t visible to users, but they are the
underlying technology that helps enable several important new features, including
sandboxing, parental controls, managed preferences, and a safety net feature for
Time Machine.

Time Machine illustrates the difference between mandatory access controls and the
user privilege model—it allows files within Time Machine backups to be deleted only
by programs related to Time Machine. From the command line, no user— not even one
logged in as root—can delete files in a Time Machine backup.
Time Machine uses this strict policy because it utilizes new file system features in
Snow Leopard. The policy prevents corruption in the backup directory by preventing
tools from deleting files from backups that may not consider the new file system
features.
Mandatory access controls are integrated with the exec system service to prevent the
execution of unauthorized applications. This is the basis for application controls in
parental controls in Snow Leopard and managed preferences in Snow Leopard Server.
Mandatory access controls enable strong parental controls. In the case of the new
sandboxing facility, mandatory access controls restrict access to system resources as
determined by a special sandboxing profile that is provided for each sandboxed
application. This means that even processes running as root can have extremely limited
access to system resources.
Sandboxing
Sandboxing helps ensure that applications do only what they’re intended to do by
placing controls on applications that restrict what files they can access, whether the
applications can talk to the network, and whether the applications can be used to
launch other applications.
In Snow Leopard, many of the system’s helper applications that normally communicate
with the network—such as mDNSResponder (the software underlying Bonjour) and the
Kerberos KDC—are sandboxed to guard them from abuse by attackers trying to access
the system.
In addition, other programs that routinely take untrusted input (for instance, arbitrary
files or network connections), such as Xgrid and the Quick Look and Spotlight
background daemons, are sandboxed.
Sandboxing is based on the system’s mandatory access controls mechanism, which is

implemented at the kernel level. Sandboxing profiles are developed for each
application that runs in a sandbox, describing precisely which resources are accessible
to the application.
Managed User Accounts

Parental controls provide computer administrators with the tools to enforce a
reasonable level of restrictions for users of the computer.

Administrator users can use features like Simple Finder to limit the launching of a set
of applications or create a white list of web sites that users can visit. However, if an
attacker has physical access to the computer ports such as USB or Firewire, Parental
controls can be bypassed by mounting a disk image that contain malicious software.
You can secure these ports by disabling them. For information about disabling
hardware, see Chapter 3, “Securing System Hardware.”
This is the kind of simple UI administrators of a public library or computer environment

can use to restrict access to applications or sites to keep users from performing
malicious activities.
Enhanced Quarantining
Applications that download files from the Internet or receive files from external sources
(such as mail attachments) can use the Quarantine feature to provide a first line of
defense against malicious software such as Trojan horses. When an application receives
an unknown file, it adds metadata (quarantine attributes) to the file using functions
found in Launch Services.
Files downloaded using Safari, Mail, and iChat are tagged with metadata indicating
that they are downloaded files and referring to the URL, date, and time of the
download. This metadata is propagated from archive files that are downloaded (such
as ZIP or DMG files) so that any file extracted from an archive is also tagged with
the same information. This metadata is used by the download inspector to prevent
dangerous file types from being opened unexpectedly.
The first time you try to run an application that has been downloaded, Download
Inspector inspects the file, prompts you with a warning asking whether you want to
run the application, and displays the information on the date, time, and location of the
download.
You can continue to open the application or cancel the attempt, which is appropriate
if you don’t recognize or trust the application. After an application is opened, this
message does not appear again for that application and the quarantine attributes
are lifted.
This mechanism dramatically reduces the number of warnings related to downloads

that you see. Such messages appear only when you attempt to launch a downloaded
application. When you do see a warning, you are given useful information about the
source of the download that can help you make an informed decision about whether
to proceed.

The file and its contents are also inspected for malicious software (malware). If malware
is detected, a dialog appears with the name of the malware threat contained in the file.
It warns the user to move the file to the Trash or eject the image and delete the source
file to prevent damage to the computer. Malware patterns are continually updated
through software updates.
Application-Based and IP Firewalls

An application-based firewall makes it easier for nonexperts to get the benefits of
firewall protection. The firewall allows or blocks incoming connections on a per-
application basis rather than on a per-port basis.
Users can restrict firewall access to essential network services (such as those needed for
DHCP, BOOTP, IPSec VPNs, and Bonjour), or they can allow (or block) access to selected
applications on an individual basis.
The application firewall uses digital signatures to verify the identity of applications. If
you select an unsigned application, Snow Leopard signs that application to uniquely
identify it. Also new in Snow Leopard, is the ability to permit all signed software to
automatically receive incoming connections.
For expert users, the IPFW firewall is available. Because IPFW handles packets at the
protocol layer of the networking stack and the application firewall is an application
layer filter, IPFW rules take precedence.
Memory and Runtime Protection

Snow Leopard running on a 64-bit chip supports memory and executable protection.
Memory and executable protection prevent specific types of malicious software from
exploiting the memory allocation or execution methods to force a processor to execute
arbitrary code from another process’ memory area.
Snow Leopard has the following 64-bit protection features: no-execute stack,
noexecute data, and no-execute heap. In Snow Leopard, no-execute stack is available
for 32- and 64-bit applications. For 64-bit processes, Snow Leopard provides protection
from code execution in both heap and stack data areas.
Snow Leopard also has Library Randomization. Library Randomization uses shifting
memory locations for operating system processes each time the system starts up.
Because an attacker cannot depend on key system processes running in known
memory locations, it is very difficult to compromise the operating system.
Snow Leopard also has process sandboxing, which is a way of restricting what kinds of
activities an application can perform.

Securing Sharing and Collaborative Services
In Snow Leopard, you can configure and secure sharing services by using service access
control lists (SACLs) and a secure connection.
Service Access Control Lists

You can further secure sharing services by allowing access only to users that you
specified in a service access control lists (SACLs). You can create user accounts for
sharing based on existing user accounts on the system, and for entries in your address
book. Sharing services become more secure with SACLs.
VPN Compatibility and Integration

Snow Leopard includes a universal VPN client with support built into the Network
preferences pane, so you have everything you need to establish a secure connection.
The VPN client supports L2TP over IPSec and PPTP, which make Apple’s VPN client
compatible with the most popular VPN servers, including those from Microsoft and
Cisco.
You can also use digital certificates and one-time password tokens from RSA or
CRYPTOcard for authentication with the VPN client. The one-time password tokens
provide a randomly generated passcode number that must be entered with the VPN
password—a great option for those who require extremely robust security.
In addition, the L2TP VPN client can be authenticated using credentials from a Kerberos
server. In either case, you can save the settings for each VPN server you routinely use as
a location, so you can reconnect without reconfiguring your system each time.
Apple’s L2TP VPN client can connect you to protected networks automatically by using
its VPN-on-demand feature. VPN-on-demand can detect when you want to access a
network that is protected by a VPN server and can start the connection process for you.
This means that your security is increased because VPN connections can be closed
when not in use, and you can work more efficiently.
In Snow Leopard, the VPN client includes support for Cisco Group Filtering. It also
supports DHCP over PPP to dynamically acquire additional configuration options such
as Static Routes and Search Domains.
Improved Cryptography
Snow Leopard includes Elliptical Curve Cryptography (ECC) support in most of its
encryption technologies. ECC encryption is an additional mathematical model for
generating and reading encryption keys. Snow Leopard supports Elliptic Curve Digital
Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) for signing and key exchange.

ECC-based signatures have size and performance advantages. An ECC key of a given
length can be cryptographically stronger than a DSA or RSA key of the same length.
This means that a smaller ECC-based key (and therefore a faster key to process) can be
just as strong as a very long RSA-based one.
ECC is supported in the following areas: TLS/SSL, S/MIME, Apple’s Certificate Assistant,
and Apple’s certtool command-line tool.
Extended Validation Certificates

Extended Validation (EV) certificates are a special type of X.509 certificate that requires
the Certificate Authority (CA) to investigate the identity of the certificate holder before
the CA can issue the certificate.
CAs who want to issue EV certificates must provide an investigation process that passes
an independent audit, and also establishes the legal identity and legal claim to the
domain name of the certificate applicant.
Wildcard in Identity Preferences

Wildcards can now be used in domains for Keychain Access identity preferences. This
allows client certificate-authenticated connections to multiple servers or paths defined
within a single ID Pref.
This is often used with certificates used by Common Access Cards (CACs). For more
information on Smart Cards, see “Smart Card Support for Unlocking Encrypted Storage”
on page 29.
Enhanced Command-Line Tools

The security command-line tool has expanded functions in Snow Leopard.
Additionally, networksetup has been enhanced to handle importing and exporting
802.1X profiles as well as set a TLS identity on a user profile.
For more information, see the tools’ respective man pages.
FileVault and Encrypted Storage

The Disk Utility tool included in Snow Leopard enables you to create encrypted disk
images, so you can safely mail valuable documents, files, and folders to friends and
colleagues, save the encrypted disk image to CD or DVD, or store it on the local system
or a network file server. FileVault also uses this same encrypted disk image technology
to protect user folders.

Enhanced Encrypted Disk Image Cryptography
A disk image is a file that appears as a volume on your hard disk. It can be copied,
moved, or opened. When the disk image is encrypted, files or folders placed in it are
encrypted using 128-bit or even stronger 256-bit AES encryption.
To see the contents of the disk image, including metadata such as file name, date, size,
or other properties, a user must enter the password or have a keychain with the correct
password.
The file is decrypted in real time, as it is used. For example, if you open a QuickTime
movie from an encrypted disk image, Snow Leopard decrypts only the portion of the
movie currently playing.
Smart Card Support for Unlocking Encrypted Storage

Smart cards enable you to carry digital certificates with you. With Snow Leopard, you
can use your smart card whenever an authentication dialog is presented.
Snow Leopard has the following token modules to support this robust, two-factor
authentication mechanism and Java Card 2.1 standards:
Â Belgium National Identification Card (BELPIC)
Â U.S. Department of Defense Common Access Card (CAC)
Â Japanese government PKI (JPKI)
Â U.S. Federal Government Personal Identity Verification, also called FIPS-201(PIV)
Other commercial smart card vendors provide token modules to support integration of
their smart card with the Snow Leopard Smart Card architecture. For more information,
see http://smartcardservices.macosforge.org/.
Similar to an ATM card and a PIN code, two-factor authentication relies on something
you have and something you know. If your smart card is lost or stolen, it cannot be
used unless your PIN is also known.
Snow Leopard has additional functionality for smart card use, such as:
Â Lock system on smart card removal. You can configure your Mac to lock the system
when you remove your smart card.
Â Unlock keychain. When you insert a smart card, the keychain can be unlocked and
then your stored information and credentials can be used.
Â Unlock FileVault. You can use a smart card to unlock your FileVault encrypted home
directory. You can enable this function by using a private key on a smart card.

Enhanced Safari 4.0 Security
Safari offers several kinds of enhanced security for web browsing. It supports the
built-in malware scanning function, so downloaded files are checked for specific
Trojan Horse attacks.
Safari also includes a fraudulent site detection feature. It works like this: Google
maintains a blacklist of known and highly suspected malware-transmitting sites and
phishing sites (harvesters of sensitive data). Google adds a hash of each site’s URL
to a database that some web browsers can use at safebrowsing.clients.google.com.
When Safari launches, it downloads an abbreviated list of these sites’ hashes. When
you navigate to a web site, Safari checks the blacklist. If the website you’re accessing
matches a hash, Safari contacts Google for complete URL information. If it is a positive
match, Safari warns you that you may be attempting to access a malware site or
phishing site.
Safari stores data in the folder at /private/var/folders/ in folders with two- letter names.
The full path is /private/var/folders/xx/yy/-Caches-/com.apple.Safari, where “xx” and
“yy” are unique codes. When you access that folder, you see Safari’s cache file Cache.db
and Google’s Safe Browsing initiative blacklist file SafeBrowsing.db.

2 Installing Mac OS X
2
Use this chapter to install and initialize or update Mac OS X,
to repair disk permissions, or to customize your installation to
meet your security needs.
Although the default installation of Mac OS X is highly secure, you can customize it for
your network security needs. By securely configuring the stages of the installation and
understanding Mac OS X permissions, you can harden your computer to match your
security policy.
System Installation Overview

If Mac OS X was previously installed on the computer, consider reinstalling it. By
reformatting the volume and reinstalling Mac OS X, you avoid vulnerabilities caused
by previous installations or settings.
Because some recoverable data might remain on the computer, securely erase the
partition you’re installing Mac OS X on. For more information, see “Using Disk Utility to
Securely Erase a Disk or Partition” on page 160.
If you decide against securely erasing the partition, securely erase free space after
installing Mac OS X. For more information, see “Using Disk Utility to Securely Erase Free
Space” on page 162.
Installing from DVD

Before you install Mac OS X, securely erase the partition you want to install Mac OS X
on. For more information, see “Using Disk Utility to Securely Erase a Disk or Partition”
on page 160.
During installation, install only the packages you plan on using. Removing unused
packages frees disk space and reduces the risk of attackers finding vulnerabilities in
unused components.
Also, to prevent an attacker from attempting to access your computer during

installation, disconnect it from your network.
31
To install Mac OS X v10.6 from original installation discs:
WARNING: When you install Mac OS X, you erase the contents of the partition you’re
installing on. Before continuing, back up the files you want to keep.
1 Insert the Mac OS X installation discs in the optical drive.

2 Restart the computer while holding down the C key.
The computer starts up using the disc in the optical drive.
3 Proceed through the Installer panes by following the onscreen instructions.
4 When prompted to select a disk, click Utilities > Disk Utility.
5 From the list of partitions, choose the partition you want to install Mac OS X on.
6 Click the Erase pane.
7 From the Format pop-up menu, choose “Mac OS Extended (Journaled).”
Mac OS Extended disk formatting provides extended file characteristics that enhance
multiplatform interoperability.
8 Click Erase.
9 When prompted with the alert “Are you sure you want to erase the partition “name of
partition”,” click Erase.
10 Close Disk Utility.
11 Choose the partition you erased and click Customize.
12 From the list of packages, deselect packages you do not plan on using.
Do not select the X11 package unless you use it. The X11 X Window system lets you run
X11-based applications in Mac OS X. Although this might be useful, it also makes it
harder to maintain a secure configuration. If you use X11, contact your network
administrator to securely configure it in your environment.
13 Click OK, then click Install.
Installing from the Network

There are several ways to deploy images from the network. When choosing a method,
make sure you can do it securely. When retrieving the image over a network, make sure
the network is isolated and can be trusted. For information about deploying images
from a network, see Advanced Server Administration.
In addition, verify the image to make sure it is correct. For more information about
verifying images, see “Verifying the Integrity of Software” on page 40.
32 Chapter 2 Installing Mac OS X

Restoring from Preconfigured Disk Images
One of the most efficient ways to deploy secure computers is to configure a model
computer using security settings requested by your organization and then create a disk
image to deploy the image on your computers. (For information about how to use Disk
Utility to create disk images, see System Imaging and Software Update Administration.)
Thoroughly test the settings, making sure the computer meets the standards of your
organization, and then create a disk image of the computer. You can then deploy this
image to each computer, avoiding the need to manually configure each computer.
You can use NetBoot or Apple Software Restore (ASR) to configure your computer from
a network-based disk image:
Â With NetBoot, you can install an image directly from the network. For information
about how to use NetBoot, see System Imaging and Software Update Administration.
Â With ASR, you can install an image deployed by an ASR server, or you can save that
image to disk. By saving the image to disk, you can verify its validity before using it. If
you’re configuring multiple computers simultaneously, ASR can be much more
efficient. For information about how to use ASR, enter man asr in a Terminal window.
Initial System Setup

After installing Mac OS X, the computer restarts and loads Setup Assistant, which you
use to initialize your system.
Using Setup Assistant

Setup Assistant initially configures Mac OS X. You can use Setup Assistant to transfer
information from other computers and send registration information to Apple.
Setup Assistant configures the first account on the computer as an administrator

account. Administrator accounts should only be used for administration. Users should
use standard user accounts for day-to-day computer use.
Note: Apple protects information submitted by Setup Assistant, but avoid entering
information considered sensitive by your organization.
To use Setup Assistant without providing confidential information:

1 Proceed to the Do You Already Own a Mac screen, select “Do not transfer my
information now,” and click Continue.
2 In the Enter Your Apple ID screen, don’t enter values in the provided fields.
The administrator account should only be used for administration, so there’s no need
for an Apple ID.
3 In Registration Information, press Command-Q and click “Skip to bypass the remaining
registration and setup process.”
Chapter 2 Installing Mac OS X 33

When you bypass the remaining registration and setup process, you can’t go back to
change settings. Before bypassing, you might want to go back through the steps to
remove sensitive information.
If you enter registration information, an additional step, Register With Apple,
appears later in the installation process. Select “Register Later, but don’t register with
Apple.”
4 In the Connect to Mac OS X Server screen, don’t connect to a Mac OS X server.
5 Click Continue.
Creating Initial System Accounts

After completing the initial steps in Setup Assistant, you’re presented with the Create
Your Account step. In this step, you create a system administrator account. Make this
account as secure as possible.
Important: The system administrator account should be used only when absolutely
necessary to perform administrative tasks. Create additional accounts for
nonadministrative use. For more information, see “Types of User Accounts” on page 118.
To set up a secure system administrator account:

1 In the Full Name and Account Name fields, enter names that are not easily guessed.
Avoid names and account names like “administrator” and “admin.”
You can use the full or account name when you’re authenticating. The account name is
often used by UNIX commands and services.
2 In the Password and Verify fields, enter a complex password that is at least 12 characters
and composed of mixed-cased characters, numbers, and special characters (such as
! or @).
Mac OS X supports passwords that contain UTF-8 characters or any NUL-terminated
byte sequence.
For more information, see “Using Password Assistant to Generate or Analyze Passwords”
on page 130.
3 In the Password Hint field, do not enter information related to your password.
If a hint is provided, the user is presented with the hint after three failed authentication
attempts. Password-related information provided in the field could compromise the
integrity of the password. Adding contact information for your organization’s technical
support is convenient and doesn’t compromise password integrity.
4 Click Continue.

Setting Correct Time Settings
After creating the system administrator account, you configure the computer’s time
settings. You must configure the computer’s time settings correctly because several
authentication protocols, such as Kerberos, require valid time settings to work properly.
Also, security auditing tools rely on valid time settings.
Mac OS X can set the time by retrieving date and time information from a Network
Time Protocol (NTP) server. You should still set valid time settings in case you decide to
disable this feature, or in case you don’t have access to a secure internal NTP server.
For more information about using a secure NTP server, see “Securing Date & Time
Preferences” on page 75.
Turning Off Auto-login

Turn off Auto-login to ensure that the system enforces authentication from this point
forward during the configuration process.
Updating System Software

After installing Mac OS X, be sure to install the latest approved security updates. Before
connecting your computer to a network to obtain software updates, enable the firewall
in Security preferences to allow only essential services.
Mac OS X includes Software Update, an application that downloads and installs

software updates from Apple’s Software Update server or from an internal software
update server.
You can configure Software Update to check for updates automatically. You can also
configure Software Update to download, but not install, updates, if you want to install
them later.
Before installing updates, check with your organization for their policy on downloading
updates. They might prefer that you use an internal software update server, which
reduces the amount of external network traffic and lets the organization qualify
software updates using organization configurations before updating systems.
Important: Security updates published by Apple contain fixes for security issues and
are usually released in response to a specific known security problem. Applying these
updates is essential.
If Software Update does not install an update that you request, contact your network
administrator.

Important: If you have not secured and validated settings for network services, do not
enable your network connection to install software updates. For information, see
Chapter 9, “Securing Network Services.” Until you securely configure network services
settings, you are limited to using the manual method of installing software updates.
For more information, see “Updating Manually from Installer Packages” on page 38.
Software updates are obtained and installed in several ways:

Â Using Software Update to download and install updates from an internal software
update server
Â Using Software Update to download and install updates from Internet-based
software update servers
Â Manually downloading and installing updates as separate software packages
Updating from an Internal Software Update Server

Your computer can look for software updates on an internal software update server. By
using an internal software update server, you reduce the amount of data transferred
outside of the network. Your organization can control which updates can be installed
on your computer.
If you run Software Update on a wireless network or untrusted network, you might
download malicious updates from a rogue software update server. However, Software
Update will not install a package that has not been digitally signed by Apple. If
Software Update does not install a package, delete it from /Library/Updates/; then
download the update again.
You can connect your computer to a network that manages its client computers, which
enables the network to require that the computer use a specified software update
server. Or, you can modify the /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate.plist file
by entering the following command in a Terminal window to specify your software
update server.

From the command line:
# Updating from an Internal Software Update Server

# ------------------------------------------------
# Default Settings:
# blank
# Software updates are downloaded from one of the following software update
# servers hosted by Apple:
# swscan.apple.com:80
# swquery.apple.com:80
# swcdn.apple.com:80
# Suggested Settings:
# Specify the software update server to use.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate
CatalogURL http://swupdate.apple.com:8088/index-leopard-
snowleopard.merged-1.sucatalog
# Available Settings:
# Replace swupdate.apple.com with the fully qualified domain name (FQDN)
# or IP address of your software update server.
# To switch your computer back to the default Apple update server.

# defaults delete com.apple.SoftwareUpdate CatalogURL
Updating from Internet Software Update Servers

Before connecting to the Internet, make sure your network services are securely
configured. For information, see Chapter 9, “Securing Network Services.”
If you are a network administrator, instead of using your operational computer to check
for and install updates, consider using a test computer to download updates and verify
file integrity before installing updates. For more information about verify file integrity,
see “Verifying the Integrity of Software” on page 40.
You can then transfer the update packages to your operational computer. For
instructions on installing the updates, see “Updating Manually from Installer Packages”
on page 38.
You can also download software updates for Apple products at

www.apple.com/support/downloads/.
Important: Make sure updates are installed when the computer can be restarted
without affecting users accessing the server.
To download and install software updates using Software Update:

1 Choose Apple () > Software Update.

After Software Update looks for updates to your installed software, it displays a list
of updates. To get older versions of updates, go to the software update website at
www.apple.com/support/downloads/.
2 Select the updates you want to install, and choose Update > Install and Keep Package.
When you keep the package, it is stored in the user’s Downloads folder (user_name/
Downloads/).
If you do not want to install updates, click Quit.
3 Accept the licensing agreements to start installation.
Some updates might require your computer to restart. If Software Update asks you to
restart the computer, do so.
# Updating from Internet Software Update Server

# -----------------------------------
# Default Settings:
# The softwareupdate command by default checks and lists available
# updates for download. Software Update preferences are set to the
# command-line equivalent of:
# softwareupdate --list --schedule on
# Download and install software updates.
sudo softwareupdate --download --all --install
# Use the following commands to view softwareupdate options:
# $ softwareupdate -h
# or
# $ man softwareupdate
Updating Manually from Installer Packages

You can manually download software updates for Apple products from
support.apple.com/downloads/, preferably using a computer designated for
downloading and verifying updates. Perform each download separately so file
integrity can be verified before installing the updates.
You can review the contents of each security update before installing it. To see
the contents of a security update, go to Apple’s Security Support Page at
www.apple.com/support/security/ and click the Security Updates page link.
To manually download, verify, and install software updates:

1 Go to support.apple.com/downloads/ and download the software updates on a
computer designated for verifying software updates.

Note: Updates provided through Software Update might sometimes appear earlier
than standalone updates.
2 For each update file downloaded, review the SHA-1 digest (also known as a checksum),
which should be posted online with the update package.
3 Inspect downloaded updates for viruses.
4 Verify the integrity of each update.
For more information, see “Verifying the Integrity of Software” on page 40.
5 Transfer the update packages from your test computer to your current computer.
The default download location for update packages is /Library/Updates/. You can
transfer update packages to any location on your computer.
6 Double-click the package.
If the package is located in a disk image (dmg) file, double-click the dmg file and then
double-click the package.
7 Proceed through the installation steps.
8 If requested, restart the computer.
Install the system update and then install subsequent security updates. Install the
updates in order by release date, oldest to newest.
# Updating Manually from Installer Packages

# -----------------------------------
# Default Settings:
# None
# Download software updates.
sudo softwareupdate --download --all
# Install software updates.
sudo installer -pkg $Package_Path -target /Volumes/$Target_Volume
# Use the following commands to view installer options:
# $ installer -h
# or
# $ man installer

Verifying the Integrity of Software
Software images and updates can include an SHA-1 digest, which is also known as a
cryptographic checksum. You can use this SHA-1 digest to verify the integrity of the
software. Software updates retrieved and installed automatically from Software Update
verify the checksum before installation.
# Verifying the Integrity of Software

# -----------------------------------
# Default Settings:
# None
# Use the sha1 command to display a file’s SHA-1 digest.
# Replace $full_path_filename with the full path filename of the update
# package or image that SHA-1 digest is being checked for.
sudo /usr/bin/openssl sha1 $full_path_filename
# Use the following command to view the version of OpenSSl installed on
# your computer:
# $ openssl version
# Use the following command to view openssl options:
# $ man openssl
If provided, the SHA-1 digest for each software update or image should match the
digest created for that file. If not, the file was corrupted. Obtain a new copy.
Repairing Disk Permissions

Before you modify or repair disk permissions, you should understand the file and folder
permissions that Snow Leopard Server supports. Snow Leopard supports the following
permissions:
Â Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX) permissions—standard for UNIX
operating systems.
Â Access Control Lists (ACLs) permissions—used by Mac OS X, and compatible with
Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Windows XP, and Microsoft Windows Vista.
Note: In this guide, the term “privileges” refers to the combination of ownership and
permissions. The term “permissions” refers to permission settings that each user
category can have (Read & Write, Read Only, Write Only, and None).

POSIX Permissions Overview
POSIX permissions let you control access to files and folders. Every file or folder has
read, write, and execute permissions defined for three categories of users (Owner,
Group, and Everyone). You can assign four types of standard POSIX permissions:
Read&Write, Read Only, Write Only, None.
For more information, see “Setting POSIX Permissions” on page 144.
ACL Permissions Overview

An ACL provides an extended set of permissions for a file or folder and enables you to
set multiple users and groups as owners.
An ACL is a list of access control entries (ACEs), each specifying the permissions to be
granted or denied to a group or user and how these permissions are propagated
throughout a folder hierarchy.
In addition, ACLs are compatible with Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008,
Windows XP, and Windows Vista, giving you added flexibility in a multiplatform
environment.
ACLs allow you to be more specific than POSIX when granting permissions. For
example, rather than giving a user full write permission, you can restrict the user to the
creation of folders but not files.
If a file or folder has no ACEs defined for it, Mac OS X applies standard POSIX
permissions. If a file or folder has ACEs defined for it, Mac OS X starts with the first ACE
in the ACL and works its way down the list until the requested permission is satisfied or
denied.
After evaluating ACEs, Mac OS X evaluates standard POSIX permissions defined for the
file or folder. Then, based on the evaluation of ACL and standard POSIX permissions,
Mac OS X determines what type of access a user has to a shared file or folder.
For more information, see “Setting ACL Permissions” on page 147.
Using Disk Utility to Repair Disk Permissions

Installing software sometimes causes file permissions to become incorrectly set.
Incorrect file permissions can create security vulnerabilities. You can use Disk Utility to
repair POSIX permissions and minimal ACL permissions.
Most software you install in Mac OS X is installed from package (.pkg) files. Each time
something is installed from a package file, a Bill of Materials (.bom) file is created and
the installer database is updated. Each Bill of Materials file contains a list of files
installed by that package, along with the correct permissions for each file.

When you use Disk Utility to verify or repair disk permissions, it reads the Bill of
Materials files from the Mac OS X installation and compares its list to the permissions
on each file listed. If the permissions differ, Disk Utility can repair them.
You should repair disk permissions if you experience symptoms that indicate
permission-related problems after installing software, software updates, or applications.
If you’ve modified permissions for files in accordance with organizational policies,

repairing disk permissions can reset the modified permissions to those stated in the Bill
of Materials file. After repairing permissions, reapply the file permission modifications
to adhere to your organizational policies. Some organizations create scripts that
reapplies file and folder permissions required by the organization.
To repair disk permissions:

1 Open Disk Utility.
2 Select the partition you want to repair.
Select a partition, not a drive. Partitions are contained in drives and are indented one
level in the list on the left.
3 Click Verify Disk Permissions.
If you do not select a partition, this button is disabled.
If permission discrepancies exist that were not set by your organization, click Repair
Disk Permissions.
4 Choose Disk Utility > Quit Disk Utility.
# Using Disk Utility to Repair Disk Permissions

# -----------------------------------
# Default Setting:
# None
# Suggested Setting:
# Verify disk permissions
sudo diskutil verify Permissions /Volumes/$Target_Boot_Drive
# If permission discrepancies exist that were not set by your
# organizations, use the following Repair disk permissions command:
sudo diskutil repairPermissions /Volumes/$Target_Boot_Drive
# Available Setting:
# Use the following command to view diskutil options:
# $ diskutil
Note: You can also use the pkgutil command to repair specific package permissions.
For more information see pkgutil man pages.

3 Securing System Hardware
3
Use this chapter to secure the system hardware by disabling
the Operating System (OS) components and kernel
extensions.
After installing and setting up Mac OS X, make sure you protect your system by
disabling specific hardware OS components and kernel extensions.
Important: This document is intended for use by security professionals in sensitive

environments. Implementing the techniques and settings found in this document
impacts system functionality and might not be appropriate for every user or
environment.
Protecting Hardware
The first level of security is protection from unwanted physical access. If someone can
physically access a computer, it becomes much easier to compromise the computer’s
security. When someone has physical access to the computer, they can install malicious
software or event-tracking and data-capturing services.
Use as many layers of physical protection as possible. Restrict access to rooms that
contain computers that store or access sensitive information. Provide room access only
to those who must use those computers. If possible, lock the computer in a locked or
secure container when it is not in use, and bolt or fasten it to a wall or piece of
furniture.
The hard disk is the most critical hardware component in your computer. Take special
care to prevent access to the hard disk. If someone removes your hard disk and installs
it in another computer, they can bypass safeguards you set up. Lock or secure the
computer’s internal hardware.
If you can’t guarantee the physical security of the hard disk, consider using FileVault
for each home folder. FileVault encrypts home folder content and guards against the
content being compromised. For more information, see “Encrypting Home Folders”
on page 153.
43
FileVault does not protect against the threat of an attacker tampering with files on the
disk and reinstalling the drive. For example, an attacker could install a modified kernel,
and use it to obtain your FileVault password by logging your keyboard keystrokes. To
prevent such an attack, lock your computer when it is unattended. Also, if you share
your computer with others, limit those who have sudoer permissions. For information
about limiting sudoers, see “Securing Administrator Accounts” on page 124.
If you have a portable computer, keep it secure. Lock it up or hide it when it is not in
use. When transporting the computer, never leave it in an insecure location. Consider
buying a computer bag with a locking mechanism and lock the computer in the bag
when you aren’t using it.
Preventing Wireless Eavesdropping

Most network environments have wired and wireless access to the network.
Wireless access helps businesses or organizations offer mobility to users throughout
their network.
Although wireless technology gives your network more flexibility with your users, it
can cause security vulnerabilities you may be unaware of. Whenever possible, disable
wireless access for security reasons. When using a wireless access point, make sure you
properly configure the security settings to prevent unauthorized users from attempting
to access your network.
Your wireless access point should require encryption of the connection, user
authentication (through the use of certificates or smart cards), and time-outs for
connections.
By requiring an encrypted wireless connection, you can maintain the integrity and
confidentiality of data being transmitted to your wireless access point. The use of
certificates or smart cards helps ensure the users’ identity, so your users are who they
say they are.
Also, setting a time-out that disconnects wireless user connections lasting longer than
8 to 10 hours prevents your network from being attacked by a computer that is
connected through your wireless access point and left unattended.
If you need to use WiFi, see “Network Access Control (802.1X)” on page 87 to leverage
802.1x for securing WiFi traffic.
44 Chapter 3 Securing System Hardware

Understanding Wireless Security Challenges
Most Mac computers have a built-in wireless network card. Users can configure their
computer as a wireless access point to share their Internet connection with other users.
However, such a wireless access point isn’t usually secure, thereby creating a point of
access for an attacker.
Anyone within wireless range can gain access to your network by using an authorized
user’s insecurely configured wireless LAN. These possible points of access can be very
large, depending on the number of users with wireless technology on their computers.
The challenge arises when trying to prevent users from creating access points to your
network or trying to identify where the access points are and who is attempting to use
them.
Many organizations restrict the use of wireless technology in their network
environment. However, most Mac computers have wireless capability built in, so
turning it off might not meet your organization’s wireless technology restrictions.
You might need to remove components from Snow Leopard to disable them from
being turned on in System Preferences.
About OS Components
Special hardware, such as wireless networking cards and audio/video components,
need driver software that runs at the kernel level. This driver software is implemented
as kernel extensions (“kexts”) in Snow Leopard and are also known as OS components.
These kernel extensions can be removed from Snow Leopard to prevent the use of
a piece of hardware.
Disabling or removing OS components or kernel extensions alters the behavior or

performance of the system.
Important: Snow Leopard sometimes has updates to specific OS components. When

your computer installs these updates the component is overwritten or reinstalled if it
was previously removed. This then reenables the hardware you wanted disabled. When
you install updates make sure that the installation does not reenable an OS component
you wanted disabled.
Removing Wi-Fi Support Software

Use the following instructions for removing Airport support. This task requires you to
have administrator privileges.
You can also have an Apple Authorized Technician remove Airport hardware from your
Apple computer.
Important: Repeat these instructions every time a system update is installed.
Chapter 3 Securing System Hardware 45

To remove kernel extensions for AirPort hardware:
1 Open the /System/Library/Extensions folder.
2 Drag the following file to the Trash:
IO80211Family.kext
3 Open Terminal and enter the following command:
$ sudo touch /System/Library/Extensions
The touch command changes the modified date of the /System/Library/Extensions
folder. When the folder has a new modified date, the Extension cache files
(located in /System/Library/) are deleted and rebuilt by Snow Leopard.
4 Choose Finder > Secure Empty Trash to delete the file.
5 Restart the system.
# -------------------------------------------------------------------
# Securing System Hardware
# -------------------------------------------------------------------
# Removing Wi-Fi Support Software
# -------------------------
# Default setting:
# kext files are installed and loaded.
# Remove Apple AirPort kernel extensions.
sudo srm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/IO80211Family.kext
# Remove Extensions cache files.
sudo touch /System/Library/Extensions
# None
For information about turning AirPort off using launchctl, see “Understanding and
Managing Daemons and Agents” on page 221.
Removing Bluetooth Support Software

Use the following instructions to remove Bluetooth® support for peripherals such as
keyboards, mice, or phones. This task requires you to have administrator privileges.
You can also have an Apple Authorized Technician remove the built-in Bluetooth
hardware from your Apple computer.

To remove kernel extensions for Bluetooth hardware:
2 Drag the following files to the Trash:
IOBluetoothFamily.kext
IOBluetoothHIDDriver.kext
# Removing BlueTooth Support Software

# -----------------------------
# Default setting:
# Remove Bluetooth kernel extensions.
sudo srm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/IOBluetoothFamily.kext
sudo srm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/IOBluetoothHIDDriver.kext
# None
Removing IR Support Software

Use the following instructions to remove IR hardware support. This task requires you to
have administrator privileges.
You can also have an Apple Authorized Technician remove IR hardware from your
Apple computer.
To remove kernel extensions for IR hardware support:

AppleIRController.kext

folder. When the folder has a new modified date, the Extension cache files (located in
/System/Library) are deleted and rebuilt by Snow Leopard.
# Removing IR Support Software

# -----------------------------
# Default setting:
# Remove IR kernel extensions.
sudo srm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/AppleIRController.kext
# None
Preventing Unauthorized Recording

Your computer might be in an environment where recording devices such as cameras
or microphones are not permitted. You can protect your organization’s privacy by
disabling these devices. This task requires you to have administrator privileges.
Note: Some organizations insert a dummy plug into the audio input and output ports
to ensure that audio hardware is disabled.
Removing Audio Support Software

Use the following instructions to remove support for the microphone and audio
subsystem. This may disable audio playback.
You can also have an Apple Authorized Technician remove the built-in microphone

To remove kernel extensions for audio hardware:
2 To remove support for audio components such as the microphone, drag the following
files to the Trash:
AppleUSBAudio.kext
IOAudioFamily.kext
# Securing Audio Support Software

# -----------------------------
# Default setting:
# Remove Audio Recording kernel extensions.
sudo srm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBAudio.kext
sudo srm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/IOAudioFamily.kext
# None
Removing Video Recording Support Software

Use the following instructions to remove support for an external or built-in iSight
camera.
Note: The support for external iSight cameras should be removed on all machines.
Removing only support for internal iSight cameras still leaves support for external
cameras.
You can also have an Apple Authorized Technician remove the built-in video camera

To remove kernel extensions for video hardware:
2 To remove support for the external iSight camera, drag the following file to the Trash:
Apple_iSight.kext
3 To remove support for the built-in iSight camera, Control-click IOUSBFamily.kext and
select Show Package Contents.
4 Open the /Contents/PlugIns/ folder.
AppleUSBVideoSupport.kext
# Securing Video Recording Support Software

# -----------------------------
# Default setting:
# Remove Video Recording kernel extensions.
# Remove external iSight camera.
sudo srm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/Apple_iSight.kext
# Remove internal iSight camera.
sudo srm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/IOUSBFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/\
# None

Preventing Data Port Access
Computer data ports can be easily compromised if your machine is unattended for a
long period of time or is stolen. To prevent your machine from being compromised,
keep it in a locked environment or hidden when you are not using it.
You can protect your system by preventing an unauthorized user from using your data
ports. This prevents users from booting to a different volume using a USB Flash drive,
USB, or FireWire external hard drive. This task requires you to have administrator
privileges.
Also, by setting a firmware password using the Firmware Password Utility, you can
prevent a physical Direct Memory Access (DMA) attack over Firewire. When the
firmware password is set, any external device is denied direct access to computer
memory content. For more information about the Firmware Password Utility, see “Using
the Firmware Password Utility” on page 55.
Removing USB Support Software

Use the following instructions to remove USB mass storage device input/output
support such as USB Flash drives and external USB hard drives.
The removal of this kernel extension only affects USB mass storage devices. It does not
affect other USB devices such as a USB printer, mouse, or keyboard. This task requires
you to have administrator privileges.
To remove kernel extensions for specific hardware:

2 To remove support for USB mass storage devices, drag the following file to the Trash:
IOUSBMassStorageClass.kext

# Securing USB Support Software

# -----------------------------
# Remove USB kernel extensions.
# Default setting:
sudo srm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/IOUSBMassStorageClass.kext
# None
Removing FireWire Support Software

Use the following instructions to remove Firewire input/output support such as
external Firewire hard disks. This task requires you to have administrator privileges.
To remove kernel extensions for specific hardware:

2 To remove support for FireWire mass storage devices, drag the following file to the
Trash:
IOFireWireSerialBusProtocolTransport.kext

# Securing FireWire Support Software

# -----------------------------
# Default setting:
# Remove FireWire kernel extensions.
sudo srm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/\
# None
System Hardware Modifications

Removing kernel extensions does not permanently disable components. You need
administrative access to restore and reload them.
Although disabling hardware in this manner is not as secure as physically disabling

hardware, it is more secure than disabling hardware through System Preferences.
This method of disabling hardware components might not be sufficient to meet an

organization’s security policy. Consult your organization’s operational policy to
determine if this method is adequate.
If your environment does not permit the use of the following hardware components,
you must physically disable them:
Â Airport
Â Bluetooth
Â Microphone
Â Camera
Â IR Port
Important: Attempting to remove components will void your warranty.
Note: If you are in a government organization and need a letter of volatility for
Apple products, send your request to AppleFederal@apple.com.

4 Securing Global System Settings
4
Use this chapter to learn how to secure global system
settings, secure firmware and Mac OS X startup, and to use
access warnings.
After installing and setting up Mac OS X, make sure you protect your hardware and
secure global system settings.
Securing System Startup

When a computer starts up, it first starts Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI). EFI is the
software link between the motherboard hardware and the software operating system.
EFI determine which partition or disk to load Mac OS X from. It also determines
whether the user can enter single-user mode.
Single-user mode logs the user in as root. This is dangerous because root user access is
the most powerful level of access, and actions performed as root are anonymous.
If you create an EFI password, you prevent users from accessing single-user mode. The
password also stops users from loading unapproved partitions or disks and from
enabling target disk mode at startup.
After creating an EFI password, you must enter this password when you start the
computer from an alternate disk (for situations such as hard disk failure or file system
repair).
To secure startup, perform one of the following tasks:

Â Use the Firmware Password Utility to set the EFI Firmware password.
Â Verify and set the security mode from the command line.
WARNING: EFI settings are critical. Take great care when modifying these settings and
when creating a secure Firmware password.
54
An EFI Firmware password provides some protection, but it can be reset if a user has
physical access to the machine and changes the physical memory configuration of the
machine.
EFI password protection can be bypassed if the user changes the physical memory
configuration of the machine and then resets the PRAM three times (by holding down
Command, Option, P, and R keys during system startup).
Protecting Intel-Based Mac Systems

Mac computers with Intel processors use EFI to control low-level hardware. EFI is similar
to BIOS on an x86 PC and is the hardware base layer for Mac OS X computers with Intel
processors. By protecting it from unauthorized access you can prevent attackers from
gaining access to your computer.
Intel-based computers can use the Firmware Password Utility to password-protect the
hardware layer. For information on using the Firmware Password Utility, see “Using the
Firmware Password Utility” on page 55.
Using the Firmware Password Utility

The Mac OS X installation disc includes the Firmware Password Utility, which you can
use to enable an EFI password.
To use the Firmware Password Utility:

1 Log in with an administrator account and open the Firmware Password Utility (located
on the Mac OS X installation disc in /Applications/Utilities/).
2 Click New.
3 Select “Require password to start this computer from another source.”
To disable the EFI password, deselect “Require password to start this computer from
another source.” You won’t need to enter a password and verify it. Disabling the EFI
password is only recommended for installing Mac OS X.
4 In the Password and Verify fields, enter a new EFI password and click OK.
5 Close the Firmware Password Utility.
You can test your settings by attempting to start up in single-user mode. Restart the
computer while holding down the Command and S keys. If the login window loads,
changes made by the Firmware Password Utility were successful.
Chapter 4 Securing Global System Settings 55

Using Command-Line Tools for Secure Startup
You can also configure EFI from the command line by using the nvram tool. However,
you can only set the security-mode environment variable.
You can set the security mode to one of the following values:
Â None: This is the default value of security-mode and provides no security to your
computer’s EFI.
Â Command: This value requires a password if changes are made to EFI or if a user
attempts to start up from an alternate volume or device.
Â Full: This value requires a password to start up or restart your computer. It also
requires a password to make changes to EFI.
For example, to set the security-mode to full you would use the following command:
$ sudo nvram security-mode=full
To securely set the password for EFI, use the Firmware Password Utility.
# Securing Global System Settings

# -------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Configuring EFI Settings
# ----------------------------------
# Default Setting:
# security-mode is off
# Secure startup by setting security-mode. Replace $mode-value with
# "command" or "full."
sudo nvram security-mode="$mode-value"
# Verify security-mode setting.
sudo nvram -x -p
# security-mode:
# "command"
# "full"
# Use the following command to view the current nvram settings:
# $ nvram -x -p
# Use the following commands to view nvram options:
# $ nvram -h
# or
# $ man nvram
56 Chapter 4 Securing Global System Settings

Configuring Access Warnings
You can use a login window or Terminal access warning to provide notice of a
computer’s ownership, to warn against unauthorized access, or to remind authorized
users of their consent to monitoring.
Enabling Access Warnings for the Login Window

Before enabling an access warning, review your organization’s policy for what to use as
an access warning.
When a user tries to access the computer’s login window (locally or through Apple
Remote Desktop), the user sees the access warning you create, such as the following:
To create a login window access warning:

1 Open Terminal and verify that your logged-in account can use sudo to perform a
defaults write.
2 Change your login window access warning:

$ sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow
LoginwindowText ”Warning Text”
Replace Warning Text with your access warning text.
3 Log out to test your changes.
Your access warning text appears below the Mac OS X subtitle.

# Enabling Access Warning for the Login Window

# ----------------------------------
# Create a login window access warning.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow
LoginwindowText ”Warning Text”
# You can also used the BannerSample project to create an access warning.
Understanding the AuthPlugin Architecture

AuthPlugins are used to control access to a service or application. Preinstalled
AuthPlugins for Mac OS X are located in the /System/Library/CoreServices/
SecurtiyAgentPlugins/ folder. These plug-ins (and their associated rules and
authorization rights for users) are defined in the /etc/authorization database,
and are queried by the Security Server.
For more information about /etc/authorization, see “Managing Authorization Through

Rights” on page 225.
The following graphic shows the workflow of the Security Server.
Security
Applications
Agent
Authorization Biometric
1 5 Credential 4 3
Juan Chavez
Security
Password :
Request user
Server interaction Password
Request if necessary
authorization
for right 2
Smart Card
Rights Database
/etc/authorization
When an application requests authorization rights from the security server, the
security server interrogates the rights database (/etc/authorization) to determine
the mechanisms to be used for authentication.

If necessary, the security server requests user interaction through the security agent.
The security agent then prompts the user to authenticate through the use of a
password, smart card, or biometric reader.
Then the security agent sends the authentication information back to the security
server, which passes it back to the application.
Using the BannerSample Project

If your computer has developer tools installed, the sample code for the banner sample
project is located in /Developer/examples/security/bannersample. You can modify and
customize this sample banner code for your organization. After you compile the code
you can place it in the /Library/Security/SecurityAgentPlugins/ folder. Then modify the
key system.login.console in the /etc/authorization file using Terminal.
For more information about the banner sample, see the bannersample README file.
To modify the /etc/authorization file:

1 Open Terminal.
2 Enter the following command:
$ sudo pico /etc/authorization
3 Locate the system.login.console key.

4 Add <string>bannersample:test</string> above <string> builtin:smartcard-
siffer,privileged</string>, as shown in bold below:
<key>system.login.console</key>
<dict>
<key>class</key>
<string>evaluate-mechanisms</string>
<key>comment</key>
<string>Login mechanism based rule. Not for general use, yet.</string>
<key>mechanisms</key>
<array>
<string>bannersample:test</string>
<string>builtin:smartcard-sniffer,privileged</string>
5 Save changes and exit the editor.

6 Restart the computer and verify that the banner appears.
For additional information or support for the BannerSample project contact

AppleFederal@apple.com.

Enabling Access Warnings for the Command Line
Before enabling an access warning, review your organization’s policy for what to use as
an access warning.
When a user opens Terminal locally or connects to the computer remotely, the user
sees the access warning you create.
The following task must be performed by an administrator user using any text editor.
To create a command-line access warning:

1 Open Terminal.
2 Enter the following command to create the /etc/motd file:
$ sudo touch /etc/motd
3 Enter the following command to edit the /etc/motd file:

$ sudo pico /etc/motd
4 Enter your access warning message.

5 Save changes and exit the text editor.
6 Open a new Terminal window to test changes.
Your access warning text appears above the prompt in the new Terminal window.
# Enabling Access Warning for the Command Line

# ----------------------------------
# Create a command-line access warning.
sudo touch /etc/motd
sudo chmod 644 /etc/motd
sudo echo “Warning Text” >> /etc/motd

Turning On File Extensions
By making the file extension visible, you can determine the type of file it is and the
application it is associated with.
To turn file extensions on:

1 Open Finder.
2 From the Finder menu, select Preferences.
3 Click Advanced and select the “Show all filename extensions” checkbox.

5 Securing System Preferences
5
Use this chapter to set Mac OS X system preferences to
customize system security and further protect against
attacks.
System Preferences has many configurable preferences that you can use to customize
system security.
System Preferences Overview

Mac OS X includes system preferences that you can use to customize security. When
modifying settings for one account, make sure your settings are mirrored on all other
accounts, unless there is an explicit need for different settings.
You can view system preferences by choosing Apple > System Preferences. In the
System Preferences window, click a preference to view it.
The following is the System Preferences screen:
62
Some critical preferences require that you authenticate before you modify their
settings. To authenticate, you click the lock (see the images below) and enter an
administrator’s name and password (or use a digital token, smart card, or biometric
reader).
If you log in as a user with administrator privileges, these preferences are unlocked
unless you select “Require password to unlock each System Preferences pane” in
Security preferences. For more information, see “Securing Security Preferences” on
page 99.
If you log in as a standard user these preferences remain locked. After unlocking
preferences, you can lock them again by clicking the lock.
Preferences that require authentication include the following:

Â Accounts
Â Date & Time
Â Energy Saver
Â MobileMe
Â Network
Â Parental Controls
Â Print & Fax
Â Security
Â Sharing
Â Startup Disk
Â Time Machine
Â Universal Access
This chapter lists each set of preferences included with Mac OS X and describes
modifications recommended to improve security.
Chapter 5 Securing System Preferences 63

Securing MobileMe Preferences
MobileMe is a suite of Internet tools that helps you synchronize data and other
important information when you’re away from the computer.
In sensitive environments don’t use MobileMe. If you must store critical data, only store
it on your local computer. You should only transfer data over a secure network
connection to a secure internal server.
If you use MobileMe, enable it only for user accounts that don’t have access to critical
data. Avoid enabling MobileMe for administrator or root user accounts.
Leave the options disabled in the Sync pane of MobileMe preferences (shown below).
64 Chapter 5 Securing System Preferences

Leave Registered Computer for synchronization blank in the Advanced settings of the
Sync pane (shown below).
Leave iDisk Syncing (shown below) disabled by default. If you must use a Public folder,
enable password protection.

To disable MobileMe preferences:
1 Open MobileMe preferences.
2 Deselect “Synchronize with MobileMe.”
3 Make sure there are no computers registered for synchronization in the Advanced
settings of the Sync pane.
4 Make sure iDisk Syncing is disabled in the iDisk pane.
# -------------------------------------------------------------------
# Securing System Preferences
# -------------------------------------------------------------------
# Securing MobileMe Preferences
# -------------------------
# Default Setting:
# If a MobileMe account is entered during setup, MobileMe is configured
# for that account.
# Use the following command to display current MobileMe settings:
# $ defaults -currentHost read com.apple.<Preferenceidentifier>
# Use the following command to view all current settings for currenHost:
# $ defaults -currentHost read
#Disable Sync options.
sudo defaults -currentHost write com.apple.DotMacSync ShouldSyncWithServer
1
# Disable iDisk Syncing.
sudo defaults -currentHost write com.apple.idisk $USER_MirrorEnabled -bool
no
# None

Securing Accounts Preferences
Use Accounts preferences to change or reset account passwords (shown below), to
enable Parental Controls, or to modify login options for each account.
You should immediately change the password of the first account that was created on
your computer. If you are an administrator, you can reset other user account passwords
by selecting the account and clicking Reset Password.
Note: If you are an administrator, password policies are not enforced when you change
your password or when you reset another user’s password. Therefore, when you reset
passwords as an administrator, follow the password policy that you set. For more
information about password policies, see “Setting Global Password Policies” on
page 134.

The password change dialog and the reset dialog (shown below) provide access to
Password Assistant, an application that can analyze the strength of your password
and assist you in creating a more secure password. For more information, see “Using
Password Assistant to Generate or Analyze Passwords” on page 130.
Consider the following login guidelines:

Â Modify login options to provide as little information as possible to the user.
Â Disable automatic login if enabled.
Â Require that the user enter a name and a password, and that the user authenticate
without the use of a password hint.
Â Disable Restart, Sleep, and Shut Down buttons—the user cannot restart the
computer without pressing the power key or logging in.
Â Disable fast user switching if enabled—it is a security risk because it allows multiple
users to be simultaneously logged in to a computer.
Although the use of Fast User Switching is convenient when you have multiple users
on a single computer, there are cases in which you may not want to enable it.
Fast User Switching allows multiple users to log in simultaneously. This makes it difficult
to track user actions and allows users to run malicious applications in the background
while another user is using the computer.
Also, some external volumes attached to the computer are mounted when another
user logs in, granting all users access to the volume and ignoring access permissions.
Avoid creating accounts that are shared by several users. Individual accounts maintain
accountability. Each user should have his or her own standard or managed account.

System logs can track activities for each user account, but if several users share the
same account, it becomes difficult to track which user performed an activity. Similarly, if
several administrators share a single administrator account, it becomes harder to track
which administrator performed a specific action.
If someone compromises a shared account it is less likely to be noticed. Users might

mistake malicious actions performed by an intruder for legitimate actions by a user
sharing the account.
To securely configure Accounts preferences:

1 Open Accounts preferences.
2 Select your account and click the Password tab; then change the password by clicking
the Change Password button.
A menu appears asking you to input the old password, new password, verification of
the new password, and a password hint.
To reset a user’s account password, select the account and click Rest Password button.
Then enter the new password and verification of the new password, and leave the
password hint blank.
3 Do not enter a password hint, then click the Change Password button.
4 Click Login Options.
A screen similar to the following appears:
5 Under “Display login window as,” select “Name and password” and deselect all other
options.

# Securing Accounts Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Change an account's password.
# Don't use the following command on a computer that might have
# other users logged in simultaneously.
sudo dscl . passwd /Users/$User_name $Oldpass $Newpass
# Make sure there is no password hint set.
RetriesUntilHint -int 0
# Set the login options to display name and password in the login window.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow SHOWFULLNAME
-bool yes
# Disable Show the Restart, Sleep, and ShutDown Buttons.
PowerOffDisable -bool yes
# Disable fast user switching.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/.GlobalPreferences
MultipleSessionEnabled -bool NO
Securing Appearance Preferences

One method to secure appearance preferences is to change the number of recent
items displayed in the Apple menu to None.
Recent items are applications, documents, and servers you’ve recently used. You access
recent items by choosing Apple > Recent Items.
If intruders gain access to your computer, they can use recent items to quickly view
your most recently accessed files. Additionally, intruders can use recent items to access
authentication mechanisms for servers if the corresponding keychains are unlocked.
Removing recent items provides a minimal increase in security, but it can deter
unsophisticated intruders.

To securely configure Appearance preferences:
1 Open Appearance preferences.
2 Set all “Number of Recent Items” preferences to None.
# Securing Appearance Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# MaxAmount 10
# Disable display of recent applications.
sudo defaults write com.apple.recentitems Applications -dict MaxAmount 0
# MaxAmount 0,5,10,15,20,30,50

Securing Bluetooth Preferences
Bluetooth allows wireless devices, such as keyboards, mice, and mobile phones, to
communicate with the computer. If the computer has Bluetooth capability, Bluetooth
preferences become available. If you don’t see Bluetooth preferences, you cannot use
Bluetooth.
Note: Some high security areas do not allow radio frequency (RF) communication such
as Bluetooth. Consult your organizational requirements for possible further
disablement of the component.
When you disable Bluetooth in System Preferences, you must disable Bluetooth for
every user account on the computer.
This does not prevent users from reenabling Bluetooth. You can restrict a user account’s
privileges so the user cannot reenable Bluetooth, but to do this, you remove several
important user abilities, like the user’s ability to change his or her password. For more
information, see “Types of User Accounts” on page 118.
To securely configure Bluetooth preferences:

1 Open Bluetooth preferences.
2 Deselect “On.”

# Securing Bluetooth Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Turn Bluetooth on.
# Turn Bluetooth off.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth\
ControllerPowerState -int 0
# 0 (OFF) or 1 (On)
Securing CDs & DVDs Preferences

To secure CDs and DVDs, do not allow the computer to perform automatic actions
when the user inserts a disc.
When you disable automatic actions in System Preferences, you must disable these
actions for every user account on the computer.
This does not prevent users from reenabling automatic actions. To prevent the user
from reenabling automatic actions, you must restrict the user’s account so the user
cannot open System Preferences. For more information on restricting accounts, see
“Securing Nonadministrator Accounts” on page 121.
To securely configure CDs & DVDs preferences:

1 Open CDs & DVDs preferences.

2 Disable automatic actions when inserting media by choosing Ignore for each pop-up
menu.
# Securing CDs & DVDs Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Preference file non existent: /Library/Preferences/com.apple.digihub
# Blank CD: “Ask what to do”
# Blank DVD: “Ask what to do”
# Music CD: “Open iTunes”
# Picture CD: “Open iPhoto”
# Video DVD: “Open DVD Player”
# Disable blank CD automatic action.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.digihub
com.apple.digihub.blank.cd.appeared -dict action 1
# Disable music CD automatic action.
com.apple.digihub.cd.music.appeared -dict action 1
# Disable picture CD automatic action.
com.apple.digihub.cd.picture.appeared -dict action 1
# Disable blank DVD automatic action.
com.apple.digihub.blank.dvd.appeared -dict action 1
# Disable video DVD automatic action.
com.apple.digihub.dvd.video.appeared -dict action 1
# action 1 = "Ignore"
# action 2 = "Ask what to do"
# action 5 = "Open other application"
# action 6 = "Run script"
# action 100 = "Open Finder"
# action 101 = "Open itunes"
# action 102 = "Open Disk Utility"
# action 105 = "Open DVD Player"
# action 106 = "Open iDVD"
# action 107 = "Open iPhoto"
# action 109 = "Open Front Row"

Securing Date & Time Preferences
Correct date and time settings are required for authentication protocols, like Kerberos.
Incorrect date and time settings can cause security issues.
You can use Date & Time preferences (shown below) to set the date and time based on
a Network Time Protocol (NTP) server.
If you require automatic date and time, use a trusted, internal NTP server.
To securely configure Date & Time preferences:

1 Open Date & Time preferences.
2 In the Date & Time pane, select the “Set data & time automatically” checkbox and enter
a secure and trusted NTP server in the “Set date & time automatically” field.
3 Click Time Zone.

4 Choose a time zone from the Closest City pop-up menu.
# Securing Date & Time Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# NTP Server: time.apple.com
# Time Zone: Set time zone automatically using current location
# Set the NTP server.
sudo cat >> /etc/ntp.conf << END server time.apple.com END
# Set the date and time.
sudo systemsetup -settimezone $Time_Zone
# NTP Server: Any valid NTP server
# Time Zone: /usr/share/zoneinfo

Securing Desktop & Screen Saver Preferences
You can use Desktop & Screen Saver preferences (shown below) to configure a
password-protected screen saver to prevent unauthorized users from accessing
unattended computers.
You can use several authentication methods to unlock the screen saver, including
digital tokens, smart cards, and biometric readers.
You should also set a short inactivity interval to decrease the amount of time the
unattended computer is unlocked. For information about requiring authentication for
screen savers, see “Securing Security Preferences” on page 99.

You can configure Desktop & Screen Saver preferences to allow you to quickly enable
or disable screen savers if you move your mouse cursor to a corner of the screen, as
shown below. (You can also do this by configuring Exposé & Spaces preferences.)
When you configure Desktop & Screen Saver preferences, you configure the
preferences for every user account on the computer.
This doesn’t prevent users from reconfiguring their preferences. You can restrict a user’s
account privileges so the user cannot reconfigure preferences. Doing this removes
several important user abilities, like the user’s ability to change his or her password. For
more information, see “Types of User Accounts” on page 118.
To securely configure Desktop & Screen Saver preferences:

1 Open Desktop & Screen Saver preferences.
2 Click the Screen Saver pane.
3 Set “Start screen saver” to a short inactivity time.
4 Click Hot Corners.
5 Set a corner to Start Screen Saver for quick enabling of the screen saver.
Don’t set a screen corner to disable Screen Saver.

# Securing Desktop & Screen Saver Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# None
# Set idle time for screen saver. Replace XX with the idle time in seconds.
sudo defaults -currentHost write com.apple.screensaver idleTime -int XX
# Set host corner to activate screen saver.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.dock.wvous-corner_code-
corner -int 5
# Set modifier key to 0 wvous-corner_code-modifier
modifier -int 0
# Corner options:
# wvous-bl-corner (bottom-left)
# wvous-br-corner(bottom-right)
# wvous-tl-corner (top-left)
# wvous-tr-corner (top-right)
Securing Display Preferences

If multiple displays are attached to your computer, enabling display mirroring might
expose private data to others. Having this additional display provides extra opportunity
for others to see private data.
Securing Dock Preferences

You can configure the Dock to be hidden when not in use, which can prevent others
from seeing the applications you have on your computer.
To securely configure Dock preferences:

1 Open Dock preferences.

The following screen appears:
2 Select “Automatically hide and show the Dock.”
# Securing Dock Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# None
# Automatically hide and show Dock.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.dock autohide -bool YES
# autohide -bool YES
# autohide -bool NO
Securing Energy Saver Preferences

You can use the Energy Saver Sleep pane (shown in the procedure below) to configure
a period of inactivity before a computer, display, or hard disk enters sleep mode.
If the computer receives directory services from a network that manages its client
computers and you computer is in sleep mode, it is unmanaged and cannot be
detected as being connected to the network. To allow management and network
visibility, configure the display and the hard disk to sleep, but not the computer.
You can require authentication by use of a password, digital token, smart card, or
biometric reader to reactivate the computer (see “Securing Security Preferences” on
page 99). This is similar to using a password-protected screen saver.

You can also use the Options pane to make settings depending on your power supply
(power adapter, UPS, or battery). Configure the computer so it only wakes when you
physically access the computer. Also, don’t set the computer to restart after a power
failure.
To securely configure Energy Saver preferences:

1 Open Energy Saver preferences.
2 Set “Computer sleep” to Never.

3 Select “Put the hard disk(s) to sleep when possible” and then click the “Options” pane.
4 Deselect “Wake for Ethernet network access” and “Startup automatically after a power
failure.”

# Securing Energy Saver Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# None
# Disable computer sleep.
sudo pmset -a sleep 0
# Enable hard disk sleep.
sudo pmset -a disksleep 1
# Disable Wake for Ethernet network administrator access.
sudo pmset -a womp 0
# Disable Restart automatically after power failure.
sudo pmset -a autorestart 0
# 0 (OFF) or 1 (ON)

Securing Exposé & Spaces Preferences
Your computer should require authentication when waking from sleep or screen saver.
You can configure Exposé & Spaces preferences (shown below) to allow you to quickly
start the screen saver if you move your mouse cursor to a corner of the screen. Don’t
configure a corner to disable the screen saver.
For information about requiring authentication for the screen saver, see “Securing
Security Preferences” on page 99.
Dashboard widgets included with Mac OS X can be trusted. However, be careful when
you install third-party Dashboard widgets. You can install Dashboard widgets without
authenticating. To prevent Dashboard from running, remove the Dashboard application
from the /Applications folder.
When you configure Exposé & Spaces preferences, you must configure these
preferences for every user account on the computer.
This doesn’t prevent users from reconfiguring their preferences. You can restrict a user
account’s privileges so the user cannot reconfigure preferences. To do this, you remove
several important user abilities, like the user’s ability to change his or her password. For
more information, see “Types of User Accounts” on page 118.
If your organization does not want to use Dashboard because of its potential security
risk, you can disable it. If the user has access to the Terminal application, Dashboard
can be re-enabled at any time.

Dashboard uses the com.apple.dashboard.fetch service to fetch updates to widgets
from the Internet. If Dashboard is disabled, this service should be disabled as well. This
service must be disabled from the command line, using the command shown in the
instructions below.
# Securing Exposé & Spaces Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Enabled
# Disable dashboard.
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/
com.apple.dashboard.advisory.fetch.plist
# Enabled or Disabled
Securing Language & Text Preferences

No security-related configuration is necessary. However, if your computer uses more
than one language, review the security risk of the language character set. Consider
deselecting unused packages during Mac OS X installation.
Securing Keyboard Preferences

If you are not using a Bluetooth keyboard, turn Bluetooth off. If you are using a
Bluetooth keyboard, disable allowing Bluetooth devices to awake the computer in the
advanced section of Bluetooth preferences. For more information about Bluetooth,
see“Bluetooth Sharing” on page 220.
Securing Mouse Preferences

If you are not using a Bluetooth mouse, turn Bluetooth off. If you are using a Bluetooth
mouse, disable allowing Bluetooth devices to awake the computer in the advanced
section of Bluetooth preferences. For more information about Bluetooth, see
“Bluetooth Sharing” on page 220.

Securing Network Preferences
It is recommend that you disable unused hardware devices listed in Network
preferences (shown below). Enabled, unused devices (such as AirPort and Bluetooth)
are a security risk. Hardware is listed in Network preferences only if the hardware is
installed in the computer.
When configuring your computer for network access, use a static IP address when
possible. A DHCP IP address should be used only if necessary.
Some organizations use IPv6, a new version of the Internet protocol (IP). The primary
advantage of IPv6 is that it increases the address size from 32 bits (the current IPv4
standard) to 128 bits.
An address size of 128 bits is large enough to support a large number of addresses. This
allows more addresses or nodes than are otherwise available. IPv6 also provides more
ways to set up the address and simplifies autoconfiguration.
By default IPv6 is configured automatically, and the default settings are sufficient
for most computers that use IPv6. You can also configure IPv6 manually. If your
organization’s network cannot use or does not require IPv6, turn it off.
To securely configure Network preferences:

1 Open Network preferences.
2 From the list of hardware devices, select the hardware device you don’t use
(for example, Airport, Ethernet, or FireWire).

3 Click the Action button below the list of hardware devices and select “Make Service
Inactive”.
4 Repeat steps 2 and 3 to deactivate the devices that you don’t use.
5 From the list of hardware devices, select the hardware device you use to connect to
your network (for example, Airport or Ethernet).
6 From the Configure IPv4 pop-up menu, choose Manually.
Enter your static IP address, Subnet Mask, Router, DNS Server, and Search Domain
configuration settings.
7 Click Advanced.
8 In the Configure IPv6 pop-up menu, choose Off.

If you frequently switch between AirPort and Ethernet, you can disable IPv6 for AirPort
and Ethernet or any hardware device that you use to connect to your network.
9 Click OK.

# Securing Network Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Enabled
# Disable IPv6.
sudo networksetup -setv6off $interface
# The interface value can be AirPort, Bluetooth, Ethernet, or FireWire.
Network Access Control (802.1X)

AirPort or Ethernet networks can be protected by the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.1X standard. The 802.1X standard enhances the security
of a LAN.
The 802.1X standard enhances the security of LANs by preventing unauthorized devices
from gaining access to the network through wired or wireless LAN connections. It
supports a wide range of authentication methods, including TLS, EAP–FAST, TTLS, LEAP,
MD5, and PEAP.
You might need to connect to a wireless (IEEE 802.11) or Ethernet (IEEE 802.3) network
that is protected by the 802.1X standard if you are in an education or business
environment. In an 802.1X secured environment, a computer cannot gain access to
network services, such as email or the Internet, until it is authenticated.
When configuring your 802.1X settings in Snow Leopard, you’ll need one or all of the
following information depending on the security method being used:
Â User name and password
Â Wireless network name (case sensitive)
Â Authentication methods and options
Â Server certificate or certificate chain
If you are using TLS, you need a user or machine identity (certificate or private key),
commonly distributed in a .p12 file (PKCS12).
Snow Leopard uses a concept of profiles to implement the 802.1X standard. The
authentication server does not understand the concept of profiles, nor does it care.
Authentication through any of the profile types is standards-based.

User Profile
A User profile is the most basic profile type. Because an 802.1X session runs as the user
during user mode, the authentication session starts after the user is logged into the
computer.
A User profile cannot be used if the computer is bound to a directory server such as
Open Directory and requires directory authentication to log into the computer. For
computers bound to a directory server, a System profile or a Login Window profile is
required.
Login Window Profile

In the Login Window mode the 802.1X session originates from the login window using
credentials entered at the login window. The same credentials are used to authenticate
to the network and to authenticate the user to a directory service.
At the login screen, a user enters a user name and password. If Login Window can’t find
a local user account with that name, it initiates an 802.1X session using the same name
and password. In the case of an 802.11 network it also associates to the wireless
network. After the 802.1X authentication completes, Login Window authenticates the
user with the directory service. If that authentication succeeds, the user is logged in.
When the user logs out, Login Window checks the 802.1X session to determine if it
started the session, and if so, it stops the 802.1X session. Also, if it is an 802.11 network,
it disassociates from the network.
If no one is logged in, no 802.1X session is running, so no 802.11 network is joined. The
Mac is not available on the authenticated network.
This mode is typically of interest to enterprise environments that use managed

computing technologies with directory services to remotely administer and manage
the computer and user accounts.
You can have multiple Login Window profiles for each location.
System Profile
In the System mode Snow Leopard authenticates to the network as long as this mode
is enabled. That means the computer authenticates to the network even when no one
is logged in, regardless of which user account logs in afterwards.
This is useful if the computer needs to be connected to the network regardless of

whether anyone is logged in or not.
In computer labs and other similar environments where a system administrator needs
to update large groups of computers at the same time, this may be the best method.

You can only have one instance of a System Profile configured for your location. If you
add a User or Login Window Profile to the same location, they are ignored—the System
Profile has precedence.
System Profile Plus Login Window Profile

Snow Leopard also provides support for multiple 802.1X profiles. A common example is
to define a System profile and a Login Window profile together.
By using this combination of profiles, the computer authenticates through 802.1X at

boot using the defined System profile. Then when the user enters a user name and
password at the Login Window, those credentials are used to authenticate the user
through 802.1X using the defined Login Window profile.
After the user logs out, the computer authenticates using the System profile.
About Certificates in an 802.1X Environment

802.1X uses a server and client certificate. These certificates must meet specific
requirements on the server and on the client for successful authentication.
When you connect to an 802.1X network, you may be presented with a certificate trust
dialogue asking if you want to continue with the authentication to the server. In the
dialogue, you can select “Always Trust” the certificate, or click “Continue” to
authenticate a single time.
Certificates are stored in Keychain Access. All User profile certificates are installed in the
Login Keychain section of Keychain Access and all Login Window and System profile
certificates are installed in the System Keychain section of Keychain Access.
One purpose of the certificate trust dialogue is to inform you when a server presents a
certificate that has not been explicitly trusted. Another purpose is to allow you to
examine the certificate to ensure that it is appropriate for the network you are
authenticating to.
You should carefully examine certificates and not just blindly accept them. It’s possible
for someone to set up a rogue access point with their own certificate, and if you
continue with the authentication, the rogue access point could gather your password
from the authentication exchanges.
A certificate contains SHA-1 and MD-5 fingerprints, which uniquely identify the
certificate. Verify each certificate in the list, and if you are confident in the validity, trust
the certificates. If you are unsure, consult with your system administrator before
continuing.
When selecting a certificate for your 802.1X configuration, it must be the specific one
for access to the RADIUS server you are connecting to.

Some 802.1X networks require you to obtain a certificate of authority. Ask your network
administrator how to obtain a 802.1X certificate for your network.
The certificate creation process involves the following:

Â Generating a private key and Certificate Signing Request (CSR)
Â Providing the CSR to the CA
Â CA signing the CSR and issuing the certificate
Â Importing the certificate into the keychain to establish the connection between the
private key and certificate
There is a distinction between a certificate for which you have the private key, usually
referred to as an identity, and just a certificate. A certificate is the public part of public
key infrastructure, and allows people to verify that you hold the private key. A private
key is only held by the entity that corresponds to the subject of the certificate, and
must be stored securely.
It’s also possible that you have the identity (certificate + private key) in the form of a
PKCS12 (.p12, .pfx) file. This file can be imported into the keychain by double-clicking it.
Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) Methods

Snow Leopard supports six EAP methods of authentication, though not all EAP
methods are supported across both Ethernet and AirPort interfaces. The following are
supported EAP methods of authentication.
Â TTLS
Â PEAP
Â TLS (requires a certificate)
Â EAP-FAST
Â LEAP
Â MD5 (authentication type for wired ethernet connections)

Connecting to a 802.1X Network
Choose an 802.1X profile and follow the instructions to enter the information in the
802.1X pane of Network preferences (show below) for the network service you require.
An administrator (any user account with administrator level privileges on the
computer) can create a valid 802.1X profile.
Although it is not necessary to create a Network location for a User profile, it is helpful
in a Login Window and System profile 802.1X configuration. When creating a location,
802.1X profiles that are configured are stored only under that location.
If you create a location, be sure it is selected when you are at that location. For
example, when traveling between two office locations, one in New York and one in
London, you must select the correct location to connect to the 802.1X network of the
office you are visiting.
User profiles are not location-sensitive. They are per user. You can add User profiles as
needed.
If you use TLS authentication, before doing anything else you must install a user
certificate or private key pair. We recommend that the System Administrator do it.
To connect to an 802.1X network:

1 Connect to your network and use System Preferences > Accounts > Login Options to
verify you’re connected to an Open Directory or Active Directory server.
You only need to ensure you are connected to a directory server if you use a System or
Login Window profile.

2 Choose Apple > System Preferences > Network.
3 From the Location pop-up menu, select Edit Location.
Click the Add (+) button at the bottom of Locations, create a Location and name it to
remind you of where this location is, and then click Done.
It is unnecessary to specify a location if you are setting up a User profile.
4 From the network connection services list, select the network service to set up, such as
Ethernet or AirPort, and then click Advanced.
5 Click the 802.1X tab.
6 Click Add (+) button at the bottom of the profiles list, and choose a profile:
Â User Profile
Â Login Window Profile
Â System Profile
7 Rename the Untitled profile by double-clicking it and entering a name.
8 Enter the user name and password.
If you are using a User or System profile, enter the user name and password supplied
by your network administrator for your account. If you are using TLS, a user name and
password is unnecessary.
If you are using a Login Window profile, leave the user name and password blank.
However, the connection is not affected if you enter the user name and password. You
are asked for the user name and password during the initial connection to the server
when you click Apply. They are not used again.
9 If you are setting up a wireless 802.1X connection, choose a network from the Wireless
Network pop-up menu.
If your wireless network name (SSID) is hidden, you must manually enter it. It is case
sensitive.
10 Select and configure the EAP Authentication types for your network.
The default is PEAP and TTLS.
11 Click Configure Trust, then click the Certificate pane.
12 Click the Add (+) button and choose “Select Certificate File” or “Select Certificate From
Keychain” from the pop-up menu.
If you choose “Select Certificate File,” locate the certificate file and click Open.
If you choose “Select Certificate From Keychain,” select a certificate from your keychain
and click OK.
Certificates you add to the list are always trusted.
13 Click the Servers pane.

14 Click the Add (+) button and enter the name of the server you want to trust.
Servers you add to the list are always trusted.
15 Click OK.
16 Click OK to save the profile.
17 Click Apply to save the 802.1X configuration.
18 If you are connecting to an 802.1X WEP based wireless network, do the following to
ensure connectivity:
a Choose Apple > System Preferences.
b Click Network.
c Choose AirPort in the network connection services list and then click Advanced.
d Click the Add (+) button at the bottom of the list.
e Enter the case-sensitive Network Name (SSID).
f From the Security pop-up menu, choose 802.1X.
g Leave the User Name and Password fields blank.
h From the 802.1X pop-up menu, choose the 802.1X profile you created and it will fill in
your user name and password.
i Click Add.
If a certificate was issued from a nontrusted CA, you are prompted to trust the
certificate from the server. When you trust the certificate, a new entry is added to the
Login keychain.
19 When prompted, enter your administrator password so you can set the required level
of trust on that certificate.
20 To be able to rejoin the network after waking your computer from sleep, verify that the
network is selected in the Preferred Networks list (or that the Remember networks
option is selected).
21 If 802.1X WEP is used, create an entry in the Preferred Networks list for Login, System, or
User profiles to work.
22 If you are setting up a User profile, don’t add a Login Window or System profile.
They take precedence over User profiles.
For information about importing 802.1X profiles, see the networksetup man page.
Securing Managed User Accounts Preferences

Parental Controls enable you to customize access controls for each account. You must
set Parental Controls for each account. You cannot enable Parental Controls for the
administrator account logged in to the computer at that time.

Use the following System pane options to limit access to applications and other
functions:
Â Only allow selected applications. You can restrict the user’s access to specific
applications by deselecting the checkbox next to the application in the “Check the
applications to allow” list.
Â Can administer printers. You can restrict the user’s ability to select alternative printers
and to change printer settings.
Â Can burn CDs and DVDs. You can limit the user’s ability to burn CDs and DVDs on the
computer.
Â Can change password. Users should always have the ability to change their
password.
Â Can modify the Dock. You can limit the user’s ability to add or remove applications
from the Dock.
In the Content pane, use the “Allow access to only these websites” option to restrict
and define a list of websites that the user can visit.
To secure Parental Controls preferences:

1 Open Parental Controls preferences.

2 Select the account you want to activate parental controls for.
If the account you want to manage is not listed, open Account preferences and click
the lock to authenticate, if it is locked. From the accounts list, select the account you
want to manage. Then select the “Enable Parental Control” checkbox and click Open
Parental Controls.
3 In the System pane, enable “Only allow selected applications” to restrict application
access to specific applications.
4 In the “Select the applications to allow” list, select the applications that the user can
access.
5 Disable the following other features that the user should not perform:
Â Can administer printers
Â Can burn CDs and DVDs
Â Can modify the dock
6 Select the Content pane.
7 In the Content pane, limit website access to specific sites by selecting “Allow access to
only these websites.”
8 Click the Add (+) button, select “Add bookmark” from the pop-up menu, and enter the
website name and address.

Securing Print & Fax Preferences
The Print & Fax preferences screen looks like this:
Only use printers in a secure location. If you print confidential material in an insecure
location, the material might be viewed by unauthorized users.
Be careful when printing to a shared printer. Doing so allows other computers to

capture the print job directly. Another computer could be maliciously monitoring and
capturing confidential data being sent to the real printer. In addition, unauthorized
users can add items to your print queue without authenticating.
You can access your printer using the CUPS web interface (http://localhost:631). By
default, CUPS web interface cannot be accessed remotely. It can only be accessed by
the local host.
You can create policies in CUPS that restrict users from such actions as canceling jobs
or deleting printers using the CUPS web interface. For more information about creating
CUPS policies, see http://localhost:631/help/policies.html.
To avoid an additional avenue of attack, don’t receive faxes on your computer.

To securely configure Print & Fax preferences:
1 Open Print & Fax preferences and select a fax from the equipment list.
2 Click Receive Options.
3 Deselect “Receive faxes on this computer.”

4 Click OK.
5 Select a printer from the equipment list.

6 Deselect “Share this printer on the network.”
# Securing Print & Fax Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Disabled
# Disable the receiving of faxes.
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.efax.plist
# Disable printer sharing.
sudo cp /etc/cups/cupsd.conf $TEMP_FILE
if /usr/bin/grep "Port 631" /etc/cups/cupsd.conf
then
usr/bin/sed "/^Port 631.*/s//Listen localhost:631/g" $TEMP_FILE > /
etc/cups/cupsd.conf
else
echo "Printer Sharing not on"
fi

Securing Security Preferences
The settings in Security preferences (shown here) cover a range of Mac OS X security
features, including login options, FileVault, and firewall protection.
The settings under “For all accounts on this computer” require you to unlock Security
preferences. Disable automatic login, require a password to unlock Security
preferences, disable automatic logout because of inactivity, use secure virtual memory,
and disable remote control infrared receivers.
General Security
Consider the following general security guidelines:
Â Wake computer: Require a password to wake this computer from sleep or screen
saver. This helps prevent unauthorized access on unattended computers. Although
there is a lock button for Security preferences, users don’t need to be authorized as
an administrator to make changes. Enable this password requirement for every user
account on the computer.
Â Automatic login: Disabling automatic login is necessary for any level of security. If
you enable automatic login, an intruder can log in without authenticating. Even if
you automatically log in with a restricted user account, it is still easier to perform
malicious actions on the computer.
Â Password protect System Preferences: Some system preferences are unlocked
when you log in with an administrator account. By requiring a password, digital
token, smart card, or biometric reader to unlock secure system preferences, you
require extra authentication. This helps prevent accidental modification of system
preferences.

Â Automatic logout: Although you might want to enable automatic logout based on
inactivity, there are reasons why you should disable this feature. First, it can disrupt
your workflow. Second, it can close applications or processes without your approval
(but a password-protected screen saver will not close applications). Third, because
automatic logout can be interrupted, it provides a false sense of security.
Applications can prevent successful automatic logout. For example, if you edit a file
in a text editor, the editor might ask if you want to save the file before you log out.
Â Virtual memory: Use secure virtual memory. The system’s virtual memory swap file
stores inactive physical memory contents, freeing your physical memory. By default
on some systems, the swap file is unencrypted. This file can contain confidential data
such as documents and passwords. By using secure virtual memory, you secure the
swap file at a cost of slightly slower speed (because Mac OS X must encrypt and
decrypt the secure swap file). For more information, see “Securing System Swap and
Hibernation Storage” on page 104.
Â Location Services: Disabling location services prevents information about the
location of your computer from being provided to applications.
Â Infrared receiver: If you are not using a remote control, disable the infrared receiver.
This prevents unauthorized users from controlling your computer through the
infrared receiver. If you use an Apple IR Remote Control, pair it to your computer by
clicking Pair. When you pair it, no other IR remote can control your computer.
FileVault Security
Mac OS X includes FileVault (see below), which encrypts information in your home
folder.

FileVault uses the government-approved 128-bit (AES-128) encryption standard keys,
and supports the Advanced Encryption Standard with 256-bit (AES-256) keys. For more
information about data encryption, see Chapter 7, “Securing Data and Using
Encryption.”
For more information about FileVault, see “Encrypting Home Folders” on page 153.
Firewall Security
When you start firewall using the Firewall pane, only signed software is allowed to
receive incoming connections. Using the advanced section of the firewall (shown here),
you can specify which applications are authorized or unauthorized to accept incoming
network connections.
Note: We recommend that you block all incoming connections and allow only basic
Internet services.
Advanced options also include stealth mode that prevents the computer from sending
responses to uninvited traffic.
To securely configure Security preferences:

1 Open Security preferences.
2 Select the following:
Â “Require password __ after sleep or screen saver begins”
Â “Disable automatic login”
Â “Require password to unlock each System Preferences pane”
3 Deselect the “Log out after # minutes of inactivity” checkbox.

4 Select the “Disable Location Services” checkbox.
5 Select the “Disable remote control infrared receiver” checkbox.
6 In the FileVault pane, click “Turn on FileVault.”
7 Enter a password in the Master Password and verify fields.
8 Authenticate with your account password.
9 Select “Use secure erase” and click “Turn on FileVault.”
10 In the Firewall pane, click Start.
11 If needed, click “Advanced” and select “Enable Stealth Mode” and “Block all incoming
connections.”
12 Add specific services and applications to the list and set them to allow or block
incoming connections.
13 Restart the computer.

# Securing Security Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Required Password Wake: Disabled
# Automatic Login: Disabled
# Password Unlock Preferences: Disabled
# Secure Virtual Memory is Enabled on Portable computer and is Disabled
# on Desktop computers.
# IR remote control: Enabled
# FileVault: Disabled
# Enable Require password to wake this computer from sleep or screen saver.
sudo defaults -currentHost write com.apple.screensaver askForPassword -int
1
# Disable Automatic login.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/.GlobalPreferences\
com.apple.userspref.DisableAutoLogin -bool yes
# Require password to unlock each System Preference pane.
# Edit the /etc/authorization file using a text editor.
# Find <key>system.preferences<key>.
# Then find <key>shared<key>.
# Then replace <true/> with <false/>.
# Disable automatic login.
com.apple.autologout.AutoLogOutDelay -int 0
# Enable secure virtual memory.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.virtualMemory\
UseEncryptedSwap -bool yes
# Disable IR remote control.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.driver.AppleIRController
DeviceEnabled -bool no
# Enable FileVault.
# To enable FileVault for new users, use this command.
sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/ManagedClient.app/Contents/Resources/\
createmobileaccount
# Enable Firewall.
# Replace value with
# 0 = off
# 1 = on for specific services
# 2 = on for essential services
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.alf globalstate -int
value
# Enable Stealth mode.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.alf stealthenabled 1
# Enable Firewall Logging.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.alf loggingenabled 1

Securing System Swap and Hibernation Storage
The data that an application writes to RAM might contain sensitive information, such as
user names and passwords. Snow Leopard writes the contents of RAM to your local
hard disk to free memory for other applications. The RAM contents stored on the hard
disk are kept in a file called a swap file.
While the data is on the hard disk, it can be easily viewed or accessed if the computer is
later compromised. You can protect this data by securing the system swap file in case
of an attack or theft of your computer.
When your computer is turned off, information stored in RAM is lost, but information
stored by virtual memory in a swap file may remain on your hard disk in unencrypted
form. The Snow Leopard virtual memory system creates this swap file to reduce
problems caused by limited memory.
The virtual memory system can swap data between your hard disk and RAM. It’s
possible that sensitive information in your computer’s RAM will be written to your hard
disk in the swap file while you are working, and remain there until overwritten. This
data can be compromised if your computer is accessed by an unauthorized user,
because the data is stored on the hard disk unencrypted.
When your computer goes into hibernation, it writes the content of RAM to the /var/
vm/sleepimage file. The sleepimage file contains the contents of RAM unencrypted,
similar to a swap file.
You can prevent your sensitive RAM information from being left unencrypted on your
hard disk by enabling secure virtual memory to encrypt the swap file and the /var/vm/
sleepimage file (where your hibernation files are stored).
Using FileVault in combination with the “Secure Virtual Memory” feature provides
protection from attacks on your sensitive data when it is stored on the hard disk.
You can prevent your sensitive information from remaining on your hard disk and
eliminate the security risk by using secure virtual memory. Secure virtual memory
encrypts the data being written to disk.
To turn on secure virtual memory:

1 Open System Preferences.
2 Click Security, then click General.
3 Select “Use secure virtual memory.”
4 Reboot.

# Securing System Swap and Hibernation Storage

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Secure Virtual Memory on Portable computers is Enabled and is Disabled on
# Desktop computers.
UseEncryptedSwap -bool YES
# UseEncryptedSwap -bool NO
# UseEncryptedSwap -bool YES
# You can also turn hibernate off by using the following command:
# sudo pmset hibernatemode 0
Securing Sharing Preferences

By default, every service listed in Sharing preferences is disabled. Do not enable these
services unless you use them. The following services are described in detail in “Securing
Network Sharing Services” on page 199.
Service Description
DVD or CD Sharing Allows users of other computers to remotely use the DVD or CD drive on
your computer.
Screen Sharing Allows users of other computers to remotely view and control the
computer.
File Sharing Gives users of other computers access to each user’s Public folder.
Printer Sharing Allows other computers to access a printer connected to this computer.
Scanner Sharing Allows other users to use a scanner connected to this computer.
Web Sharing Allows a network user to view websites located in /Sites. If you enable
this service, securely configure the Apache web server.
Remote Login Allows users to access the computer remotely by using SSH. If you require
the ability to perform remote login, SSH is more secure than telnet, which
is disabled by default.
Remote Management Allows the computer to be accessed using Apple Remote Desktop.
Remote Apple Events Allows the computer to receive Apple events from other computers.
Xgrid Sharing Allows computers on a network to work together in a grid to process
a job.

Service Description
Internet Sharing Allows other users to connect with computers on your local network,
through your internet connection.
Bluetooth Sharing Allows other Bluetooth-enabled computers and devices to share files
with your computer.
You can change your computer’s name in Sharing preferences, shown here.
By default, your computer’s host name is typically firstname-lastname-computer, where

firstname and lastname are the system administrator’s first name and last name,
respectively, and computer is the type of computer or “Computer.”
When users use Bonjour to discover available services, your computer appears as
hostname.local. To increase privacy, change your computer’s host name so you are not
identified as the owner of your computer.
For more information about these services and the firewall and sharing capabilities of
Mac OS X, see Chapter 9, “Securing Network Services.”
To securely configure Sharing preferences:

1 Open Sharing preferences.
2 Change the default computer name to a name that does not identify you as the owner.

# Securing Sharing Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# $host_name = User’s Computer
# Change computer name where $host_name is the name of the computer.
sudo systemsetup -setcomputername $host_name
# Change computer Bonjour host name.
sudo scutil --set LocalHostName $host_name
# The host name cannot contain spaces or other non-DNS characters.
Securing Software Update Preferences

Your Software Update preferences configuration depends on your organization’s policy.
For example, if your computer is connected to a managed network, the management
settings determine what software update server to use.
Instead of using Software Update (shown here), you can also update your computer by
using installer packages.
You can install and verify updates on a test computer before installing them on your
operational computer. For more information about how to manually update your
computer, see “Updating Manually from Installer Packages” on page 38.
After transferring installer packages to your computer, verify the authenticity of the
installer packages. For more information, see “Repairing Disk Permissions” on page 40.

When you install a software update using Software Update or an installer package, you
must authenticate with an administrator’s name and password. This reduces the chance
of accidental or malicious installation of software updates.
Software Update will not install a software package that has not been digitally signed
by Apple.
To disable automated Software Updates:

1 Open Software Update preferences.
2 Click the Scheduled Check pane.
3 Deselect “Download important updates automatically” and “Check for updates.”
# Securing Software Updates Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Check for Updates: Enabled
# Check Updates: Weekly
# Disable check for updates and Download important updates automatically.
sudo softwareupdate --schedule off
# Check for Updates: Enabled or Disabled
# Check Updates: Daily, Weekly, Monthly

Securing Sound Preferences
Many Apple computers include an internal microphone. You can use Sound
preferences (shown below) to disable the internal microphone and the line-in port.
To securely configure Sound preferences:

1 Open Sound preferences.
2 Select Internal microphone (if present), and set “Input volume” to zero.
3 Select Line In (if present), and set “Input volume” to zero.
This ensures that “Line In” is the device selected rather than the internal microphone
when Sound preferences is closed. This provides protection from inadvertent use of the
internal microphone.
# Securing Sound Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Internal microphone or line-in: Enabled
# Disable internal microphone or line-in.
# This command does not change the input volume for input devices. It
# only sets the default input device volume to zero.
sudo osascript -e "set volume input volume 0"
# Internal microphone or line-in: Enabled or Disabled

Securing Speech Preferences
Mac OS X includes speech recognition and text-to-speech features, which are disabled
by default.
Only enable these features if you work in a secure environment where no one can
hear you speak to the computer or hear the computer speak to you. Also make sure
no audio recording devices can record your communication with the computer.
The following shows the Speech Recognition preferences pane:
The following shows the Text to Speech pane:
If you enable text-to-speech, use headphones to keep others from overhearing your
computer.

To customize Speech preferences:
1 Open Speech preferences.
2 Click the Speech Recognition pane and set Speakable Items On or Off.
Change the setting according to your environment.
3 Click the Text to Speech pane and change the settings according to your environment.
# Securing Speech Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Speech Recognition: Disabled
# Text to Speech: Enabled
# Disable Speech Recognition.
sudo defaults write
"com.apple.speech.recognition.AppleSpeechRecognition.prefs"
StartSpeakableItems -bool false
# Disable Text to Speech settings.
sudo defaults write "com.apple.speech.synthesis.general.prefs"
TalkingAlertsSpeakTextFlag -bool false
SpokenNotificationAppActivationFlag -bool false
SpokenUIUseSpeakingHotKeyFlag -bool false
sudo defaults delete "com.apple.speech.synthesis.general.prefs"
TimeAnnouncementPrefs
# Each item can be set to ON or OFF:
# OFF: -bool false
# ON: -bool true
Securing Spotlight Preferences

You can use Spotlight to search your computer for files. Spotlight searches the name,
the meta-information associated with each file, and the contents of each file.
Spotlight finds files regardless of their placement in the file system. You must still
properly set access permissions on folders containing confidential files. For more
information about access permissions, see “Repairing Disk Permissions” on page 40.

The following is the Spotlight Preferences Search Results pane.
By placing specific folders or disks in the Privacy pane (shown below), you can prevent
Spotlight from searching them.

Disable the searching of folders that contain confidential information. Consider
disabling top-level folders. For example, if you store confidential documents in
subfolders of ~/Documents/, instead of disabling each folder, disable ~/Documents/.
By default, the entire system is available for searching using Spotlight.
To securely configure Spotlight preferences:

1 Open Spotlight preferences.
2 In the Search Results pane, deselect categories you don’t want searchable by Spotlight.
3 Click the Privacy pane.
4 Click the Add button, or drag a folder or disk into the Privacy pane.
Folders and disks in the Privacy pane are not searchable by Spotlight.
# Securing Spotlight Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# ON for all volumes
# Disable Spotlight for a volume and erase its current meta data, where
# $volumename is the name of the volume.
sudo mdutil -E -i off $volumename
# Spotlight can be turned ON or OFF for each volume.
For more information, enter man mdutil in a Terminal window.

Securing Startup Disk Preferences
You can use Startup Disk preferences (shown below) to make your computer start up
from a CD, a network volume, a different disk or disk partition, or another operating
system.
Be careful when selecting a startup volume:

Â Choosing a network install image reinstalls your operating system and might erase
the contents of your hard disk.
Â If you choose a FireWire volume, your computer starts up from the FireWire disk
plugged into the current FireWire port for that volume. If you connect a different
FireWire disk to that FireWire port, your computer starts from the first valid Mac OS X
volume available to the computer (if you have not enabled the firmware password).
Â When you enable a firmware password, the FireWire volume you select is the only
volume that can start the computer. The computer firmware locks the FireWire
Bridge Chip GUID as a startup volume instead of the hard disk’s GUID (as is done with
internal hard disks). If the disk inside the FireWire drive enclosure is replaced by a
new disk, the computer can start from the new disk without using the firmware
password. To avoid this intrusion make sure your hardware is physically secured. Your
computer firmware can also have a list of FireWire volumes that are approved for
system startup. For information about physically protecting your computer, see
“Protecting Hardware” on page 43.
In addition to choosing a new startup volume from Startup Disk preferences, you can
restart in Target Disk Mode. When your computer is in Target Disk Mode, another
computer can connect to your computer and access your computer’s hard disk. The
other computer has full access to all files on your computer. All file permissions for your
computer are disabled in Target Disk Mode.

To enter Target Disk Mode, hold down the T key during startup. You can prevent the
startup shortcut for Target Disk Mode by enabling an EFI password. If you enable an EFI
password, you can still restart in Target Disk Mode using Startup Disk preferences.
For more information about enabling an EFI password, see “Using the Firmware
Password Utility” on page 55.
To select a startup disk:

1 Open Startup Disk preferences.
2 Select a volume to use to start up your computer.
3 Click the “Restart” button to restart from the selected volume.
# Securing Startup Disk Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Startup Disk = “Macintosh HD”
# Set startup disk.
sudo systemsetup -setstartupdisk $path
# Startup Disk = Valid Boot Volume
Securing Time Machine Preferences

Time Machine (shown below) makes an up-to-date copy of everything on your Mac
—digital photos, music, movies, downloaded TV shows, and documents—and lets you
easily go back in time to recover files.
Time Machine is off by default. After you enable Time Machine for the first time,
no authentication is required and subsequent changes require authentication.

Information stored on your backup disk is not encrypted and can be read by
other computers that are connected to your backup disk. Keep your backup disk
in a physically secure location to prevent unauthorized access to your data.
To enable Time Machine:

1 Open Time Machine preferences.
2 Slide the switch to ON.
3 Select the disk where backups will be stored, and click Use for backup.

# Securing Time Machine Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# OFF
# Enable Time Machine.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine AutoBackup 1
# 0 (OFF) or 1 (ON)
Securing Universal Access Preferences

Universal Access preferences are disabled by default. However, if you use an assistive
device, follow these guidelines:
Â To prevent possible security risks, see the device manual.
Â Enabling VoiceOver configures the computer to read the contents under the cursor
out loud, which might disclose confidential data.
Â These devices allow access to the computer that could reveal or store user input
information.
# Securing Universal Access Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# OFF
# Disable VoiceOver service.
launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.VoiceOver.plist
launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/\
com.apple.ScreenReaderUIServer.plist
launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.scrod.plist
# None

6 Securing Accounts
6
Use this chapter to learn how to secure accounts by assigning
user account types, configuring directory access, using strong
authentication procedures, and safely storing credentials.
Securing user accounts requires determining how accounts are used and setting the
level of access for users.
When you define a user’s account you specify the information to prove the user’s
identity, such as user name, authentication method (password, digital token, smart
card, or biometric reader), and user identification number (user ID). Other information
in a user’s account is needed by various services—to determine what the user is
authorized to do and to personalize the user’s environment.
Types of User Accounts

When you log in to Mac OS X, you use a nonadministrator or administrator account.
The main difference is that Mac OS X provides safety mechanisms to prevent
nonadministrator users from editing key preferences, or from performing actions
critical to computer security. Administrator users are not as limited as nonadministrator
users.
You can further define nonadministrator and administrator accounts by specifying

additional user privileges or restrictions.
The following table shows the access provided to user accounts.
User Account User Access

Guest nonadministrator Restricted user access (disabled by default)
Standard nonadministrator Nonprivileged user access
Managed nonadministrator Restricted user access
Administrator Full computer configuration administration
System administrator (root) Unrestricted access to the computer
118
Unless you need administrator access for specific system maintenance tasks that
cannot be accomplished by authenticating with the administrator’s account while
logged in as a normal user, always log in as a nonadministrator user. Log out of the
administrator account when you are not using the computer as an administrator. Never
browse the web or check email while logged in to an administrator’s account.
If you are logged in as an administrator, you are granted privileges and abilities that
you might not need. For example, you can potentially modify system preferences
without being required to authenticate. This authentication bypasses a security
safeguard that prevents malicious or accidental modification of system preferences.
Guidelines for Creating Accounts

When you create user accounts, follow these guidelines:
Â Never create accounts that are shared by several users. Each user should have his or
her own standard or managed account.
Individual accounts are necessary to maintain accountability. System logs can track
activities for each user account, but if several users share the same account it is
difficult to track which user performed an activity. Similarly, if several administrators
share a single administrator account, it becomes harder to track which administrator
performed an action.
If someone compromises a shared account, it is less likely to be noticed. Users might
mistake malicious actions performed by an intruder for legitimate actions by a user
sharing the account.
Â Each user needing administrator access should have an administrator account in
addition to a standard or managed account.
Administrator users should only use their administrator accounts for administrator
purposes. By requiring an administrator to have a personal account for typical use
and an administrator account for administrator purposes, you reduce the risk of an
administrator performing actions like accidentally reconfiguring secure system
preferences.
Defining User IDs

A user ID is a number that uniquely identifies a user. Mac OS X computers use the user
ID to track a user’s folder and file ownership. When a user creates a folder or file, the
user ID is stored as the creator ID. A user with that user ID has read and write
permissions to the folder or file by default.
The user ID is a unique string of digits between 500 and 2,147,483,648. New users
created using the Accounts pane of System Preferences are assigned user IDs starting
at 501.
Chapter 6 Securing Accounts 119

It is risky to assign the same user ID to different users, because two users with the
same user ID have identical directory and POSIX file permissions. However, each
user has a unique GUID that is generated when the user account is created. Your
GUID is associated with ACL permissions that are set on files or folders. By setting
ACL permissions you can prevent users with identical user IDs from accessing files
and folders.
The user ID 0 is reserved for the root user. User IDs below 100 are reserved for system
use. User accounts with these user IDs should not be deleted and should not be
modified except to change the password of the root user.
If you don’t want the user name to appear in the login window of a computer, assign
a user ID of less than 500 and enter the following command in a Terminal window:
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow Hide500Users
-bool YES
In general, after a user ID is assigned and the user starts creating files and folders, you
shouldn’t change the user ID.
One possible scenario in which you might need to change a user ID is when merging
users from different servers onto a new server or cluster of servers. The same user ID
might have been associated with a different user on the previous server.
Securing the Guest Account

The guest account is used to give a user temporary access to your computer. The guest
account is disabled by default because it does not require a password to log in to the
computer. The guest account should remain disabled. If this account is enabled and not
securely configured, malicious users can gain access to your computer without the use
of a password.
In security sensitive environments the guest account should remain disabled. If you
enable the guest account, enable parental controls to limit what the user can do.
Enabling parental control on an account does not defend against a determined
attacker and should not be used as the primary security mechanism.
Whether or not the guest account is enabled, disable guest account access to shared
files and folders by deselecting the “Allow guest to connect to shared folders”
checkbox. If you permit the guest account to access shared folders, an attacker can
easily attempt to access shared folders without a password.
When you finish with this account, disable it by deselecting the “Allow guests to log
into this computer.” This prevents the guest user account from logging into the
computer.
120 Chapter 6 Securing Accounts

For more information about parental controls, see “Controlling Local Accounts with
Parental Controls” on page 121.
Securing Nonadministrator Accounts

There are two types of nonadministrator user accounts:
Â Standard user accounts, which don’t have administrator privileges and don’t have
parental controls limiting their actions.
Â Managed user accounts, which don’t have administrator privileges but have active
parental controls. Parental controls help deter unsophisticated users from performing
malicious activities. They can also help prevent users from misusing their computer.
Note: If your computer is connected to a network, a managed user can also be a user
whose preferences and account information are managed through the network.
When creating nonadministrator accounts, restrict the accounts so they can only use
what is required. For example, if you plan to store sensitive data on your local
computer, disable the ability to burn DVDs.
Controlling Local Accounts with Parental Controls

You can set limits for users by using Parental Controls preferences. For example, you
might want to prevent users from being able to install or uninstall software, or you
might want to restrict access to specific administrator tools or utilities. The preferences
can be set according to your environment.

The following screen shows Parental Controls that you can set to restrict accounts.
To securely configure an account with parental controls:

1 Open System Preferences, then click Accounts.
2 If the lock icon is locked, click the lock icon and enter an administrator name and
password.
3 Select the user account you want to manage with parental controls and select the
Enable Parental Controls checkbox.
4 Click Open Parental Controls.
5 Click System.
You can enable Simple Finder, which restricts an account to using applications listed on
the Dock. With Simple Finder enabled, users can’t create or delete files. Simple Finder
also prevents users from changing their passwords.
Enabling Simple Finder is not recommended, unless your computer is used in a kiosk-
like environment.
In the System pane, you can specify the applications the user has access to by selecting
the “Only allow selected applications” checkbox. Then you can select or deselect
applications in the applications list.

When you install third-party applications, you can add them to this list. Disable
third-party applications unless the user needs to use such an application and can
do so in a secure manner. Third-party applications might give a standard user some
administrator abilities, which can be a security issue.
You can also prevent the user from administering printers, changing his or her
password, burning CDs and DVDs, and modifying the Dock by deselecting associated
checkboxes.
6 Click Content.
In the Content pane, you can restrict the websites that users can view by selecting
“Try to limit access to adult websites automatically” and you can customize the list of
adult sites by clicking customize and adding the URL of sites to the “Always allow these
sites” list or the “Never allow these sites” list.
You can also select Allow access to only these websites, which prevents a user from
accessing any site not in the list. The list can be expanded by clicking the Add (+)
button below the list of sites.
7 Click Mail & iChat.
In the Mail & iChat pane, you can limit Mail and iChat to specific mail and iChat
addresses in the “Only allow emailing and instant messaging with” list. To add users to
the list, click the Add (+) button below the list.
You can also require that mail addressed to a recipient not listed must have permission
to be sent by selecting the “Send permission request to” checkbox and entering an
administrator’s mail address. When a user attempts to send mail, the mail is sent to the
administrator’s mail address for permission to be sent.
8 Click Time Limits.
In the Time Limits pane, you can restrict the number of hours the computer is used
during Monday through Friday or weekends by selecting the “Limit computer use to”
checkbox and setting the number of hours.
You can also set the times the computer can be accessed by selecting “weekday
Sunday through Thursday” or “weekends Friday and Saturday,” and setting a time
range.
9 Click Logs.
In the Logs pane, you can view a user’s activity on the web or a specific application,
from the current day to an entire year. If you see an activity you want to prevent a user
from using, select the activity and then click Restrict.

Securing External Accounts
An external account is a mobile account that has its local home folder stored on a
volume in an external drive. When an external account logs in, Snow Leopard only
shows the external account that the user logged in with. The external user account
cannot view other accounts on the computer.
External accounts require Snow Leopard or later and an external or ejectable

volume that is formatted as Mac OS X Extended format (HFS Plus). If you use an
external account, use FileVault to protect the content of your home folder in
case your external volume is stolen or lost.
For information about external accounts, see User Management.
Protecting Data on External Volumes

By default, a user’s home folder is not encrypted. If a user stores their home folder on
an external volume using an external account, the user must secure the data on the
external volume. To secure the external volume:
Â The volume must be able to process an external authentication, such as a PIN or
smart card before it is mounted or readable.
Â The user’s home folder should use FileVault or other encryption mechanisms to
secure the data.
Securing Directory-Based Accounts

A directory-based account is an account located on a directory server. A directory
server contains user account records and important data for authenticating users.
If your computer is connected to a directory server, you can add directory users to your
computer and grant them access. You can restrict a directory user account by using
Parental Controls.
Access to directory servers is usually tightly restricted to protect the data on them.
Securing Administrator Accounts

Each administrator should have two accounts: a standard account for daily use and an
administrator account for administrator access. Remember that the nonadministrative
account should be used for most daily activity, especially when accessing the network
or Internet.
The administrator’s account should be used only when absolutely necessary to

accomplish administrative tasks. To secure administrator accounts, restrict the
distribution of administrator accounts and limit the use of these accounts.

A user account with administrator privileges can perform standard user and
administrator tasks such as:
Â Creating user accounts
Â Adding users to the Admin group
Â Changing the FileVault master password
Â Enabling or disabling sharing
Â Enabling, disabling, or changing firewall settings
Â Changing other protected areas in System Preferences
Â Installing system software
The following screen shows an account enabled to be an administrator account.
Securing the System Administrator Account

The most powerful user account in Mac OS X is the system administrator or root
account. By default, the root account on Mac OS X is disabled and it is recommended
you do not enable it. The root account is primarily used for performing UNIX
commands. Generally, actions that involve critical system files require you to perform
those actions as root.
If you are logged in as a Mac OS X administrator, you perform commands as root or by

using the sudo command. Mac OS X logs actions performed using the sudo command.
This helps you track misuse of the sudo command on a computer.

You can use the su command to log in to the command line as another user. You can
use sudo to perform commands that require root privileges. You should restrict access
to the root account.
If multiple users can log in as root, you cannot track which user performed root actions.
Do not allow direct root login because the logs cannot identify which administrator
logged in. Instead, log in using accounts with administrator privileges, and then use the
sudo command to perform actions as root.
For instructions about how to restrict root user access in Directory Utility, open Mac
Help and search for “Directory Utility.”
If the root account is enabled, you can disable it by using an administrative account
and the dsenableroot command. For example, the following command disables the
root account.
$ dsenableroot -d
By default, sudo is enabled for administrator users. From the command line, you can
disable root login or restrict the use of sudo. Limit the administrators allowed to use
sudo to those who require the ability to run commands as root.
The computer uses a file named /etc/sudoers to determine which users can use sudo.
You can modify root user access by changing the /etc/sudoers file to restrict sudo
access to specific accounts, and only allow those accounts to perform specifically
allowed commands. This gives you control over what users can do as root.
To restrict sudo usage, change the /etc/sudoers file:

1 As the root user, use the following command to edit the /etc/sudoers file, which allows
for safe editing of the file.
$ sudo visudo
2 When prompted, enter the administrator password.

There is a timeout value associated with sudo. This value indicates the number of
minutes until sudo prompts for a password again. The default value is 5, which means
that after issuing the sudo command and entering the correct password, additional
sudo commands can be entered for 5 minutes without reentering the password.
This value is set in the /etc/sudoers file. For more information, see the sudo and sudoers
man pages.
3 In the Defaults specification section of the file, add the following lines.
Defaults timestamp_timeout=0
Defaults tty_tickets
These lines limit the use of the sudo command to a single command per
authentication and also ensure that, even if a timeout is activated, later sudo
commands are limited to the terminal where authentication occurred.

4 Restrict which administrators can run sudo by removing the line that begins with
%admin, and add the following entry for each user, substituting the user’s short name
for the word user:
user ALL=(ALL) ALL
Doing this means that when an administrator is added to the computer, the
administrator must be added to the /etc/sudoers file as described, if the administrator
needs to use sudo.
5 Save and quit visudo.
For more information, enter man vi or man visudo in a Terminal window. For information
about how to modify the /etc/sudoers file, see the sudoers man page.
Understanding Directory Domains

User accounts are stored in a directory domain. Your preferences and account
attributes are set according to the information stored in the directory domain.
Local accounts are hosted in a local directory domain. When you log in to a local
account, you authenticate with that local directory domain. Users with local accounts
typically have local home folders. When a user saves files in a local home folder, the
files are stored locally. To save a file over the network, the user must connect to the
network and upload the file.
Network-based accounts are hosted in a network-based directory domain, such as a

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) or Network Information Service (NIS)
directory. When you log in to a network-based account, you authenticate with the
network-based directory domain. Users with network accounts typically have network
home folders. When they save files in their network home folders, the files are stored
on the server.
Mobile accounts cache authentication information and managed preferences. A user’s

authentication information is maintained on the directory server but is cached on the
local computer. With cached authentication information, a user can log in using the
same user name and password (or a digital token, smart card, or biometric reader),
even if the user is not connected to the network.
Users with mobile accounts have local and network home folders that combine to form
portable home directories. When users save files, the files are stored in a local home
folder. The portable home directory is a synchronized subset of a user’s local and
network home folders. For information about protecting your home folder, see
Chapter 7, “Securing Data and Using Encryption.”

Understanding Network Services, Authentication, and Contacts
You can use Account preferences to configure your computer to use a network-based
directory domain. For advanced connections or modifications, use Directory Utility.
Directory Utility can be accessed from Account preferences by clicking Login Options
and then clicking Join or Edit and then clicking Open Directory Utility.
In Directory Utility, you can disable directory search services that are not used by
deselecting them in the Services pane (shown here).
You can also enable or disable each kind of directory service protocol.
Mac OS X doesn’t access disabled directory services, except for the local directory
domain, which is always accessed.
In addition to enabling and disabling services, you can use Directory Utility to choose
the directory domains you want to authenticate with. Directory Utility defines the
authentication search policy that Mac OS X uses to locate and retrieve user
authentication information and other administrative data from directory domains.
The login window Finder and other parts of Mac OS X use this authentication
information and administrative data. File service, Mail service, and other services
provided by Mac OS X Server also use this information.
Directory Utility also defines the contacts search policy that Mac OS X uses to locate
and retrieve name, address, and other contact information from directory domains.
Address Book can use this contact information, and other applications can be
programmed to use it as well.
The authentication and contacts search policy consists of a list of directory domains
(also known as directory nodes). The order of directory domains in the list defines the
search policy.

Starting at the top of the list, Mac OS X searches each listed directory domain in turn
until it finds the information it needs or reaches the end of the list without finding the
information.
For more information about using Directory Utility, see Open Directory Administration.
Configuring LDAPv3 Access

Mac OS X v10.6 primarily uses Open Directory as its network-based directory domain.
Open Directory uses LDAPv3 as its connection protocol. LDAPv3 includes several
security features that you should enable if your server supports them. Enabling every
LDAPv3 security feature maximizes LDAPv3 security.
To make sure your settings match your network’s required settings, contact your
network administrator. Whenever possible, all LDAP connections should be configured
to be encrypted using SSL.
For information about changing the security policy for an LDAP connection or for
information about protecting computers from malicious DHCP servers, see Open
Directory Administration.
Configuring Active Directory Access

Mac OS X v10.6 supports mutual authentication with Active Directory servers. Kerberos
is a ticket-based system that enables mutual authentication. The server must identify
itself by providing a ticket to your computer. This prevents your computer from
connecting to rogue servers.
Mac OS X v10.6 also supports digital signing and encrypted packet security settings
used by Active Directory. These setting are enabled by default.
Mutual authentication occurs when you bind to Active Directory servers.
If you’re connecting to an Active Directory server with Highly Secure (HISEC) templates
enabled, you can use third-party tools to further secure your Active Directory
connection.
When you configure Active Directory access, the settings you choose are generally
dictated by the Active Directory server’s settings. To make sure your settings match
your network’s required settings, contact your network administrator.
The “Allow administration by” setting should not be used in sensitive environments. It
can cause untended privilege escalation issues because any member of the group
specified will have administrator privileges on your computer. Additionally, you should
only connect to trusted networks.
For more information about using Directory Utility to connect to Active Directory
servers, see Open Directory Administration.

Using Strong Authentication
Authentication is the process of verifying the identity of a user. Mac OS X supports local
and network-based authentication to ensure that only users with valid authentication
credentials can access the computer’s data, applications, and network services.
You can require passwords to log in, to wake the computer from sleep or from a screen
saver, to install applications, or to change system settings. Mac OS X also supports
authentication methods such as smart cards, digital tokens, and biometric readers.
Strong authentication is created by using combinations of the following authentication

dimensions:
Â What the user knows, such as a password or PIN number
Â What the user has, such as one-time-password (OTP) token or smart card
Â What the user is, such as a fingerprint, retina scan, or DNA sample
Using a combination of these dimensions makes authentication more reliable and user
identification more certain.
Using Password Assistant to Generate or Analyze Passwords

Snow Leopard includes Password Assistant, an application that analyzes the complexity
of a password or generates a complex password for you. You can specify the length and
type of password you’d like to generate.
You can choose from the following types of passwords:

Â Manual: You enter a password and then Password Assistant gives you the quality
level of your password. If the quality level is low, Password Assistant gives tips for
increasing the quality level.
Â Memorable: According to your password length requirements, Password Assistant
generates a list of memorable passwords in the Suggestion menu.
Â Letters & Numbers: According to your password length requirements, Password
Assistant generates a list of passwords with a combination of letters and numbers.
Â Numbers Only: According to your password length requirements, Password
Assistant generates a list of passwords containing only numbers.
Â Random: According to your password length requirements, Password Assistant
generates a list of passwords containing random characters.
Â FIPS-181 compliant: According to your password length requirements, Password
Assistant generates a password that is FIPS-181 compliant (which includes mixed
upper and lowercase, punctuation, and numbers).
For example, you can create a randomly generated password or a FIPS-181 compliant
password that is 12 characters long.

The following screen shows Password Assistant.
You can open Password Assistant from some applications. For example, when you
create an account or change passwords in Accounts preferences, you can use Password
Assistant to help you create a secure password.
Using Kerberos
Kerberos is an authentication protocol used for systemwide single sign-on, allowing
users to authenticate to multiple services without reentering passwords or sending
them over the network. Every system generates its own principals, allowing it to offer
secure services that are fully compatible with other Kerberos-based implementations.
Note: Snow Leopard supports Kerberos v5 but does not support Kerberos v4.
Snow Leopard uses Kerberos to make it easier to share services with other computers.
A key distribution center (KDC) server is not required to use Kerberos authentication
between two Snow Leopard computers.

When you connect to a computer that supports Kerberos, you are granted a ticket that
permits you to continue to use services on that computer, without reauthentication,
until your ticket expires.
For example, consider two Snow Leopard computers named “Mac01”and “Mac02.”
Mac02 has screen sharing and file sharing turned on. If Mac01 connects to a shared
folder on Mac02, Mac01 can subsequently connect to screen sharing on Mac02 without
supplying login credentials again.
This Kerberos exchange is only attempted if you connect using Bonjour, if you navigate
to the computer in Finder, or if you use the Go menu in Finder to connect to a server
using the local hostname of the computer name (for example, computer_name.local).
Kerberos is also used to secure the Back to My Mac (BTMM) service. For more
information about using Kerberos with BTMM, see “Securing BTMM Access” on
page 198.
Normally, after your computer gains a Kerberos ticket in this manner, keep the Kerberos
ticket until it expires. However, you can manually remove your Kerberos ticket using the
Kerberos utility in Snow Leopard.
To manually remove a Kerberos ticket:

1 Open Keychain Access (in /Applications/Utilities).
2 From the Keychain Access menu, choose Ticket Viewer.
3 In the Kerberos application’s Ticket Cache window, find the key that looks like this:
"yourusername@LKDC:SHA1..."
It is followed by a long string of alphanumeric characters.
4 Click “Destroy Ticket” to delete that key.
You can also use the kinit, kdestroy, and kpasswd commands to manage Kerberos
tickets. For more information, see the kinit, kdestroy, and kpasswd man pages.
Using Smart Cards

A smart card is a plastic card (similar in size to a credit card) or USB dongle that
has memory and a microprocessor embedded in it. The smart card can store and
process information such as passwords, certificates, and keys.
The microprocessor inside the smart card can do authentication evaluation offline
before releasing information.
Before the smart card processes information, you must authenticate with the smart
card by a PIN or biometric measurement (such as a fingerprint), which provides an
additional layer of security.

Smart card support is integrated into Snow Leopard and can be configured to work
with the following services:
Â Cryptographic login (local or network based accounts)
Â Unlock of FileVault enabled accounts
Â Unlock keychains
Â Signed and encrypted email (S/MIME)
Â Securing web access (HTTPS)
Â VPN (L2TP, PPTP, SSL)
Â 802.1X
Â Screen saver unlock
Â System administration
Â Keychain Access
For more information, see the Smart Card Setup Guide at www.apple.com/business/
resources/.
Using Tokens
You can use a digital token to identify a user for commerce, communication, or access
control. This token can be generated by software or hardware.
Some common tokens are the RSA SecurID and the CRYPTOCard KT-1 devices. These
hardware devices generate tokens to identify the user. The generated tokens are
specific to that user, so two users with different RSA SecurIDs or different CRYPTOCard
KT-1s have different tokens.
You can use tokens for two-factor authentication. Two-factor refers to authenticating
through something you have (such as a one-time-password token) and something you
know (such as a fixed password). The use of tokens increases the strength of the
authentication. Tokens are frequently used for VPN authentication.
Using Biometrics
Mac OS X supports biometrics authentication technologies such as thumbprint readers.
Password-protected websites and applications can be accessed without requiring the
user to remember a long list of passwords.
Some biometric devices allow you to authenticate by placing your finger on a pad.
Unlike a password, your fingerprint can never be forgotten or stolen. Fingerprint
identification provides personal authentication and network access.
The use of biometrics can enhance authentication by using something that is a part of
you (such as your fingerprint).

Setting Global Password Policies
To configure a password policy that can apply globally or to individual users, use the
pwpolicy command-line tool.
Global password policies are not implemented in Mac OS X; instead, password policies
are set for each user account.
You can set specific rules governing the size and complexity of acceptable passwords.
For example, you can specify requirements for the following:
Â Minimum and maximum character length
Â Alphabetic and numeric character inclusion
Â Maximum number of failed logins before account lockout
To require that an authenticator’s password be a minimum of 12 characters and have

no more than 3 failed login attempts, enter the following in a Terminal window:
$ pwpolicy -n /Local/Default -setglobalpolicy "minChars=12
maxFailedLoginAttempts=3”
For advanced password policies, use Password Server in Mac OS X Server. You can use it
to set global password policies that specify requirements for the following:
Â Password expiration duration
Â Special character inclusion
Â Mixed-case character inclusion
Â Password reuse limits
You can use pwpolicy to set a password policy that meets your organization’s password
standards. For more information about how to use pwpolicy, enter man pwpolicy in a
Terminal window.
Storing Credentials
Mac OS X includes Keychain Access, an application that manages collections of
passwords and certificates in a single credential store called a keychain. Each keychain
can hold a collection of credentials and protect them with a single password.
Keychains store encrypted passwords, certificates, and other private values (called
secure notes). These values are accessible only by unlocking the keychain using the
keychain password and only by applications that are approved and added to the access
control application list.
You can create multiple keychains, each of which appears in a keychain list in Keychain
Access. Each keychain can store multiple values. Each value is called a key item. You can
create a key item in any user-created keychain.

When an application must store an item in a keychain, it stores it in the keychain
designated as your default. The default is named “login,” but you can change that to
any user-created keychain. The default keychain name is displayed in bold.
Each item in a keychain has an Access Control List (ACL) that can be populated with
applications that have authority to use that keychain item. A further restriction can be
added that forces an application with access to confirm the keychain password.
The main issue with remembering passwords is that you’re likely to make all passwords
identical or keep a written list of passwords. By using keychains, you can greatly reduce
the number of passwords you need to remember. Because you no longer need to
remember passwords for multiple accounts, the passwords you choose can be very
complex and can even be randomly generated.
Keychains provide additional protection for passwords, passphrases, certificates, and

other credentials stored on the computer. In some cases, such as using a certificate to
sign a mail message, the certificate must be stored in a keychain.
If a credential must be stored on the computer, store and manage it using Keychain
Access. Check your organization’s policy on keychain use.
Due to the sensitive nature of keychain information, keychains use cryptography to

encrypt and decrypt secrets, and they safely store secrets and related data in files.
Snow Leopard Keychain services enable you to create keychains and provide secure
storage of keychain items. After a keychain is created, you can add, delete, and edit
keychain items, such as passwords, keys, certificates, and notes. A user can unlock a
keychain with a single password and applications can then use that keychain to store
and retrieve data, such as passwords.
Using the Default User Keychain

When a user’s account is created, a default keychain named “login” is created for that
user. The password for the login keychain is initially set to the user’s login password
and is unlocked when the user logs in. It remains unlocked unless the user locks it, or
until the user logs out.
You should change the settings for the login keychain so the user must unlock it when
he or she logs in, or after waking the computer from sleep.
To secure the login keychain:

1 Open Keychain Access.
2 If you do not see a list of keychains, click Show Keychains.
3 Select the login keychain.
4 Choose Edit > Change Password for Keychain “login.”
5 Enter the current password, and create and verify a password for the login keychain.

After you create a login keychain password that is different from the normal login
password, your keychain is not unlocked at login.
To help you create a more secure password, use Password Assistant. For information,
see “Using Password Assistant to Generate or Analyze Passwords” on page 130.
6 Choose Edit > Change Settings for Keychain “login.”
7 Select “Lock when sleeping.”
8 Deselect “Synchronize this keychain using MobileMe.”
9 Secure each login keychain item.
For information, see “Securing Keychains and Their Items” on page 137.
Creating Additional Keychains

When a user account is created, it contains only the initial default keychain named
“login.” A user can create additional keychains, each of which can have different
settings and purposes.
For example, a user might want to group credentials for mail accounts into one
keychain. Because mail programs query the server frequently to check for mail, it is not
practical for the user to reauthenticate when such a check is performed.
The user could create a keychain and configure its settings, so that he or she is required
to enter the keychain password at login and whenever the computer is awakened from
sleep.
He or she could then move all items containing credentials for mail applications into
that keychain and set each item so that only the mail application associated with that
credential can automatically access it. This forces other applications to authenticate to
access that credential.
Configuring a keychain’s settings for use by mail applications might be unacceptable

for other applications. If a user has an infrequently used web-based account, it is more
appropriate to store keychain settings in a keychain configured to require
reauthentication for every access by any application.
You can also create multiple keychains to accommodate varying degrees of sensitivity.
By separating keychains based on sensitivity, you prevent the exposure of sensitive
credentials to less sensitive applications with credentials on the same keychain.
To create a keychain and customize its authentication settings:

1 In Keychain Access, choose File > New Keychain.
2 Enter a name, select a location for the keychain, and click Create.
3 Enter a password, verify it, and click OK.

5 Select the new keychain.
6 Choose Edit > Change Settings for keychain “keychain_name,” and authenticate, if
requested.
7 Change the “Lock after # minutes of inactivity” setting based on the access frequency
of the security credentials included in the keychain.
If the security credentials are accessed frequently, do not select “Lock after # minutes of
inactivity.”
If the security credentials are accessed frequently, select “Lock after # minutes of
inactivity” and select a value, such as 15. If you use a password-protected screensaver,
consider setting this value to the idle time required for your screensaver to start.
If the security credentials are accessed infrequently, select “Lock after # minutes of
inactivity” and specify a value, such as 1.
8 Select “Lock when sleeping.”
9 Drag the security credentials from other keychains to the new keychain and
authenticate, if requested.
You should have keychains that only contain related certificates. For example, you
could have a mail keychain that only contains mail items.
10 If you are asked to confirm access to the keychain, enter the keychain password and
click Allow Once.
After confirming access, Keychain Access moves the security credential to the new
keychain.
11 Secure each item in the security credentials for your keychain.
You can also use the security and systemkeychain commands to create and manage
your keychains. For more information, see the security and systemkeychain man
pages. For information, see “Securing Keychains and Their Items” on page 137.
Securing Keychains and Their Items

Keychains can store multiple encrypted items. You can configure items so only specific
applications have access. (However, you cannot set Access Control for certificates.)
To secure a keychain item:

1 In Keychain Access, select a keychain and then select an item.
2 Click the Information (i) button.
3 Click Access Control and then authenticate if requested.
4 Select “Confirm before allowing access.”
After you enable this option, Mac OS X prompts you before giving a security credential
to an application.

If you select “Allow all applications to access this item” you allow any application to
access the security credential when the keychain is unlocked. When accessing the
security credential, there is no user prompt, so enabling this is a security risk.
5 Select “Ask for Keychain password.”
After enabling this, you must provide the keychain password before applications can
access security credentials.
Enabling this is important for critical items, such as your personal identity (your public
key certificates and the corresponding private key), which are needed when signing or
decrypting information. These items can also be placed in their own keychains.
6 Remove nontrusted applications listed in “Always allow access by these applications” by
selecting each application and clicking the Remove (–) button.
Applications listed here require the user to enter the keychain password to access
security credentials.
Using Smart Cards as Keychains

Snow Leopard integrates support for hardware-based smart cards as dynamic
keychains where any application using keychains can access that smart card. A smart
card can be thought of as a portable protected keychain.
Smart cards are seen by the operating system as dynamic keychains and are added to
the top of the Keychain Access list. They are the first searched in the list. They can be
treated as other keychains on the user’s computer, with the limitation that users can’t
add other secure objects.
When you attach a supported smart card to your computer, it appears in Keychain
Access. If multiple smart cards are attached to your computer, they appear at the top of
the keychain list alphabetically as separate keychains.
You can manually unlock and change the PIN using Keychain Access. When changing
the PIN on your smart card it is the same as changing the password on a regular
keychain.
In Keychain Access, select your smart card and unlock it by double-clicking it. If it is not
unlocked, you are prompted to enter the password for the smart card, which is the
same as the PIN. Enter the PIN and Keychain Access to view the PIN-protected data on
that smart card.
For more information, see the Smart Card Setup Guide at www.apple.com/business/
resources/.

Using Portable and Network-Based Keychains
If you’re using a portable computer, consider storing your keychains on a portable
drive, such as a USB flash memory drive. You can remove the portable drive from the
portable computer and store it separately when the keychains are not in use.
Anyone attempting to access data on the portable computer needs the portable
computer, portable drive, and password for the keychain stored on the portable drive.
This provides an extra layer of protection if the laptop is stolen or misplaced.
To use a portable drive to store keychains, move your keychain files to the portable
drive and configure Keychain Access to use the keychains on the portable drive.
The default location for your keychain is ~/Library/Keychains/. However, you can store
keychains in other locations.
You can further protect portable keychains by storing them on biometric USB flash
memory drives, or by storing portable drive contents in an encrypted file.
For information, see “Encrypting Portable Files” on page 157.
Check with your organization to see if they allow portable drives to store keychains.
To set up a keychain for use from a portable drive:

1 Open Keychain Access.
3 Choose Edit > Keychain List.
4 Note the location of the keychain you want to set up.
The default location is ~/Library/Keychains/.
5 Click Cancel.
6 Select the keychain you want set up.
7 Choose File > Delete Keychain “keychain_name.”
8 Click Delete References.
9 Copy the keychain files from the previously noted location to the portable drive.
10 Move the keychain to the Trash and use Secure Empty Trash to securely erase the
keychain file stored on the computer.
For information, see “Using Secure Empty Trash” on page 162.
11 Open Finder and double-click the keychain file on your portable drive to add it to your
keychain search list.

About Certificates
A certificate is a piece of cryptographic information that enables the safe transfer of
information over the Internet. Certificates are used by web browsers, mail applications,
and online chat applications.
When you communicate with a secure site, the information exchanged with the site is
encrypted. This protects your login information, credit card numbers, addresses, and
other secure data.
In Snow Leopard, certificates are part of your digital identity and are stored in your
keychain. Keychain Access lets you manage your certificates and keychains.
Certificates are issued by trusted organizations, such as VeriSign, Inc. or RSA Data
Security, Inc. When you go to a secure website, Snow Leopard checks the site’s
certificate and compares it with certificates that are known to be legitimate. If the
website’s certificate is not recognized, or if the site doesn’t have one, you receive a
message.
The validity of a certificate is verified electronically using the public key infrastructure,
or PKI. Certificates consist of your public key, the identity of the organization, the
certificate authority (CA) that signed your certificate, and other data that may be
associated with your identity.
A certificate is usually restricted for particular uses, such as digital signatures,

encryption, use with web servers, and so on. This is called the “key use” restriction.
Although it’s possible to create one certificate for multiple uses, it’s unusual to make
one for all possible uses. Creating a certificate for multiple uses is also less secure.
A certificate is valid only for a limited time; it then becomes invalid and must be
replaced with a newer version. The CA can also revoke a certificate before it expires.
If you need to send a certificate to someone, you can export it using Keychain Access,
and then send it through email or by other means. Likewise, if someone sends you a
certificate, you can add it to your keychain by dragging it onto the Keychain Access
icon, or by using the Import menu in Keychain Access.
Creating a Self-Signed Certificate

You can create a certificate using the Certificate Assistant in Keychain Access. The
certificate you create is called a self-signed certificate. Self-signed certificates don’t
provide the guarantees of a certificate signed by a CA. Use the 2048 bit key size when
you create your certificate.
By default, certificates created using Certificate Assistant have a 2048 bit key size. Keys
less than 1024 bits are known to be broken, and 1024 bit keys are expected to be
broken within the expiration time of the certificate issued.

To create a self-signed certificate:
1 Open Keychain Access, located in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder.
2 Choose Keychain Access > Certificate Assistant > “Create a Certificate.”
3 Enter a name for the certificate.
4 From the Identity Type pop-up menu, choose one of the following:
Â Self-signed root certificate: A self-signed root certificate is a root CA that someone
makes for immediate use as a certificate. Such certificates do not benefit from the
security of certificate chains and certificate policies. Most computers do not accept
a self-signed certificate unless their owner first tells them to, and some computers
do not accept them under any circumstances. However, they are easy and quick to
make, and are often used for testing purposes in place of certificates signed by
proper CA.
Â Leaf certificate: A leaf is a certificate signed by an intermediate or root CA. A leaf
certificate benefits from the security of certificate chains and certificate policies.
A leaf is situated at the bottom of a certificate chain.
5 From the Certificate Type pop-up menu, choose the specific purpose that your
certificate will be used for.
6 If you want to manually specify the information in the certificate, such as key pairs,
extensions, and encryption, select “Let me override defaults.”
7 Click Continue.
8 When prompted “You are about to create a self-signed certificate,” click Continue.
9 Review the certificate and click Done.
Adding Certificates to a Keychain

Digital certificates are used to validate users and hosts on the Internet. When you
receive certificates from the Internet, you can add them to your keychain for quick
access to secure websites and other resources. After a certificate is added, it can be
used by other compatible applications.
To add a certificate to a keychain:

1 Drag the certificate file onto the Keychain Access icon or double-click the certificate file.
2 If you want to view the contents of the certificate before you add it, click View
Certificates in the dialog, and then click OK when you are done.
3 Choose a keychain from the pop-up menu and click Add.
4 If you’re asked to provide a name and password, enter the name and password for an
administrator user on this computer.
For Keychain Access to recognize a certificate file, it must have a file extension that
identifies it as containing certificates.

The following types of certificates are recognized by Keychain Access:
Â PKCS12 DER encoded - extension .p12 or .pfx
Â PKCS7 DER or PEM encoded - extension .p7r, .p7b, .p7m, .p7c, or .p7s
If Keychain Access is open, you can add a certificate by dragging the certificate onto
the Keychain Access icon in the Dock.
You can also add a certificate to a keychain by choosing File > Import in Keychain
Access.

7 Securing Data and Using
Encryption 7
Use this chapter to learn how to set POSIX, ACL, and global
file permissions, to encrypt home folders and portable files,
and to securely erase data.
Your data is the most valuable part of your computer. By using encryption, you can
protect data in case of an attack or theft of your mobile computer.
By setting global permissions, encrypting home folders, and encrypting portable data,
you can be sure your data is secure. In addition, by using the secure erase feature of
Mac OS X, deleted data is completely erased from the computer.
Understanding Permissions
You protect files and folders by setting permissions that restrict or allow users to access
them. Mac OS X supports two methods of setting file and folder permissions:
Â Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX) permissions—standard for UNIX
operating systems.
Â Access Control Lists (ACLs) permissions—used by Mac OS X, and compatible with
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows XP.
ACL uses POSIX when verifying file and folder permissions. The process ACL uses to
determine if an action is allowed or denied includes verification rules called access
control entries (ACEs). If no ACEs apply, standard POSIX permissions determine access.
Note: In this guide, the term “privileges” refers to the combination of ownership and
permissions, while the term “permissions” refers only to the permission settings that
each user category can have (Read & Write, Read Only, Write Only, and None).
143
Setting POSIX Permissions
Mac OS X bases file permissions on POSIX standard permissions such as file ownership
and access. Each share point, file, and folder has read, write, and execute permission
defined for three categories of users: owner, group, and everyone.
You can assign four types of standard POSIX access permissions to a share point, folder,
or file: Read & Write, Read Only, Write Only, and None.
Viewing POSIX Permissions

You can assign standard POSIX access permissions to these categories of users:
Â Owner—A user who creates an item (file or folder) on the computer is its owner and
has Read & Write permissions for that folder. By default, the owner of an item and the
administrator can change the item’s access privileges (allow a group or everyone to
use the item). The administrator can also transfer ownership of the shared item to
another user.
Â Group—You can put users who need the same access to files and folders into group
accounts. Only one group can be assigned access permissions to a shared item. For
more information about creating groups, see User Management.
Â Everyone—This is any user who can log in to the file server (registered users and
guests).
Before setting or changing POSIX permissions, view the current permission settings.
To view folder or file permissions:

1 Open Terminal.
2 Run the ls command:
$ ls -l
Output similar to the following appears:
computer:~/Documents ajohnson$ ls -l
total 500
drwxr-xr-x 2 ajohnson staff 68 Apr 28 2006 NewFolder
-rw-r--r-- 1 ajohnson staff 43008 Apr 14 2006 file.txt
Note: The “~” refers to your home folder, which in this case is /Users/ajohnson.
~/Documents/ is the current working folder.
You can also use the Finder to view POSIX permissions. In the Finder, Control-click a file
and choose Get Info. Open the Sharing & Permissions disclosure triangle to view POSIX
permissions.
144 Chapter 7 Securing Data and Using Encryption

Interpreting POSIX Permissions
To interpret POSIX permissions, read the first 10 bits of the long format output listed for
a file or folder.
-rw-r--r-- 1 ajohnson staff 43008 Apr 14 2006 file.txt
In this example, NewFolder has the POSIX permissions drwxr-xr-x and has an owner
and group of ajohnson. Permissions are as follows:
Â The d of the POSIX permissions signifies that newfolder is a folder.
Â The first three letters after the d (rwx) signify that the owner has read, write, and
execute permissions for that folder.
Â The next three characters, r-x, signify that the group has read and execute
permissions.
Â The last three characters, r-x, signify that all others have read and execute
permissions.
In this example, users who can access ajohnson’s ~/Documents/ folder can open the
NewFolder folder but can’t modify or open the file.txt file. Read POSIX permissions are
propagated through the folder hierarchy.
Although NewFolder has drwxr-xr-x privileges, only ajohnson can access the folder.
This is because ajohnson‘s ~/Documents/ folder has drwx------ POSIX permissions.
By default, most user folders have drwx------ POSIX permissions. Only the ~/, ~/Sites/,
and ~/Public/ folders have drwxr-xr-x permissions. These permissions allow other
people to view folder contents without authenticating. If you don’t want other people
to view the contents, change the permissions to drwx------ .
In the ~/Public/ folder, the Drop Box folder has drwx-wx-wx POSIX permissions. This
allows other users to add files into ajohnson‘s drop box but they can’t view the files.
You might see a t for others’ privileges on a folder used for collaboration. This t is
sometimes known as the sticky bit. Enabling the sticky bit on a folder prevents people
from overwriting, renaming, or otherwise modifying other people’s files. This can be
common if several people are granted rwx access.
The sticky bit can appear as t or T, depending on whether the execute bit is set for
others:
Â If the execute bit appears as t, the sticky bit is set and has searchable and executable
permissions.
Â If the execute bit appears as T, the sticky bit is set but does not have searchable or
executable permissions.
For more information, see the sticky man page.
Chapter 7 Securing Data and Using Encryption 145

Modifying POSIX Permissions
After your determine current POSIX permission settings, you can modify them using
the chmod command.
To modify POSIX permission:

1 In Terminal, enter the following to add write permission for the group to file.txt:
$ chmod g+w file.txt
2 View the permissions using the ls command.

$ ls -l
3 Validate that the permissions are correct.

computer:~/Documents ajohnson$ ls -l
total 12346
-rw-rw-r-- 1 ajohnson staff 43008 Apr 14 2006 file.txt
For more information, see the chmod man page.
Setting File and Folder Flags

You can also protect files and folders by using flags. These flags, or permission
extensions, override standard POSIX permissions. They can only be set or unset by
the file’s owner or an administrator using sudo. Use flags to prevent the system
administrator (root) from modifying or deleting files or folders.
To enable and disable flags, use the chflags command.
Viewing Flags
Before setting or changing file or folder flags, view the current flag settings.
To display flags set on a folder:

$ ls -lo secret
-rw-r--r-- 1 ajohnson ajohnson uchg 0 Mar 1 07:54 secret
This example displays the flag settings for a folder named secret.
Modifying Flags
After your determine current file or folder flag settings, modify them using the chflags
command.
To lock or unlock a folder using flags:

$ sudo chflags uchg secret

In this example, the folder named secret is locked.
To unlock the folder, change uchg to nouchg:
$ sudo chflags nouchg secret
WARNING: There is an schg option for the chflags command. It sets the system
immutable flag. This setting can only be undone when the kernel security level
(kern.securelevel) is less than or equal to zero. To determine your current kernel
security level, use this command sysctl kern.securelevel.
For more information, see the chflags man page.
Setting ACL Permissions

For greater flexibility in configuring and managing file permissions, Mac OS X
implements ACLs. An ACL is an ordered list of rules called ACEs that control file
permissions. Each ACE contains the following components:
Â User—owner, group, and other
Â Action—read, write, or execute
Â Permission—allow or deny the action
The rules specify the permissions to be granted or denied to a group or user and
controls how the permissions are propagated through a folder hierarchy.
ACLs in Mac OS X let you set file and folder access permissions for multiple users and
groups, in addition to standard POSIX permissions. This makes it easy to set up
collaborative environments with smooth file sharing and uninterrupted workflows
without compromising security.
Mac OS X has implemented file system ACLs that are fully compatible with Microsoft
Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows XP, and Windows Vista.
To determine if an action is allowed or denied, ACEs are considered in order. The first
ACE that applies to a user and action determines the permission and no further ACEs
are evaluated. If no ACEs apply, standard POSIX permissions determine access.

Modifying ACL Permissions
You can set ACL permission for files. The chmod command enables an administrator to
grant read, write, and execute privileges to specific users regarding a single file.
To set ACL permissions for a file:

1 Allow specific users to access specific files.
For example, to allow Anne Johnson permission to read the file secret.txt, enter the
following in Terminal:
$ chmod +a “ajohnson allow read” secret.txt
2 Allow specific groups of users to access specific files.

For example, to allow the engineers group permission to delete the file secret.txt, enter
the following in Terminal:
$ chmod +a “engineers allow delete” secret.txt
3 Deny access privileges to specific files.

For example, to prevent Tom Clark from modifying the file secret.txt, enter the
following in Terminal:
$ chmod +a “tclark deny write” secret.txt
4 View and validate the ACL modifications with the ls command:

$ ls -le secret.txt
-rw------- 1 ajohnson admin 43008 Apr 14 2006 secret.txt
0: ajohnson allow read
1: tclark deny write
2: engineers allow delete
For more information, enter man chmod in a Terminal window.
Changing Global Umask for Stricter Default Permissions

Every file or folder has POSIX permissions associated with it. When you create a file or
folder, the umask setting determines these POSIX permissions.
The umask value is subtracted from the maximum permissions value (777) to
determine the default permission value of a new file or folder. For example, a umask of
022 results in a default permission of 755.
The default umask setting 022 (in octal) removes group and other write permissions.
Group members and other users can read and run these files or folders. Changing the
umask setting to 027 enables group members to read files and folders and prevents
others from accessing the files and folders. If you want to be the only user to access
your files and folders, set the umask setting to 077.

To change the globally defined umask setting, change the umask setting in
/etc/launchd.conf.
You must be logged in as a user who can use sudo to perform these operations and
you must use the octal number.
Note: Users and applications can override default umask settings at any time for their
own files.
WARNING: Many installations depend on the default umask setting. There can be
unintended and possibly severe consequences to changing it. Instead, use inherited
permissions, which are applied by setting permissions on a folder. All files contained
in that folder inherit the permissions of that folder.
To change the global umask file permission:

1 Sign in as a user who can use sudo.
2 Open Terminal.
3 Change the umask setting:
$ sudo echo "umask 027" >> /etc/launchd.conf
This example sets the global umask setting to 027.
4 Log out.
Changes to umask settings take effect at the next login.
Users can use the Finder’s Get Info window or the chmod command-line tool to change
permissions for files and folders.
Restricting Setuid Programs

When applied to a program, the POSIX setuid (set user ID) permission means that when
the program runs, it runs at the privilege level of the file’s owner. The POSIX setgid (set
group ID) permission is analogous. To see an example of a file with the setuid bit, run
the ls command on the ping program as follows:
$ ls -l /sbin/ping
-r-sr-xr-x 1 root wheel 68448 Nov 28 2007 /sbin/ping
The setuid bit is represented with an “s” in the field of permissions, in the position that
contains the file owner’s execute permission. The program runs with the privilege level
of the file’s owner. The owner of the file is root, so when ping is executed—no matter
who executes it—it runs as root. For setgid programs, an “s” appears in the group
execute permission and the file runs with the privileges of the group owner.

The setuid bit is necessary for many programs on the system to perform the specific,
privileged tasks they are designed for. The ping program, for example, is setuid because
it must be able to engage in some network communication that is only possible with
root privileges.
To find setuid programs on the system, use the following command:

$ sudo find / -perm -04000 -ls
To find setgid programs, use -02000 instead of -04000.
Snow Leopard includes approximately 75 setuid programs. Many of these programs

need the setuid bit for normal system operation. However, other programs may need
the setuid bit only if certain functionality is needed, or only if administrators need to
use the program.
Because attackers try to influence or co-opt the execution of setuid programs to try to
elevate their privileges, there is benefit in removing the setuid bit from programs that
may not need it. There is also benefit in restricting to administrators the right to
execute a setuid program.
If a program is needed but has had its setuid bit stripped, an administrator can run the
program using sudo, which runs the program as the root user. An administrator can
also temporarily enable the setuid bit while the program is needed, and then disable it
again afterward.
Stripping Setuid Bits
To strip the setuid or setgid bit from a program, use the following command:
$ sudo chmod -s programname
The following programs can have their setuid bit removed, unless needed for the
purpose shown in the second column:
Application Related Service

/System/Library/CoreServices/ Apple Remote Desktop
RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/
MacOS/ARDAgent
/usr/bin/at Job Scheduler
/usr/bin/atq Job Scheduler
/usr/bin/atrm Job Scheduler
/usr/bin/crontab Job Scheduler
/usr/bin/postdrop Postfix Mail
/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/ Performing Privileged File Operations using Finder
DesktopServicesPriv.framework/
Versions/A/Resources/Locum

Application Related Service
/usr/bin/postqueue Postfix Mail Queue
/usr/bin/procmail Mail Processor
/usr/bin/wall User Messaging
/usr/bin/write User Messaging
/usr/bin/chrfn Change Finger Information
/System/Library/Printers/IOMs/LPRIOM.plugin/ Printing
Contents/MacOS/LPRIOMHelper
/usr/sbin/traceroute Trace Network Path
/usr/sbin/traceroute6 Trace Network Path
/sbin/mount_fs Mounting NFS Filesystems
/usr/bin/ipcs IPC Statistics
/bin/rcp Remote Access (unsecure)
/usr/bin/rlogin Remote Access (unsecure)
/usr/bin/rsh Remote Access (unsecure)
/usr/lib/sa/sadc System Activity Reporting
/usr/sbin/scselect Allowing non-administrators to change Network
Location
Important: The Repair Permissions feature of Disk Utility reenables the setuid bit on
these programs. Software updates may also reenable the setuid bit on these programs.
To achieve some persistence for the permissions change, create a shell script to strip
the bits and then implement a launchd job (for the root account) to execute this script
every half hour. This ensures that no more than half an hour passes from the time a
system update is applied until the setuid bits are removed.
For information about how to set up a launchd job, see Introduction to Command-Line
Administration, available at www.apple.com/server/macosx/resources/.
Using ACLs to Restrict Usage of Setuid Programs

You can also use the ACL feature of Snow Leopard to restrict the execution of setuid
programs.
Restricting the execution of setuid programs to administrators prevents other users

from executing those programs. It should also prevent attackers who have ordinary
user privileges from executing the setuid program and trying to elevate their privileges.
All users on the system are in the staff group, so the following commands allow
members of the admin group to execute <program name> but deny that right to
members of the staff group:
$ sudo chmod +a “group:staff deny execute” <program name>
$ sudo chmod +a# 0 “group:admin allow execute” <program name>

To view the ACL:
$ ls -le <program name>
The output looks something like this:
-r-sr-xr-x+ 1 root wheel 12345 Nov 28 2007 <program name>
0: group:admin allow execute
1: group:staff deny execute
Because the ACL is evaluated from top to bottom, users in the admin group are
permitted to execute the program. The following rule denies that right to all users.
Important: Although the "Repair Permissions" feature of Disk Utility does not strip
ACLs from programs, software updates might strip these ACLs. To achieve a degree
of persistence for the ACLs, create a shell script to set the ACLs and then implement
a launchd job (for the root account) to execute this script.
For information about how to set up a launchd job, consult Introduction to Command-
Line Administration, available at http://www.apple.com/server/macosx/resources/.
A launchd job should ensure that a specific time period (or less) should pass from the
time a system update is applied and the ACL is reset. Because the ACL described above
uses the +a# option to place rules in noncanonical order, its reapplication results in
additional rules. The following script can successfully apply and reapply the rules:
chmod –a “group:admin allow execute” <program name>
chmod +a “group:staff deny execute” <program name>
chmod +a# 0 “group:admin allow execute” <program name>
Securing User Home Folders

To secure user home folders, change the permissions of each user’s home folder so the
folder is not world-readable or world-searchable.
When FileVault is not enabled, permissions on the home folder of a user account allow
other users to browse the folder’s contents. However, users might inadvertently save
sensitive files to their home folder, instead of into the more-protected ~/Documents, ~/
Library, or ~/Desktop folders.
The ~/Sites, ~/Public, and ~/Public/Drop Box folders in each home folder may require
world-readable or world-writeable permissions if File Sharing or Web Sharing is
enabled. If these services are not in use, permissions on these folders can be safely
changed to prevent other users from browsing or writing to their contents.
To change home folder permissions:
Enter the following command:

$ sudo chmod 700 /Users/username
Replace username with the name of the account.

Run this command immediately after someone creates an account.
In Snow Leopard, all users are a member of the staff group, not of a group that has
the same name as their user name.
Note: Changing permissions on a user’s home directory from 750 to 700 disables
Apple file sharing (using the ~/Public directory) and Apple web sharing (using the
~/Sites directory).
As the owner of his or her home folder, the user can alter the folder’s permission
settings at any time, and can change these settings back.
Encrypting Home Folders

Mac OS X includes FileVault, which can encrypt your home folder and its files. Use
FileVault on portable computers and other computers whose physical security you
can’t guarantee. Enable FileVault encryption for your computer and its user accounts.
FileVault moves all content of your home folder into a bundle disk image that supports
AES-256 encryption. Snow Leopard supports the Mac OS X version 10.4 Tiger sparse
disk image format created using AES-128 encryption. Sparse format allows the image
to maintain a size proportional to its contents, which can save disk space.
If you remove files from a FileVault-protected home folder, it takes time to recover free
space from the home folder. After the home folder is optimized, you can access files in
FileVault-protected home folders without noticeable delays.
If you’re working with confidential files that you plan to erase later, store those files in
separate encrypted images that are not located in your home folder. You can then
erase those images without needing to recover free space. For more information, see
“Encrypting Portable Files” on page 157.
If you’ve insecurely deleted files before using FileVault, these files are recoverable
after activating it. When you initially enable FileVault, securely erase free space. For
information, see “Using Disk Utility to Securely Erase Free Space” on page 162.
Because FileVault is an encryption of a user’s local home folder, FileVault does not
encrypt or protect files transferred over the network or saved to removable media,
so you must encrypt specific files or folders. FileVault can only be enabled for local or
mobile accounts and cannot be enabled for network home folders.
To protect files or folders on portable media or a network volume, create an encrypted

disk image on the portable media or network volume. Then mount these encrypted
disk images, which protect data transmitted over the network using AES-256
encryption. When using this method, mount the encrypted disk image from one
computer at a time to prevent irreparable corruption to the image content.

For information about encrypting specific files or folders for transfer from your network
home folder, see “Encrypting Portable Files” on page 157.
When you set up FileVault, you create a master password. If you forget your login
password, you can use your master password to recover encrypted data. If you forget
your login password and your master password, you cannot recover your data. Because
of this, consider sealing your master password in an envelope and storing it in a secure
location.
You can use Password Assistant to help create a complex master password that cannot
be easily compromised. For information, see “Using Password Assistant to Generate or
Analyze Passwords” on page 130.
Enabling FileVault copies data from your home folder into an encrypted home folder.
After copying, FileVault erases the unencrypted data.
By default, FileVault insecurely erases the unencrypted data, but if you enable secure
erase, your unencrypted data is securely erased.
Overview of FileVault
Snow Leopard allows the unlocking of FileVault accounts by smart cards, which
provides the most secure practice for protecting FileVault accounts.
Accounts protected by FileVault support authentication using a passphrase or a smart

card. With smart card authentication, the AES-256 symmetric Data Key (DK) used to
encrypt the user’s data is unwrapped using a private (encryption) key on the smart
card. The data written to or read from disk is encrypted and decrypted on the fly during
access.
FileVault encrypts the Data Key (DK) using the User Key (UK1), which can be generated
from your passphrase or from the public key on your smart card. FileVault separately
encrypts the Data Key using the FileVault Master Key (MK).
The architectural design of FileVault makes it possible for the MK and UK1 to encrypt
and decrypt files. Providing strong encryption protects user data at rest while ensuring
access management by IT staff.
The easiest method of centralized management of FileVault on a client computer is to

use Snow Leopard Server and WorkGroup Manager to enforce the use of FileVault and
the proper identity.
Managing FileVault
You can set a FileVault master keychain to decrypt an account that uses FileVault to
encrypt data. Then, if users forget their FileVault account password (which they use to
decrypt encrypted data), you can use the FileVault master keychain to decrypt the data.

To create the FileVault master keychain:
2 Click Security, then click FileVault.
3 Click Set Master Password and set a master password.
Select a strong password and consider splitting the password into at least two
components (first half and second half ). You can use Password Assistant to ensure that
the quality of the password is strong.
To avoid having one person know the full password, have separate security
administrators keep each password component. This prevents a single person from
unlocking (decrypting) a FileVault account. For more information about Password
Assistant, see “Using Password Assistant to Generate or Analyze Passwords” on
page 130.
This creates a keychain called FileVaultMaster.keychain in /Library/Keychains/.
The FileVault master keychain contains a FileVault recovery key (self-signed root
certificate) and a FileVault master password key (private key).
4 Delete the certificate named FileVaultMaster.cer in the same location as the
FileVaultMaster.keychain.
FileVaultMaster.cer is only used for importing the certificate into the keychain. This is
only a certificate and does not contain the private key, so there is no security concern
about someone gaining access to this certificate.
5 Make a copy of FileVaultMaster.keychain and put it in a secure place.
6 Delete the private key from FileVaultMaster.keychain created on the computer to
modify the keychain.
This ensures that even if someone unlocks the FileVault master keychain they cannot
decrypt the contents of a FileVault account because there is no FileVault master
password private key available for decryption.
Managing the FileVault Master Keychain

The modified FileVault master keychain can now be distributed to network computers.
This can be done by transferring FileVaultMaster.keychain to the computers by using
Apple Remote Desktop, by using a distributed installer executed on each computer, by
using various scripting techniques, or by including it in the original disk image if your
organization restores systems with a default image.
This provides network management of any FileVault account created on any computer
with the modified FileVaultMaster.keychain located in the /Library/Keychains/ folder.
These computers indicate that the master password is set in Security preferences.
When an account is created and the modified FileVault master keychain is present, the
public key from the FileVault recovery key is used to encrypt the dynamically generated

AES 256-bit symmetric key used for encryption and decryption of the encrypted disk
image (FileVault container).
To decrypt access to the encrypted disk image, the FileVault master password private
key is required to decrypt the original dynamically generated AES 128-bit or 256-bit
symmetric key.
The user’s original password continues to work as normal, but the assumption here is
that the master password service is being used because the user has forgotten the
password or the organization must perform data recovery from a user’s computer.
To recover a network-managed FileVault system account:

1 Retrieve the copy of FileVaultMaster.keychain that was stored before the private key
was deleting during modification.
2 If the master password was split into password components, bring together all security
administrators involved in generating the master password.
Note: The administrator must have root access to restore FileVaultMaster.keychain.
3 Restore the original keychain to the /Library/Keychains/ folder of the target computer
replacing the installed one.
4 Verify that the restored FileVaultMaster.keychain file has the correct ownership and
permissions set, similar to the following example.
-rw-r--r-- 1 root admin 24880 Mar 2 18:18 FileVaultMaster.keychain
5 Log in to the FileVault account you are attempting to recover and incorrectly enter the
account password three times.
If “Password Hints” is enabled, you are granted an additional try after the hint appears.
6 When prompted for the master password, have the security administrators combine
their password components to unlock access to the account.
7 When the account is unlocked, provide a new password for the account.
The password is used to encrypt the original symmetric key used to encrypt and
decrypt the disk image.
Note: This process does not reencrypt the FileVault container. It reencrypts the original
symmetric key with a key derived from the new user account password you entered.
You are now logged in to the account and given access to the user’s home folder.
8 Delete the private key from FileVaultMaster.keychain again, or replace the keychain file
with the original copy of FileVaultMaster.keychain that was stored before the private
key was deleted.
This process does not change the password used to protect the user’s original login
keychain, because that password is not known or stored anywhere. Instead, this
process creates a login keychain with the password entered as the user’s new account
password.

Encrypting Portable Files
To protect files you want to transfer over a network or save to removable media,
encrypt a disk image or encrypt the files and folders. FileVault doesn’t protect files
transmitted over the network or saved to removable media.
Using a server-based encrypted disk image provides the added benefit of encrypting
network traffic between the computer and the server hosting the mounted encrypted
disk image.
Creating an Encrypted Disk Image

To encrypt and securely store data, you can create a read/write image or a sparse
image:
Â A read/write image consumes the space that was defined when the image was
created. For example, if the maximum size of a read/write image is set to 10 GB, the
image consumes 10 GB of space even if it contains only 2 GB of data.
Â A sparse image consumes only the amount of space the data needs. For example, if
the maximum size of a sparse image is 10 GB and the data is only 2 GB, the image
consumes only 2 GB of space.
If an unauthorized administrator might access your computer, creating an encrypted

blank disk image is preferred to creating an encrypted disk image from existing data.
Creating an encrypted image from existing data copies the data from an unprotected
area to the encrypted image. If the data is sensitive, create the image before creating
the documents. This creates the working copies, backups, or caches of files in
encrypted storage from the start.
Note: To prevent errors when a file system inside a sparse image has more free space
than the volume holding the sparse image, HFS volumes inside sparse images report
an amount of free space slightly less than the amount of free space on the volume the
image resides on.
To create an encrypted disk image:

2 Choose File > New > Blank Disk Image.
3 Enter a name for the image, and choose where to store it.
4 In the Name field, enter the name you want to appear when the image is mounted.
5 Choose the size of the image from the Size pop-up menu.
Make sure the size of the image is large enough for your needs. You cannot increase
the size of an image after creating it.
6 Choose a format from the Format pop-up menu.

7 Choose an encryption method from the Encryption pop-up menu.
AES-128 or AES-256 is a strong encryption format.
8 Choose a partition type from the Partitions pop-up menu.
The default is Single partition - Apple Partition Map.
9 Choose a format from the Image Format pop-up menu.
Although there is some overhead, the sparse format allows the image to maintain a
size proportional to its contents (up to its maximum size), which can save disk space.
10 Click Create.
11 Enter a password and verify it.
You can access Password Assistant from this window. For more information,
see “Using Password Assistant to Generate or Analyze Passwords” on page 130.
12 Deselect “Remember password (add to Keychain)” and click OK.
Creating an Encrypted Disk Image from Existing Data

If you must maintain data confidentiality when transferring files from your computer
but you don’t need to encrypt files on your computer, create a disk image from existing
data.
Such situations include unavoidable plain-text file transfers across a network,

such as mail attachments or FTP, or copying to removable media, such as a CD or
floppy disk.
If you plan to add files to this image instead of creating an image from existing data,
create an encrypted disk image and add your existing data to it. For information, see
“Creating an Encrypted Disk Image” on page 157.
To create an encrypted disk image from existing data:

2 Choose File > New > Disk Image from Folder.
3 Select a folder and click Image.
4 Enter a name for the image and choose where to store it.
5 Choose a format from the Image Format pop-up menu.
The compressed disk image format can help you save hard disk space by reducing your
disk image size.
6 Choose an encryption method from the Encryption pop-up menu.
AES-128 or AES-256 provide strong encryption.
7 Click Save.
8 Enter a password and verify it.

You can easily access Password Assistant from this window. For more information, see
“Using Password Assistant to Generate or Analyze Passwords” on page 130.
9 Deselect “Remember password (add to Keychain)” and click OK.
Creating Encrypted PDFs

You can quickly create password-protected, read-only PDF documents of confidential
or personal data. To open these files, you must know the password for them. Also,
using an encryped disk image is more secure than using an encrypted PDF.
Some applications do not support printing to PDF. In this case, create an encrypted disc
image. For information, see “Creating an Encrypted Disk Image from Existing Data” on
page 158.
To create an encrypted PDF, read-only document:

1 Open the document.
2 Choose File > Print.
Some applications don’t allow you to print from the File menu. These applications
might allow you to print from other menus.
3 Click PDF and choose Save as PDF.
4 Click Security Options and select one or more of the following options:
Â Require password to open document
Â Require password to copy text images and other content
Â Require password to print document
When you require a password for the PDF, it becomes encrypted.
5 Enter a password, verify it, and click OK.
6 Enter a name for the document, choose a location, and click Save.
7 Test your document by opening it.
You must enter the password before you can view the contents of your document.
Securely Erasing Data

When you erase a file, you’re removing information that the file system uses to find the
file. The file’s location on the disk is marked as free space. If other files have not written
over the free space, it is possible to retrieve the file and its contents.
Mac OS X provides the following ways to securely erase files.

Â Zero-out erase
Â 7-pass erase
Â 35-pass erase

A zero-out erase sets all data bits on the disk to 0, while a 7-pass erase and a 35-pass
erase use algorithms to overwrite the disk. A 7-pass erase follows the Department of
Defense standard for the sanitization of magnetic media. A 35-pass erase uses the
extremely advanced Gutmann algorithm to help eliminate the possibility of data
recovery.
The zero-out erase is the quickest. The 35-pass erase is the most secure, but it is also 35
times slower than the zero-out erase.
Each time you use a 7-pass or 35-pass secure erase, the following seven-step algorithm
is used to prevent the data from ever being recovered:
Â Overwrite file with a single character
Â Overwrite file with zeroes
Â Overwrite file with random characters
Â Overwrite file with zeroes
Â Overwrite file with random characters
Configuring Finder to Always Securely Erase

In Snow Leopard you can configure Finder to always securely erase items placed in the
Trash. This prevents data you place in the Trash from being restored. Using secure erase
take longer than emptying the Trash.
To configure Finder to always perform a secure erase:

1 In Finder, choose Finder > Preferences.
2 Click Advanced.
3 Select the “Empty Trash securely” checkbox.
Using Disk Utility to Securely Erase a Disk or Partition

You can use Disk Utility to securely erase a partition, using a zero-out erase, a 7-pass
erase, or a 35-pass erase.
Note: If you have a partition with Mac OS X installed and you want to securely erase an
unmounted partition, you don’t need to use your installation discs. In the Finder, open
Disk Utility (located in /Applications/Utilities/).
WARNING: Securely erasing a partition is irreversible. Before erasing the partition,

back up critical files you want to keep.

To securely erase a partition using Disk Utility:
1 Insert the first of the Mac OS X installation discs in the optical drive.
2 Restart the computer while holding down the C key.
The computer starts up from the disc in the optical drive.
3 Proceed past the language selection step.
4 Choose Utilities > Disk Utility.
5 Select the partition you want to securely erase.
6 Click Erase, choose “Mac OS Extended Journaled,” and then click Security Options.
Mac OS Extended disk formatting provides enhanced multiplatform interoperability.
7 Choose an erase option and click OK.
8 Click Erase.
Securely erasing a partition can take time, depending on the size of the partition and
the method you choose.
Using Command-Line Tools to Securely Erase Files

You can use the srm command in Terminal to securely erase files or folders. By using
srm, you can remove each file or folder by overwriting, renaming, and truncating the
file or folder before erasing it. This prevents other people from undeleting or recovering
information about the file or folder.
For example, srm supports simple methods, like overwriting data with a single pass of
zeros, to more complex ones, like using a 7-pass or 35-pass erase.
The srm command cannot remove a write-protected file owned by another user,
regardless of the permissions of the directory containing the file.
WARNING: Erasing files with srm is irreversible. Before securely erasing files, back up
critical files you want to keep.
To securely erase a folder named secret:

$ srm -r -s secret
The -r option removes the content of the directory and the -s option (simple)
overwrites with a single random pass.
For a more secure erase, use the -m (medium) option to perform a 7-pass erase of
the file. The -s option overrides the -m option if both are present. If neither is specified,
the 35-pass is used.
For more information, see the srm man page.

Using Secure Empty Trash
Secure Empty Trash uses a 7-pass erase to securely erase files stored in the Trash.
Depending on the size of the files being erased, securely emptying the Trash can take
time to complete.
WARNING: Using Secure Empty Trash is irreversible. Before securely erasing files, back
up critical files you want to keep.
To use Secure Empty Trash:

1 Open the Finder.
2 Choose Finder > Secure Empty Trash.
3 Click Secure Empty Trash.
Using Disk Utility to Securely Erase Free Space

You can use Disk Utility to securely erase free space on partitions, using a zero-out
erase, a 7-pass erase, or a 35-pass erase.
To securely erase free space using Disk Utility:

1 Open Disk Utility (located in /Applications/Utilities/).
2 Select the partition to securely erase free space from.
3 Click Erase and then click Erase Free Space.
4 Choose an erase option and click Erase Free Space.
Securely erasing free space can take time, depending on the amount of free space
being erased and the method you choose.
5 Choose Disk Utility > Quit Disk Utility.
Using Command-Line Tools to Securely Erase Free Space

You can securely erase free space from the command line by using the diskutil
command. However, ownership of the affected disk is required. This tool allows you to
securely erase using one of the three levels of secure erase:
Â 1—Zero-out secure erase (also known as single-pass)
Â 2—7-pass secure erase
Â 3—35-pass secure erase
To erase free space using a 7-pass secure erase (indicated by the number 2):
$ diskutil secureErase freespace 2 /dev/disk0s3
For more information, see the diskutil man page.

Securing Guest Operating Systems with Boot Camp
With Boot Camp you can install and run other operating systems such as Windows XP
or Windows Vista on your Intel-based Mac computer.
Boot Camp Assistant (located in /Applications/Utilities) helps you set up a Windows

partition on your computer’s hard disk and then start the installation of your Windows
software.
When you install a guest operating system on your Intel-based Mac computer, ACLs set
on your Mac partition might not be enforced by the guest operating system. This
creates a possible point of intrusion or corruption to your sensitive data. When the
guest operating system is booted, your computer becomes susceptible to network
vulnerabilities of the guest operating system.
If you decide to use a guest operating system on your Mac computer, use encrypted
disk images to store your data when you are using Snow Leopard. This prevents your
sensitive data from being accessed by the guest operating system. For more
information, see “Creating an Encrypted Disk Image” on page 157.
Also, keep backup copies of your data in the event that your Snow Leopard partition
becomes corrupt.
When setting a password for your guest operating system, start in Snow Leopard and
use Password Assistant to create a strong password. For more information, see “Using
Password Assistant to Generate or Analyze Passwords” on page 130.
You can also prevent attacks by keeping your guest operating system installed with the
most current updates.
Understanding the Time Machine Architecture

Most organizations perform backups to protect data from being lost. However, many
organizations don’t consider that their backups can be compromised if not securely
stored on media.
Time Machine is based on the Mac OS X HFS+ file system. It tracks file changes and
detects file system permissions and user access privileges.
When Time Machine performs the initial backup, it copies the contents of your
computer to your backup disk. Every subsequent backup is an incremental backup,
which copies only the files that have changed since the previous backup.
Deleting Permanently from Time Machine backups

You can permanently delete files or folders from your computer and Time Machine
backups using Time Machine. This prevents sensitive data that you no longer need
from being recovered.

To permanently delete files or folders from Time Machine backups:
1 Delete the file or folder from your computer.
2 Open Time Machine.
3 Select the file for folder you want to permanently delete from Time Machine.
4 Click the Action pop-up menu and select “Delete All Backups of “File or Folder name.”
5 When the warning message appears, click OK to permanently delete the file or folder.
All backup copies of your file or folder are permanently deleted from your computer.
Storing Backups Inside Secure Storage

You can also perform backups of specific files or folders that contain sensitive data by
placing your data in an encrypted disk image. This image can then be placed on any
server that is backed up regularly and still maintain the integrity of your data because it
is protected by encryption.
For example, Mac users that are in a Windows Server environment can use this method
of backing up to ensure that sensitive data is secure and regularly backed up.
To securely encrypt and back up data:

1 Create a disk image.
For more information about creating a disk image, see “Encrypting Portable Files” on
page 157.
2 Mount the disk image.
3 Copy the files you want to back up onto the disk image.
4 Unmount the image and copy it to your backup media.
If you’re in a Windows Server environment, copy your image to a folder that is backed
up by the Windows server. Your data will be encrypted and backed up.
Restoring Backups from Secure Storage

If you accidentally delete or lose a file, you can restore it from your encrypted backup
media.
To restore from your encrypted backup:

1 Access the media that contains your disk image backup.
2 Mount the disk image and, if prompted, enter your password for the image file.
If the image is on a network, you don’t need to copy it locally. It will securely mount
across the network because the data is encrypted.
3 Copy the backup of the file you lost locally to your computer.
4 Unmount the disk image.

8 Securing Applications
8
Use this chapter to learn about settings and configurations
for network services to improve the security of network
communication.
Securely configuring network services is an important step in securing your computer
from network attacks.
Organizations depend on network services to communicate with other computers on

private networks and wide area networks. Improperly configured network services can
provide an avenue for attacks.
Protecting Data While Using Apple Applications

Although Apple applications are secure by default, you can further enhance security by
using the following information.
Setting Mail Security

You can change Mail preferences to enhance security. Depending on your mail server
settings, consider changing Mail preferences so you use SSL and a Kerberos-based
authentication method. These settings must match those provided by your mail server.
Only send mail that is digitally signed and encrypted. Digitally signed messages let
your recipients verify your identity as the sender and provide assurance that the
message was not tampered with in transit. Encrypted messages keep the contents of
the message private and readable only by the intended recipient.
You can only send encrypted messages to recipients if you receive a digitally signed
message from them or if you have access to their public key. Recipients receive your
public key when they receive your signed messages.
165
This certificate-based system is referred to as public key infrastructure (PKI) messaging.
It verifies that the message is from you and that it has not been altered in transit. When
you use PKI and encrypt a message, only the intended recipient can read and view its
contents.
Mail recognizes sender and recipient certificates. It notifies you of the inclusion of
certificates by displaying a Signed (checkmark) icon and an Encrypted (closed lock)
icon.
When sending signed or encrypted mail, the sender’s certificate must contain the
case-sensitive mail address listed in Mail preferences.
To further enhance security, disable the display of remote images in HTML messages in
Mail’s Viewing preferences. Bulk mailers use image-tracking mechanisms to find
individuals who open junk mail. If you don’t load remote images, you help reduce
spam.
If you use a third-party mail application, consider applying similar security guidelines.
For more information, open Mail Help and search for “security.”
Enabling Account Security

You can configure Mail to send and receive secure mail by using SSL to provide a
secure connection to the mail server. Snow Leopard supports SSLv2, SSLv3, and TLSv1.
SSL uses public key encryption to provide authentication of the server to the client,
and to protect email communications between machines.
If you are using SSL to connect to your mail server, your password and data are securely
transmitted. However, you can further secure your password by using a strong
authentication method that provides additional password protection, as well as
stronger identity validation. You can protect your password by using one of the
following authentication methods:
Â MD5 Challenge-Response
Â Kerberos Version 5 (GSSAPI)
Â NTLM
Note: Password is the default selection. Using Password for this option does not
provide additional authentication or password protection.
The authentication method you choose should match the configuration of the mail
server for the account being established. The server and the client must be configured
with the same authentication method to communicate properly.
166 Chapter 8 Securing Applications

To use a secure connection to the mail server:
1 Choose Mail > Preferences and then click Accounts.
2 Select an account and then click Advanced.
3 Select Use SSL.
The port number changes to port 993 for IMAP accounts and to port 995 for POP
accounts. Verify that this port is the same port used by SSL on your mail server. If not,
change the port to match the incoming port on the mail server for this account.
4 From the Authentication pop-up menu, select one of the following authentication
methods:
Â NTLM
Â Authenticated POP (APOP)
5 Click Account Information.
6 From the Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP) pop-up menu, select Edit SMTP Server List.
7 From the server list, select your outgoing mail server and then click Advanced.
8 Select Secure Socket Layer (SSL).
Verify that this port is the same port used by SSL on your mail server. If not, change the
port to match the outgoing port on the mail server for this account.
9 From the Authentication pop-up menu, select one of the following authentication
methods:
Â NTLM
10 Close the preferences window and then click Save in the message that appears.
Remote Content and Hidden Addresses

The above measures provide security while transmitting messages between client and
server. However, these precautions cannot guarantee that the sender is not malicious.
Users should never open attachments from unknown senders, and should not display
remote content from senders without confirming the sender’s identity.
An email can be created to display anything in the “To:” line in a graphical, user-friendly
application such as Mail. The Mail application default is set to display the user-friendly
name rather than the actual email address in the “To:” line. This should be changed to
display the email address of the sender.
Chapter 8 Securing Applications 167

Also, the default for Mail is to display remote images in HTML messages. Because these
images are displayed immediately, before the user can determine if the sender is
known or not, this remote content should not be displayed.
To turn off Smart Addresses and remote images:

1 Choose Mail > Preferences and then click Viewing.
2 Click to disable “Display remote images in HTML messages”.
3 Click to disable “Use Smart Addresses”.
4 Close the Preferences window.
Disabling the Preview Pane for Mail Messages

To completely avoid viewing messages from malicious senders, disable the message
preview pane. After it is disabled, messages must be double-clicked to be opened and
displayed. Users should then only open messages from known good senders.
To disable automatic message viewing:

1 Locate the horizontal bar separating the list of email messages and the display of the
currently selected message.
2 Double-click the separator bar.
It should move to the bottom of the window and remain there.
After the Review pane is disabled, the user must double-click each message to open
and view it. Suspicious or unwanted email messages can be deleted without viewing
the body of the message.

Signing and Encrypting Mail Messages
A signed message (including attachments) enables recipients to verify your identity as
the sender and provides assurance that your message wasn’t tampered with in transit.
To send a signed message, you must have a digital identity in your keychain. Your
digital identity is the combination of a personal certificate and a corresponding private
key. You can view digital identities in your keychain by opening Keychain Access and
clicking My Certificates in the Category list.
If you only have the certificate portion of your digital identity, you can’t send signed
messages. You must have the corresponding private key. Also, if people use your
certificate to send you an encrypted message, you must have your private key installed
on the computer that you are trying to view the message on. Otherwise, you cannot
view the encrypted message.
An encrypted message (including attachments) offers a higher level of security than

a signed message. To send an encrypted message, you must have a digital identity and
the certificate of each recipient must be installed in Keychain Access.
To sign and encrypt a message:

1 Choose File > New Message and choose the account in the Account pop-up menu that
has a personal certificate installed in your keychain.
A Signed icon (a checkmark) on the upper right side above the message text indicates
the message will be signed when you send it.
2 Address the message to recipients.
If you’re sending the message to a mailing list, send it unsigned. Many mailing lists
reject signed messages (because the signature is an attachment). To send the message
unsigned, click the Signed icon. An “x” replaces the checkmark.
An Encrypted (closed lock) icon appears next to the Signed icon if you have a personal
certificate for a recipient in your keychain. The icon indicates the message will be
encrypted when you send it.
If you don’t have a certificate for all recipients, you’re asked to cancel the message or
send the message unencrypted. To send the message unencrypted, click the Encrypted
icon. An open lock icon replaces the closed lock icon.
If your recipients use Mail, security headers marked Signed and Encrypted are visible in
the messages they receive. If they’re using a mail application that doesn’t use signed
and encrypted messages, the certificate might be in the form of an attachment. If
recipients save the attachment as a file, they can add your certificate to their keychains.

Setting Web Browsing Security with Safari
You can change Safari preferences to enhance security. By customizing your Safari
preferences you can prevent information on your computer or about your computer
from being compromised or exposed to an attacker.
In particular, consider changing Safari preferences to disable AutoFill options, to not

open “safe” files after downloading, to disable cookies (from sites you navigate to), to
disable JavaScript, and to ask before sending nonsecure forms.
After disabling cookies, remove existing cookies using the Show Cookies dialog in
Safari Security preferences. For websites that require cookies, enable cookies and then
disable them after visiting the site.
Enabling and disabling cookies can be time-consuming if you visit many sites that use
cookies. Consider using multiple accounts with different cookie settings. For example,
your personal account might allow all cookies, while your more secure account has
restrictive cookie settings.
JavaScript has built-in security restrictions that limit JavaScript applications and prevent
them from compromising your computer. However, by disabling it, you can further
secure your computer from unauthorized JavaScript applications attempting to run on
your computer.
When using Safari, use private browsing. Private browsing prevents Safari from logging
actions, adding webpages to history, keeping items in the Downloads window, saving
information for AutoFill, and saving Google searches. You can still use the Back and
Forward buttons to navigate through visited sites. After you close the window, the Back
and Forward history is removed.
After using Safari, empty the cache. Caching improves performance and reduces
network load by storing viewed webpages and webpage content on your local hard
disk, but it is a security risk because these files are not removed.
Safari supports server-side and client-side authentication using X.509 certificates.

Server-side authentication occurs when you access webpages that use an https URL.
When Safari uses client-side authentication, it provides the server with a credential that
can be a certificate in your keychain, or it can be from a smart card (which is treated
like a keychain).
If you use a third-party web browser, apply similar security guidelines.
For information about how to perform these tasks and for other Safari security tips,
open Safari Help and search for “security.”

Verifying Server Identity
When you receive a certificate from a server, your computer verifies the authenticity of
the certificate by checking the signature inside the certificate to determine if it’s from a
trusted certificate authority (CA). Some websites have extended validation certificates,
also known as EV certificates, which require more extensive investigation by the
certifying agencies. Safari supports EV certificates.
There are two common methods for verifying the validity of a certificate: Online
Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) and Certificate Revocation List (CRL).
Information about the status of certificates is stored on a revocation server. The

Mac OS X security system can check with the revocation server to validate the
certificate. The trusted commercial CA certificates are installed on your computer
and verify certificates you receive.
OCSP and CRL are off by default. To change the validation settings, use Keychain Access
> Preferences, and then click Certificates.
You can also visually inspect certificates using Safari or Keychain Access.
Safari warns you if a certificate is invalid. If a certificate warning appears, do not

proceed to the site. If you continue to the site, your secret information can be exposed.
If you encounter a certificate warning, contact the administrator of the site you are
attempting to visit and let them know.
You can also manually check the validity of a certificate. While using Safari, click the
lock in the upper right corner of the page. A certificate drop-down page appears and
a green check icon indicates that the certificate can be trusted. You can continue to
move up the chain of certificates, checking their validity and verifying the green check
icon is there.
If a certificate is invalid, the lock icon turns red. The invalid certificate also has a red-x
icon indicating it is invalid.
You can use Certificate Assistant in Keychain Access to evaluate a certificate and
determine if it is genuine. Software that uses certificates, such as a mail application or
web browser, usually evaluates certificates before using them. However, Certificate
Assistant lets you evaluate certificates given to you with a greater amount of control
and detail.
To visually validate a certificate using Certificate Assistant:

1 Open Keychain Access (located in Applications/Utilities).
2 Choose Keychain Access > Certificate Assistant > Open.
3 Read the introduction and click Continue.
4 Select “View and evaluate certificates” then click Continue.

5 Select a trust policy.
For an explanation about the trust policy, click Learn More.
Â To evaluate an email certificate, select “S/MIME (Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail
Exchange)” and enter the mail address of the sender.
Â To evaluate a web server, select “SSL (Secure Socket Layer)” and enter the host
server’s URL. If you want to ask the host for the certificates, select “Ask Host For
Certificates.”
Â For any other type of certificate, select “Generic (certificate chain validation only).”
Â To evaluate Code Signing, select “Code Signing.”
6 Click Continue.
7 Click the Add (+) button and select the certificate you want to evaluate.
You can add and evaluate multiple certificates.
To include other certificates from your keychain when evaluating the certificate chain,
select “Include certificates from my keychain.” For example, if the root and intermediate
certificates for your selected certificate are in your keychain, selecting this button
includes them in the evaluation.
The default certificate evaluated is always the user certificate, or leaf. If the certificate
you want to evaluate is an intermediate or root certificate, click Make Leaf.
Client-Side Authentication
Some applications or services require a digital certificate to authenticate. Digital
certificates can be stored in a smart card and can also include a photograph of the
authorized user to further protect a certificate from being used by an unauthorized
user.
By using a certificate as an authentication and identification method, the service or

application can ensure that the person who provided the certificate is not only the
same person who provided the data, but is also who they say they are. The certificate is
also signed—in this case by the CA who issued the certificate.
Managing Data Communication and Execution

Safari and Snow Leopard tag every download with the extended attribute
com.apple.quarantine. The attribute contains information about when and where it was
downloaded. When you attempt to open a downloaded application, Snow Leopard
reminds you where it came from before opening it for the first time, so you can be sure
it’s legitimate.

Opening Safe Files
When you enable “Open ‘safe’ files after downloading” in Safari preferences, files that
are considered safe are opened after downloading. These include pictures, movies,
sounds, text files, PDFs, disk images, and ZIP archives.
Before they are opened, the following content factors are examined to verify that the
file is safe:
Â The file extension
Â The MIME type
Â What’s inside the file
Sometimes malware tries to disguise itself as safe, but Snow Leopard checks for signs
that indicate this. If Safari considers that a downloaded file is safe:
Â Safari opens the file after it downloads.
Â If the downloaded file is an archive (.zip file), Safari decompresses it.
Â If the downloaded file is a disk image (.img file), Safari mounts the image volume.
Other types of files might not be safe. Applications, scripts, web archives, and archives
that contain applications or scripts can harm your computer. Not all such files are
unsafe, but you should exercise caution when opening a downloaded file.
Note: Although Safari, iChat, and Mail offer Download Validation for increased security,
no software can detect all potentially dangerous file types.
If Download Validation determines that a downloaded file is unsafe, you are prompted
to download or cancel the download. If you download the file, it is placed in your
download location as configured in Safari preferences. If you cancel, the file is not
saved.
When you attempt to open a quarantined file, the file is also checked for known
instances of malware software. If malware software is discovered, a warning appears.
Click the Move to Trash button to delete the file. If it is a disk image, eject the image
and delete the source file.
If Download Validation cannot determine that a downloaded file is safe, it is stored in

your default download directory in the same way it is if the “Open ‘safe’ files after
downloading” preference was disabled.
The file is named the same as the original file with “.download” at the end of it. This can
be moved to the Trash or inspected manually.

Nonsecure Forms
In some cases, forms you complete in Safari might be submitted in a nonsecure way to
a secure website. Safari is set to display a message when this is about to happen, so
you can prevent the form from being submitted if you are concerned about the
security of your information. For example, if the protocol being used to send the forms
does not use encryption or uses clear text, Safari will consider it nonsecure and display
a message.
If you don’t want to see this message, choose Preferences from the Safari menu and
click Security. Deselect the checkbox labeled “Ask before sending a nonsecure form to a
secure website.”
Syncing Bookmarks
If you’re using Snow Leopard or later and Safari 1.0 or later, you can synchronize your
Safari bookmarks with the bookmarks in your MobileMe Bookmarks library on the web.
You can also synchronize your Safari bookmarks across multiple Mac OS X computers.
With bookmark synchronization turned on, the bookmarks in your MobileMe

Bookmarks application on the web synchronize with Safari on your computer’s hard
disk each time you sync. (After you sync, it might take a few minutes before you see the
changes.)
You can turn off synchronization in Safari preferences by deselecting “Synchronize

bookmarks using MobileMe.” While synchronization is off, changes you make to
bookmarks in MobileMe Bookmarks or Safari are saved until the next time you turn on
synchronization and click the Sync Now button in the MobileMe pane of System
Preferences (Mac OS X version 10.4 Tiger or later) or in iSync.

# -------------------------------------------------------------------
# Securing Applications
# -------------------------------------------------------------------
# Disabling iSync
# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# OFF
# Disable iSync.
com.apple.syncservices.SyncServer.plist
com.apple.syncservices.uihandler.plist
# None
For more information about using launchctl, see “Understanding and Managing
Daemons and Agents” on page 221.
For example, if you delete a bookmark from MobileMe Bookmarks with synchronization
turned off, the bookmark is deleted from Safari on your computer’s hard disk the next
time you use iSync with synchronization turned on.
AutoFill
Safari can use information from various sources to complete forms that are on many
webpages:
Â Personal information, such as mailing addresses, mail addresses, and phone numbers,
are retrieved from your Address Book card.
Â User names and passwords that you enter on websites are saved in your keychain
and retrieved when you try to log in later. (Some websites do not allow you to save
your user name and password.)
Â Any other information that you enter at a website is saved in Safari’s cache to be
reused later.
You can select the information that Safari uses to complete web forms. Choose
Preferences from the Safari menu and click AutoFill. Then select the items you want
Safari to use.

To complete a web form, open the webpage and click the AutoFill button in the
address bar. If you don’t see the AutoFill button in the address bar, choose AutoFill
from the View menu. Items that are completed using AutoFill appear in yellow in the
webpage.
To complete individual fields in a form, select a text box and start typing. If Safari
matches saved information for the field, it finishes entering the text for you. If several
items match what you typed, a menu appears. Press the arrow keys to select the
correct item and press Return.
Website forms can include items that Safari doesn’t recognize. You must fill out these
items yourself.
If you enter a user name and password, Safari asks if you want to save the information.
Click Yes to save the name and password. Click Not Now if you don’t want to save the
information yet. Click Never for this Website if you don’t want to be asked to save the
name and password for the website again.
To change or delete saved user names and passwords or other information, click the
Edit button next to the related checkbox in the AutoFill preferences pane.
Controlling Web Content

A plug-in is software installed on your computer that provides additional capabilities to
applications. Safari uses plug-ins to handle multimedia content on webpages, such as
pictures, music, and video. For example, the QuickTime Internet plug-in allows Safari to
display media content. To see the plug-ins available to Safari, choose Installed Plug-ins
from the Help menu.
You can disable plug-ins by removing them form the /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/ folder.
The Java plug-in is enabled by default and handles Java applets on webpages. If you
are not using Java, disable the Java plug-in.
Some webpages display pop-up windows. For example, a webpage might use
a pop-up window to request your user name or to display ads.
Blocking pop-up windows stops windows that appear when you open or close a page.
It does not block pop-up windows that open when you click a link.
If you block pop-up windows, you might miss important information for a webpage.
To disable plug-ins and block pop-ups:

1 Open Safari
2 Click Safari > Preferences.
3 Click Security.

4 Deselect the Enable plug-ins checkbox and the Block pop-up windows checkbox.
A warning appears explaining information you may miss when you block pop-ups,
when you deselect the Block pop-up windows checkbox.
5 Close Safari preferences.
Cookie Storage or Tracking Information

A cookie is a small file created by a website to store information. The cookie is stored
on your computer. Cookies are normally helpful and harmless. It’s rare to encounter a
bad cookie.
When you visit a website that uses cookies, the site asks Safari to put cookies on your
computer. When you return to the site later, Safari sends back the cookies that belong
to the site. The cookies tell the site who you are, so the site can show you information
that’s appropriate for you.
Cookies store information that identifies you, such as your user ID for a website and
your website preferences. A website has access only to the information you provide.
A website can’t determine your mail address unless you provide it. A website can’t gain
access to other information on your computer.
When you use the default cookie preferences in Safari, you won’t know when Safari is
accepting or sending cookies. You can change your cookies preferences so that Safari
doesn’t accept cookies or so it accepts them only from limited sources.
Advanced Settings
Use the Advanced preference pane to customize Safari for Universal Access, to
customize the appearance of webpages with your own style sheet, and to set proxy
settings. You can select from the following:
Â The “Never use font sizes smaller than” option prevents text from getting so small
that you can longer read it.
Â The “Press Tab to highlight each item on a webpage” option helps you find all links
and options on a page by highlighting each one in turn when you press the Tab key.
Â The Style Sheet pop-up menu lets you customize the appearance of webpages by
selecting a style sheet you’ve created.
Â The Proxies option opens the Network panel in System Preferences so you can edit
proxy settings for your current network location.
Securing File Downloads

If you navigate to a downloadable file with Safari (for example, by clicking a download
link), Snow Leopard provides download validation to warn you about unsafe file types.
Cancel the download if you have doubts about the integrity of the file.

If you download a file by Command-clicking or selecting Download Linked File from a
contextual menu, the download is not inspected by the Snow Leopard download
validation, and it is not opened. Inspect the downloaded file using the Finder. If you
were expecting a document and Finder indicates that it is an application, do not open
the file. Instead, delete it immediately.
When you open a quarantined file, the file is also checked for known instances of
malware software. If malware software is discovered, a warning appears. Click the Move
to Trash button to delete the file. If it is a disk image, eject the image and delete the
source file.
When distinguishing between legitimate and malicious applications, the most

important indicator is where you get the file from. Only download and install
applications from trusted sources, such as well-known application publishers,
authorized resellers, or other well-known distributors. Use antivirus software to scan
files before installing them. A selection of third-party products is available at the
Macintosh Products Guide.
Using Instant Message Security with iChat

You can use iChat to communicate with other iChat users that are members of the
same iChat server. iChat uses Bonjour to find other iChat instances on your local
network. Although iChat can be configured with security, disable it unless your
organization requires messaging services.
You can set up secure iChat messaging using your MobileMe membership. However,
you and your iChat buddy must be MobileMe members and have Mac OS X version
10.4.3 Tiger or later installed. With a MobileMe membership, you can sign up for a
Secure iChat certificate that allows you to enable secure messaging.
Also, if you can’t use MobileMe you can create a certificate using Certificate Assistant.
You can use that certificate to encrypt the iChat AV communication without using a
MobileMe account. For more information about creating a certificate, see “Creating a
Self-Signed Certificate” on page 140.
When you enable iChat encryption, iChat performs a Certificate Signing Request (CSR)
to MobileMe. iChat then receives a certificate, which includes your original public key
and a private key. The public and private key pair is created by the CSR process.
iChat AV Encryption leverages a PKI approach. The public and private asymmetric keys
are derived from the user’s MobileMe identity, which consists of the user’s certificate
and private key. The private key and certificate represent your MobileMe identity. These
keys are used to encrypt content between you and your buddy.

When you securely send a message, iChat requests your buddy’s Secure iChat public
key. It then encrypts the message based on your buddy’s public key. It sends that
encrypted message to your buddy, who decrypts the message based on his or her
private key.
If your organization runs an internal iChat server, the server can use SSL to certify the
identity of the server and establish secure, encrypted data exchange between an iChat
user and the server. Consider only accepting messages from specific people or from
people on your buddy list. This helps prevent information phishing through iChat.
For more information, open iChat Help and search for “security.” For information about
iChat and SSL, see Web Technologies Administration and iChat Server Administration.
iChat AV Security
When you share your screen with an iChat buddy, the buddy has the same access to
your computer that you have. Share your screen only with trusted parties, and be
particularly careful if you receive a request to share your screen from someone who
isn’t on your buddy list.
If the request comes from someone in your Bonjour list, remember that the person’s
name is not necessarily accurate, so his or her identity is uncertain. To prevent
unauthorized users from instant messaging you, you can reject their request to send
you messages.
Although every screen-sharing connection uses encryption, the highest level of

security requires both participants to have MobileMe accounts with encryption
enabled or a certificate created by Certificate Assistant. If this is the case, you will see a
lock icon in the screen-sharing window. To quickly end a screen-sharing session, press
Control-Escape.
iChat AV in Mac OS X version 10.4.3 Tiger and later encrypts all communications
between MobileMe members and certificate users. Text messages, audio chats, video
conferences, and file transfers are secured using robust 128-bit encryption so that
others can’t eavesdrop on your communications.
If you have an active MobileMe account, you can set up iChat to encrypt
communications when you chat, conference, or send files to other MobileMe members
who have set up iChat encryption.
Enabling Privacy
To prevent messages temporarily, set your status to Offline or Invisible, or log out by
choosing iChat > Log Out.
You can also specify that messages from specific people be blocked or allowed. Blocked
people can’t send you messages or see when you are online.

To block people:
1 Choose iChat > Preferences and then click Accounts.
2 Select the account you want to set privacy options for.
Bonjour and Jabber accounts don’t have privacy options.

3 Click Security.
4 From the Privacy Level list, select an option.
If you select “Allow specific people,” click the Edit List button, click the Add (+) button,
and then enter the names or IDs for those you want to allow. Anyone not added to the
list is blocked.
If you select “Block specific people,” click the Edit List button, click the Add (+) button,
and then enter the names or IDs for those you want to block. Anyone not on the list is
allowed.
To quickly add a person to the list of blocked people, click the Block button that
appears in the message window when you get a message from that person.
You can’t see or send messages to people you have blocked.
Enabling Encryption Using MobileMe Identity

You can secure your iChat communications so no one can access your conferences.
To use this safeguard, you and your iChat buddy must have MobileMe accounts and
request MobileMe identity certificates.
To set up secure messaging:

1 Choose iChat > Preferences and then click Accounts.
2 Select the MobileMe account you want to secure.
Free trial MobileMe memberships are not eligible for secure messaging.
3 Click Security and then click Encrypt.
As part of the setup process, you must enter a MobileMe account password. This is the
password you enter if you are using secure messaging on a second computer. This
password must be different from your Snow Leopard password.
When you and your buddy have the MobileMe certificate installed and you start a chat,
a lock icon appears in the upper-right corner of the iChat window. Text, audio, and
video are encrypted on your computer and are not decrypted until they reach your
buddy’s computer.
To view your Secure iChat certificate, open Keychain Access and click My Certificates
in the Categories window. Double-click the certificate that matches your MobileMe
short name.

Enhancing Multimedia Security with iTunes
Your iTunes account is protected by your user name and password, which should never
be shared with other users, to prevent it from being compromised by an unauthorized
user. If an unauthorized user gains access to your user name and password, they can
use your account to purchase music, videos, and podcasts from the iTunes store.
You can protect your iTunes account from being compromised by using a strong
password. When creating your iTunes password, use Password Assistant to help you
generate a strong password.
Also, you can use the sharing preference of iTunes to share your music with other
network users. When configuring iTunes sharing preference, require that users set a
strong password to access your shared music. You can generate a strong password
using Password Assistant. When you finish sharing your music, turn the iTunes sharing
preference off to keep unauthorized users from attempting to access your shared
iTunes music.
For more information about creating strong passwords, see “Using Password Assistant
to Generate or Analyze Passwords” on page 130.
Setting Photo Sharing Security with iPhoto

You can share your photos using the sharing pane of iPhoto. Before you begin sharing
photos, make sure you are in a trusted or secure environment. To securely share
photos, never use your name or user name as the shared name for your photos, and
require that viewers use a password to view your photos. When creating the password
for viewers, use Password Assistant to help you create a strong password.
Setting Contact Sharing Security with Address Book

You can use your MobileMe account to share your address book with others over the
Internet. In Address Book preferences under Sharing, you can add contacts that have a
MobileMe account to the sharing list and assign them editing or viewing privileges for
your contacts.
When delegating privileges, limit the number of people who have editing privileges.
This prevents users from accidently removing contact information. When your address
book is not being used, turn Address book sharing off.

Strengthening Data Security with MobileMe
By using MobileMe you stay connected to your data when you are away from your
computer. In sensitive environments don’t use MobileMe. When accessing MobileMe
data, make sure you are using a secure network connection and that you encrypt the
data you transfer.
Securing iDisk Service Access

iDisk is personal storage space for MobileMe members on Apple’s Internet servers. You
can use it to publish photos, websites, and movies, and to store personal data that you
need to access at any time and from any computer with an Internet connection.
iDisk Service Access

Your iDisk data is stored on Internet servers and is protected by your MobileMe
account. However, if your MobileMe account is accessed by an unauthorized user, your
data can be compromised. Don’t store sensitive data on iDisk. Keep sensitive data local
and encrypted on your computer.
Securing Public Folder Access

When using iDisk, make sure you have a backup copy of your data. Also, when creating
a MobileMe account, use a strong password. (You can use Password Assistant to help
you create a strong password.)
You can protect iDisk data by creating an encrypted disk image that encrypts the data
stored in it. Then you can upload this encrypted disk image to iDisk and know that your
data is protected.
When sharing data on your public folder on iDisk, require users to use a password to
access the data. When creating the password for your public iDisk folder, use Password
Assistant to help you create a strong password.

9 Securing Network Services
9
Use this chapter to secure network and shared services.
Securely configuring network services is an important step in securing your computer
from network attacks.
Organizations depend on network services to communicate with other computers on

private networks and wide area networks. Improperly configured network services
provide an avenue for attacks.
Your Snow Leopard computer offers many services that can be quickly set up and
configured. Although these services are helpful and easy to configure, they must be
securely configured to prevent unauthorized users from accessing your computer. Most
services can be securely configured by using strong passwords or by turning the
services off when they are not in use.
Securing Internet Communication with Host-Based Firewalls

Using a firewall to filter network traffic from hosts that are attempting to access your
computer prevents attackers from gaining access to your computer.
Firewall Protection
A firewall is software that protects your Mac OS X computer from unauthorized users.
When you turn firewall protection on, it is similar to erecting a wall to limit access to
your computer. The firewall scans incoming network traffic and rejects or accepts these
packets based on rules. You can restrict access to any network service running on your
computer.
You can monitor activity involving your firewall by enabling firewall logging. Firewall
logging creates a log file that tracks activity such as the sources and connection
attempts blocked by the firewall. You can view this log in the Console utility.
183
Snow Leopard includes two firewalls: the Application Firewall and the IPFW firewall. If
you turn on a sharing service, such as file sharing, Mac OS X’s Application Firewall uses
code-signing technology to verify that the program has been signed by Apple and
allows it to use the network.
In addition to the sharing services you turn on in Sharing preferences, the list can
include other services, applications, and programs that are allowed to accept network
connections. An application or program might have requested and been given access
through the firewall, or it might be signed by a trusted certificate and therefore
allowed access.
Important: Some programs have access through the firewall although they don’t
appear in the list. These might include system applications, services, and processes.
They can also include digitally signed programs that are opened by other programs.
You might be able to block these programs’ access through the firewall by adding
them to the list.
To add an application to the list, click Advanced in the Firewall pane of Security
preferences. Then click the Add (+) button at the bottom of the list and select the
application. After the program is added, click the up and down arrows to allow
or block connections through the firewall.
Note: Blocking a program’s access through the firewall might harm the program or
other programs that depend on it, or it might affect the performance of other
applications and services you use.
When the system detects a connection attempt to a program that is not enabled in
Security preferences or is not signed, you are prompted to allow or deny access to the
program.
The Application Firewall

Snow Leopard or later includes a new technology called the Application Firewall. This
type of firewall permits you to control connections on a per-application basis, rather
than a per-port basis.
The Application Firewall makes it easier for users to gain the benefits of firewall
protection and helps prevent undesirable applications from taking control of network
ports that should only be used by legitimate applications.
The firewall applies to TCP and UDP, the Internet protocols most commonly used by
applications. It does not affect AppleTalk. The system can be set to block incoming
ICMP pings by enabling Stealth Mode in Advanced settings.
Earlier IPFW technology is still accessible from the command line (in Terminal), and the
Application Firewall doesn’t override rules set with IPFW. If IPFW blocks an incoming
packet, the Application Firewall does not process it.
184 Chapter 9 Securing Network Services

Application Firewall Architecture
When the Application Firewall is off, Snow Leopard does not block incoming
connections to your computer. This is the default mode for Snow Leopard. If you
upgraded from Mac OS X v10.4, your Application firewall defaults to this mode.
When you turn the Application firewall on, the firewall prevents unauthorized
applications and services from accepting incoming connections.
The Application firewall has the following modes of operation:

Â Block all incoming connections: This is the most conservative mode. Snow Leopard
blocks incoming connections except a limited list of services essential to operating
your computer and those services that have been activated in the Sharing Preference
pane.
The system services that are still allowed to receive incoming connections are:
Â config: Implements DHCP and other network configuration services.
Â mDNSResponder: Implements Bonjour.
Â racoon: Implements Internet Key Exchange (IKE).
Â Automatically allow signed software to receive incoming connections: This mode is set
by default. Applications signed by a valid certificate authority are allowed to provide
services accessed from the network.
Â Enable stealth mode: This mode prevents your computer from responding to ICMP
ping requests and hides it from unwanted network scans.
You can also manually set access for specific services and applications by choosing
whether to allow or deny incoming connections for any application on your system.
After you add an application to the list, you can choose whether to allow or deny
incoming connections for that application. You can even add command-line
applications to this list.
When you add an application to this list, Snow Leopard digitally signs the application
(if it is not signed). If the application is later modified, you are prompted to allow or
deny incoming network connections to it. Most applications do not modify themselves.
This is a safety feature that notifies you of the change.
Stealth Mode
Computer hackers scan networks so they can attempt to identify computers to attack.
You can prevent your computer from responding to some of these scans by using
Stealth Mode.
When Stealth Mode is enabled, your computer does not respond to ICMP ping
requests, and does not answer to connection attempts from a closed TCP or UDP port.
This makes it more difficult for attackers to find your computer.
Chapter 9 Securing Network Services 185

To enable Stealth Mode:
2 Click Security and then click Firewall.
3 If settings are dimmed, click the lock icon and enter an administrator name and
password.
4 Click Advanced.
5 Select the Enable Stealth Mode checkbox.
Protection from Unauthorized Applications

Applications not in the list that are digitally signed by a trusted CA (for the purpose of
code signing) can receive incoming connections. Every Apple application in Snow
Leopard is signed by Apple and can receive incoming connections. To deny a digitally
signed application, add it to the list and then explicitly deny it.
If you run an unsigned application not in the Application firewall list, you must
allow or deny connections for the application using the dialog. If you choose Allow,
Snow Leopard signs the application and adds it to the Application Firewall list. If you
choose Deny, Snow Leopard signs the application, adds it to the Application Firewall
list, and denies the connection.
Some applications check their own integrity when they are run without using
code-signing. If the Application Firewall recognizes the application, it does not sign
the application. Instead, it displays the dialog every time the application runs. To
prevent this dialog from appearing, upgrade to a version of the application that is
signed by its developer.
Some harmful applications can cause problems for your computer. Frequently, a
harmful application tries to appear as an innocent document, such as a movie or
graphic file. These applications, called trojans, are most often spread by Internet
downloads and mail enclosures.
Important: If you receive an application warning and you don’t expect the file to be an
application, don’t open the file. Delete it from your computer.
To protect your computer from harmful applications:

Â Accept applications only from known and trusted sources.
Â Run an antivirus program if you find suspicious files or applications, or if you notice
unusual behavior on your computer.
Â To reduce the amount of exposure to harmful applications or files, limit the number
of administrator accounts you create. Consider creating a user account for your daily
work and then use an administrator account only when you need to install software
or administer accounts.
Â If you enabled the root user and you don’t need it, disable it.

The IPFW2 Firewall
Snow Leopard includes the open source IPFW2 software as an alternate firewall. You
use the ipfw command-line tool to filter packets by using rules to decide which
packets to allow and which to deny.
The firewall scans incoming IP packets and rejects or accepts them based on the set
of filters or rules you create. You can restrict access to any IP service running on your
computer, and you can customize filters for all incoming addresses or for a range of
IP addresses.
IPFW handles packets at a lower level of the networking stack than the Application
firewall. Therefore, its rules take precedence over the Application firewall.
Configuring the IPFW Firewall

The IPFW2 firewall (also referred to as IPFW) allows for the creation of complex and
powerful packet filtering rulesets.
This firewall can be difficult to configure, and can also disrupt network communications
if improperly configured. It requires manually written rules, and the system must be
configured to read those rules at startup.
Configuring IPFW rulesets requires a higher level of expertise than many system
administration tasks. If an administrator is not mindful of the IPFW ruleset on the
system, confusion can arise when some network connectivity is not available that
apparently should be.
Understanding IPFW Rulesets

An IPFW configuration or ruleset is a list of rules designed to match packets and take
appropriate action. IPFW rules are numbered from 1 to 65535. The packet passed to
the firewall is compared to each rule (in numerical order). When the packet matches a
rule, the corresponding action is taken.
A more complete description of the capabilities and configuration of IPFW can be

found in the ipfw man page.
To view currently enforced IPFW rules, run the command:

$ sudo ipfw print
The default output should appear something like this:

65535 allow ip from any to any
This line shows that the default configuration allows all traffic through the IPFW
firewall, performing no filtering. Like all IPFW rules, it consists of a rule number (65535);
an action (allow); and body (ip from any to any). In this case, the body (ip from any to
any) matches all IP packets.

This is a special rule, called the default rule. It is the highest-numbered rule possible
and is compiled directly into the kernel. Because no rules have been added to the
system, packets are passed to this default rule, which allows them through. However,
if Stealth Mode is enabled on the system, the following line appears first in the list:
33300 deny icmp from any to me in icmptypes 8
This rule shows the implementation of Stealth Mode: dropping any incoming ping
echo requests, which is ICMP type 8. Because it is a lower rule number (and thus also
appears earlier when listed), it is consulted before the default rule.
Except for Stealth Mode blocking ping requests, the default configuration for IPFW on
Snow Leopard does not block packets. Snow Leopard relies primarily on the
Application firewall to block unwanted network traffic. IPFW can be used to write
complex and powerful rulesets, which make decisions about connectivity based on the
form of the packet.
The Application Firewall, on the other hand, makes decisions about connectivity based
on whether the program trying to use the network is trusted. These two firewall
technologies complement each other.
Implementing an IPFW Ruleset

Implementing an IPFW ruleset can be a challenging activity, filled with corner cases
and problems that are difficult to debug. Because of this, administrators should
develop a thorough understanding of a simple, strict ruleset and then carefully modify
it to suit the needs of their network environment.
This section first describes how to enable logging so that debugging is possible. Next,
a simple ruleset is provided, and then ways in which it can be expanded are presented.
Enabling Firewall Logging

Before implementing an IPFW ruleset, firewall logging should be enabled. This can be
performed in the Security pane of System Preferences, and is described in the Firewall
Settings section of “Securing Security Preferences.” This setting enables logging for the
Application Firewall and IPFW.
The system’s ability to log packets can then be verified with the following command:
$ sudo sysctl net.inet.ip.fw.verbose
If the command returns a 2, logging is enabled for the Application Firewall and IPFW.
The system sends Application Firewall and IPFW log messages to /var/log/
appfirewall.log. These can be viewed using the Console program in /Applications/
Utilities. Implementation of a basic ruleset can proceed, using the log to debug
connectivity failures.

Implementing a Basic Inclusive Ruleset
An IPFW ruleset can be stored as a list of IPFW rules inside a text file. Traditionally, the
file /etc/ipfw.conf is used to store these rules. Proper firewall ruleset design is inclusive:
it allows only packets that match specific rules, and then denies all others.
The following basic ruleset is inclusive and also very strict: it allows packets from other
systems only when the host has initiated a connection to another system. This is
appropriate for a client system that offers no network services to other systems.
To implement this ruleset, enter the following rule in /etc/ipfw.conf file:

#Allow all traffic to us from our loopback interface
add 1000 allow all from any to any via lo0
#Allow all TCP packets out, and keep state to allow responses
add 10000 allow tcp from any to any out keep-state
#Allow all UDP packets out, and keep state to allow responses
add 12000 allow udp from any to any out keep-state
#Allow all ICMP traffic
add 20000 allow log icmp from any to any
#Allow DHCP packets in (use only if using DHCP)
add 60000 allow udp from any to any src-port 67 dst-port 68 in
#Reject all IP packets: anything not matched is dropped and logged
add 65534 deny log ip from any to any
#Allow all IP packets: here as a reminder of the default rule
#65535 allow ip from any to any
When this ruleset is in /etc/ipfw.conf, it can be loaded with the command:

$ sudo /sbin/ipfw /etc/ipfw.conf
The following command can be issued to verify that the rules are loaded as expected:
$ sudo /sbin/ipfw print
Testing can commence to determine whether the ruleset is compatible with your
connectivity needs. If modifications are made to the ruleset in the file, the old rules
must be flushed before new rules are inserted.
To flush old rules and re-insert a ruleset from /etc/ipfw.conf, enter the following:
$ sudo /sbin/ipfw flush
$ sudo /sbin/ipfw /etc/ipfw.conf
To verify that the rules in /etc/ipfw.conf are loaded at startup, see “Configuring the
System to Load the IPFW Ruleset” on page 192. Even if DHCP is not used, unconnected
interfaces can create log messages when they attempt to obtain IP settings from the
computer. To eliminate messages, configure the interfaces to “Off” using the Network
preference pane.

Opening the Basic Ruleset to Permit Services
The basic ruleset does not permit the system to host network services, such as Bonjour
or Remote Login (SSH). This section describes rules that can be added to the firewall to
allow the system to host some network services.
Rules should only be added if the system needs to offer the network services discussed.
Not all possible network services are covered here, but rules to allow other services
should be available from other resources.
Add the following rules to allow Bonjour, substituting your local network and netmask
for a.b.c.d/nm:
add 12600 allow udp from a.b.c.d/nm to any dst-port 5353
add 12601 allow udp from a.b.c.d/nm 5353 to any dst-port 1024-65535 in
Add the following rules to allow the Remote Login (SSH) service to be reached,
substituting a.b.c.d/nm for networks you wish to allow:
add 12500 allow tcp from a.b.c.d/nm to any 22
add 12501 allow udp from a.b.c.d/nm to any 22
Add the following rules to allow the system to host File Sharing over AFP, substituting
a.b.c.d/nm for networks you wish to allow:
add 12700 allow tcp from a.b.c.d/nm to any dst-port 548
Add the following rules to allow Web Sharing, substituting a.b.c.d/nm for networks you
wish to allow:
Add the following rules to allow File Sharing over SMB, substituting your local network
and netmask for a.b.c.d/nm:
add 12801 allow udp from a.b.c.d/nm 137,138,139 to me in keep-state
add 12803 allow tcp from a.b.c.d/nm 137,138,139 to me keep-state setup
Making the Basic Ruleset More Restrictive

The basic ruleset can be made more restrictive by making it specifically drop some
types of packets.
For example, to deny traffic addressed for the loopback interface but not originating
from it (must be numbered after rule 1000 above):
add 1010 deny all from any to 127.0.0.0/8
To restrict ICMP traffic, you must remove rule 20000 above, which accepts all ICMP
packets, and then choose which types of ICMP packets to allow. Some ICMP types
such as those for message redirection and router solicitation are not typically needed.

The following ICMP types are frequently judged necessary for network operation, and
other ICMP types are denied:
# to allow destination unreachable messages
add 20001 allow icmp from any to any icmptypes 3
# to allow source quench / congestion control messages
add 20002 allow icmp from any to any icmptypes 4
# Allow ping responses (echo replies) in
add 20004 allow icmp from any to any icmptypes 0 in
# Allow "time exceeded" responses -- lets traceroute work
add 20005 allow icmp from any to any icmptypes 11 in
Removing rule 20000 and adding the rules above enables Stealth Mode, because ICMP
message of type 8 are implicitly denied (since they are not accepted). However, it may
be necessary to allow ping responses to other systems on the local network but not
from elsewhere. To do so, add a rule as follows, substituting your network/netmask for
a.b.c.d/nm:
add 20010 allow icmp from a.b.c.d/nm to any icmptypes 8 in
Note: If Stealth Mode is enabled using the Security preference pane, the rule here takes
precedence because it has a lower number (20010) than the system applies for Stealth
Mode (33000).
Packet fragmentation can be normal in some network environments. However, if your

network environment does not have packet fragmentation, fragmented packets can be
a sign of abnormal activity. The following rule drops fragmented packets:
add 700 deny log ip from any to any frag

Configuring the System to Load the IPFW Ruleset
The system must be configured to automatically load your IPFW ruleset in
/etc/ipfw.conf at startup.
To do so, create the file /Library/LaunchDaemons/ipfw.plist so it reads as follows:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://
www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>Label</key>
<string>ipfw</string>
<key>Program</key>
<string>/sbin/ipfw</string>
<key>ProgramArguments</key>
<array>
<string>/sbin/ipfw</string>
<string>/etc/ipfw.conf</string>
</array>
<key>RunAtLoad</key>
<true />
</dict>
</plist>
On the next reboot, the IPFW rules in /etc/ipfw.conf will load.
Protecting Data While Using Apple Services

You can protect your data when sending it across unsecure networks, such as the
Internet, by using a secure network connection. This prevents unauthorized access to
your data.
Securing Remote Access Communication

You can secure remote access to other networks by using a VPN. A VPN consists of
computers or networks (nodes) connected by a private link that transmits encrypted
data. This link simulates a local connection, as if the remote computer were attached to
the LAN.
VPN Security
There are three encrypted transport protocols: Layer Two Tunneling Protocol and
Secure Internet Protocol (L2TP/IPSec), Point–to–Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), and
Cisco IPSec.

About L2TP/IPSec
L2TP is an extension of PPTP used by Internet service providers to enable a VPN over
the Internet. IPSec is a set of security protocols. When you combine IPSEC with LT2P,
IPSec encrypts the data to ensure data integrity and L2TP creates the tunnel for the
data to be transferred.
L2TP/IPSec uses strong IPSec encryption to tunnel data to and from network nodes.
It is based on Cisco’s L2F protocol.
IPSec requires security certificates (self-signed or signed by a CA such as Verisign) or

a predefined shared secret between connecting nodes. The shared secret must be
entered on the server and the client.
The shared secret is not a password for authentication, nor does it generate encryption
keys to establish secure tunnels between nodes. It is a token that the key management
systems use to trust each other.
L2TP is Snow Leopard Server’s preferred VPN protocol because it has superior transport
encryption and can be authenticated using Kerberos.
About PPTP
PPTP is a commonly used Windows standard VPN protocol. PPTP offers good
encryption (if strong passwords are used) and supports a number of authentication
schemes. It uses the user-password to produce an encryption key.
By default, PPTP supports 128-bit (strong) encryption. PPTP also supports the 40-bit
(weak) security encryption.
PPTP is necessary if you have Windows clients with versions earlier than Windows XP
or if you have Mac OS X v10.2 clients or earlier.
About Cisco IPSec

VPN support in Snow Leopard was enhanced with the addition of Cisco IPSec.
Previously, IPSec was utilized by L2TP, but was not a directly configurable service.
Cisco IPSec support in Snow Leopard provides support for Machine Authentication
using a shared secret or x.509 identity with the association to Groups.
L2TP/IPSec and Cisco IPSec provide the highest level of security because they use
IPSec. PPTP does not use IPsec, which makes it less secure.
To configure Mac OS X clients so they can use the VPN server:

1 Open System Preferences, then click Network.
2 Click the Add (+) button at the bottom of the network connection services list and then
choose VPN from the Interface pop-up menu.
3 From the VPN Type pop-up menu, choose “L2TP over IPsec,” “PPTP,” or “Cisco IPSec”
according to your network.

4 Enter a VPN service name in the Service Name field, then click Create.
5 Enter the DNS name or IP address in the Server Address field.
Server Address: gateway.example.com
6 Enter the user account name in the Account Name field.
Account Name: <the user’s short name>
7 Click Authentication Settings and enter the User Authentication and Machine
Authentication configuration information.
8 Click OK.
# -------------------------------------------------------------------
# Securing Network Services
# -------------------------------------------------------------------
# Disabling IKE VPN Key Management Service
# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# OFF
# If a VPN is not used, disable the IKE VPN key management service.
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/\
com.apple.racoon.plist
# None
For more information about launchctl, see “Understanding and Managing Daemons
and Agents” on page 221.
Securing Bonjour (mDNS)

Bonjour is a protocol for discovering file, print, chat, music sharing, and other services
on IP networks. Bonjour listens for service inquiries from other computers and provides
information about available services. Users and applications on your local network can
use Bonjour to quickly determine which services are available on your computer, and
you can use it to determine which services are available on theirs.
This easy exchange of information makes service discovery very convenient, but it also
incurs a security risk. Bonjour broadcasts the services that are present and the services
you have available. These risks must be weighed against the utility of running a
network service such as Bonjour.

Aside from the information freely exchanged by Bonjour, network services inherently
incur a security risk due to the potential for implementation errors to allow remote
attackers to access your system. However, Bonjour mitigates these risks by
implementing sandboxing.
To reduce the security risk of running Bonjour, connect only to secure, trusted local
networks. Also verify that Network preferences enables only required networking
connections. This reduces the chance of connecting to an insecure network.
Before using Bonjour to connect to a service, verify that the service is legitimate and
not spoofed. If you connect to a spoofed service, you might download malicious files.
If you cannot trust all services on your local network, do not use Bonjour.
WARNING: Carefully follow these steps to disable Bonjour. A malformed or

problematic mDNSResponder.plist file can prevent your Mac from starting up. Use
Time Machine to perform a full backup of your computer before proceeding.
To disable Bonjour advertising, enter the following commands:

1 Make a backup copy of the mDNSResponder.plist file.
2 Open Terminal and open the mDNSResponder.plist file using your preferred text editor.
For example:
sudo vi "/System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.mDNSResponder.plist"
3 In the ProgramArguments key of the plist file, add the following string to the
<array>...</array> section.
<string>-NoMulticastAdvertisements</string>
For example:
<key>ProgramArguments</key>
<array>
<string>/usr/sbin/mDNSResponder</string>
<string>-launchd</string>
<string>-NoMulticastAdvertisements</string>
</array>
4 Save the changes to the mDNSResponder.plist file.
Important: If you edited the file using emacs, remove the emacs backup file (the file
with a tilde at the end of the name, “/System/Library/LaunchDaemons/
com.apple.mDNSResponder.plist~”) or your Mac will not start up.

Also, block Bonjour from listening and accepting Bonjour traffic by creating a firewall
rule using ipfw. This prevents your computer from receiving potentially malicious
Bonjour traffic from the network. If you haven’t set up IPFW to run when the computer
starts up, see “Configuring the System to Load the IPFW Ruleset” on page 192.
Add the following rule to the /etc/ipfw.conf in the same way that you edited /System/
Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.mDNSResponder.plist in the section above.
To block Bonjour listening:
# Block Bonjour listening

# -------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Bonjour is enabled.
# Firewall is disabled.
# Add the following line to /etc/ipfw.conf.
add 00001 deny udp from any to me dst-port 5353
# Reload the firewall rules.
sudo /sbin/ipfw flush
sudo /sbin/ipfw /etc/ipfw.conf
# Disable firewall and allow Bonjour.
# Enable firewall and block port 5353.
If Bonjour is disabled, you must manually configure network printers. Disabling Bonjour
can also disable functionality in other applications that rely on Bonjour or possibly
make them unusable. For example, there might be issues with calendar and address
book sharing, and finding iChat buddies.
If disabling Bonjour interferes with other applications that are needed by the user,
remove the <string>-NoMulticastAdvertisements</string> from the
mDNSResponder.plist file. Then unblock UDP port 5353 on your firewall.

To reenable Bonjour broadcast:
# Enable Bonjour Service

# -------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Bonjour is enabled
# Firewall is disabled
# Remove the following line from /etc/ipfw.conf.
# Reload the firewall rules
sudo /sbin/ipfw /etc/ipfw.conf
# Disable Firewall and allow Bonjour
# Enable Firewall and block port 5353
Some applications can share data such as contact information, photos, and music.
When these application share data, they use Bonjour to let other network users know
what you are sharing. When you share information, use Password Assistant to help you
create a strong password. For information on securing applications that use Bonjour,
see Chapter 8, “Securing Applications.”
Securing the Back to My Mac (BTMM) Service

The new Back to My Mac (BTMM) feature in Snow Leopard gives you access to other
computers over the Internet. BTMM requires a MobileMe account. BTMM uses your
MobileMe account to create a secure connection to the computer you are accessing
over the Internet. Both computers must be signed in to your MobileMe account and
have BTMM enabled.
By default, BTMM is disabled. Also, the computer cannot be reached until sharing
services are enabled in Sharing preferences. Like any other service, keep BTMM
disabled unless it is required.
Although BTMM provides a way to set up a secure connection, this service introduces
risk, as described in this section. If BTMM is required, its use should be weighed against
the security risks it can introduce.
Note: Using BTMM, you can only connect to computers that are running
Snow Leopard or later.

BTMM Service Architecture
To provide secure connections between computers over the Internet, BTMM uses a
technology called IPSec to encrypt data. To provide secure and trusted authentication,
BTMM uses Kerberos with digital certificates. Kerberos eliminates the need for you to
enter your username and password each time you want to reach another computer in
your BTMM network.
Securing BTMM Access

Computers in your BTMM network can discover and authenticate to configured sharing
services. This introduces additional security risks. Sharing services must be configured
carefully to mitigate risk, because these services are designed to allow other users
access to your system.
Additionally, the following best practices must be completed to secure each computer
in your BTMM network:
Â Choose a strong password for your MobileMe account. Anyone who knows your
MobileMe password can access all computers in your BTMM network. Therefore,
choose a strong password and keep it safe. Use Password Assistant to help you
create a strong password.
Â Consider who has physical access to your computers. Anyone who knows the login
name and password of your computer can potentially access shared services on all
other computers. Set a strong password for your Mac OS X user account in the
Accounts pane of System Preferences.
Â Before you disconnect from sharing a screen with a remote computer, lock the
screen on the remote computer.
To secure computers that are not part of your BTMM network:

1 Open the Security preferences.
2 Click the “Require password __ after sleep or screen saver begins” checkbox and
choose a time interval from the pop-up menu.
3 Close Security preferences, then close System Preferences.
4 Open Keychain Access (in Application/Utilities/).
5 From the Keychain Access menu, choose Preferences.
6 In the General pane, click the "Show Status in Menu Bar" checkbox.
A small padlock icon appears in the menu bar. When you are away from the computer,
click the padlock menu and choose Lock Screen to protect your computer.
7 Disable automatic login for user accounts with a MobileMe account that is signed in.
Perform these steps on each computer on your BTMM network.

Securing Network Sharing Services
You can configure your computer to share files, folders, and other services with other
computers on your network. You can even share your website hosted by your
computer.
When sharing these services, make sure your computer has the most current
Apple updates and turn off services you are not using. Also, make sure you set
permissions for each service to prevent access by unauthorized users.
DVD or CD Sharing
You can enable DVD or CD Sharing on a Mac or Windows computer, to use the Remote
Disc feature of MacBook Air, or to share read-only data stored on your DVD or CD. While
your optical disc drive is shared, a user of another computer can view and access data
stored on the DVD or CD in your optical disc drive.
About DVD or CD Sharing

Data transmitted between computers is not encrypted or secure, so only use this
service in a secure environment. To prevent unauthorized users from accessing your
shared optical disc drive, select the “Ask me before allowing others to use my DVD
drive“ checkbox to require users to request permission before they can access a DVD or
CD in your Mac or Windows-based optical disc drive.
By default, DVD or CD Sharing is turned off and should be off when it is not used. This
prevents unauthorized users from accessing your computer.
# DVD or CD Sharing
# -------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Disabled (unload)
# Disable DVD or CD Sharing.
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons\
com.apple.ODSAgent.plist
# Disabled (unload)
# Enabled (load)

Screen Sharing (VNC)
Screen Sharing is based on virtual network computing (VNC). You can set up your
computer using VNC so that others can share your screen. While your screen is shared,
a user of another computer sees what’s on your screen and can open, move, and close
files and windows, open applications, and even restart your computer.
About Screen Sharing

Screen Sharing allows anyone with permission to control your computer. Data
transmitted between computers is not encrypted or secure so only use this service in a
secure environment.
By default, Screen Sharing is turned off and should be off when it is not used. This
prevents unauthorized users from accessing to your computer.
Restricting Access to Specific Users

When securely configuring Screen Sharing options, grant access to only specific users
to prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to your computer.
The default setting for Screen Sharing should be changed from “All users” to “Only
these users.” The default setting “All users” includes all users on your local computer
and all users in the directory server you are connected to. If you create a sharing user
account, create a strong password using Password Assistant.
You can also enable “VNC viewers may control screen with password” to permit VNC
users to control your screen using a third-party VNC viewer with a password. The VNC
password is different from the user name and password that is required when
attempting to access the computer. Use Password Assistant to create a strong
password.
# Screen Sharing (VNC)

# -------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Disabled
# Disable Screen Sharing.
sudo srm /private/etc/ScreenSharing.launchd
# Enabled:
# “All Users”
# “Only these users”

File Sharing (AFP, FTP, and SMB)

You can set up your computer to share files and folders with other users on your
network using the protocols Apple Filing Protocol (AFP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), or
Server Message Block (SMB). You can give users permission to read, write, and modify
files and folders in the shared folder on your computer.
File Sharing
When you share files and folder on your computer, you are permitting users to access
the files on your computer. Permitting access requires that you maintain who has
access to your files, the permissions they have, and the protocol used to access these
shared files.
To securely set up File Sharing, you must configure permissions for your users. If you
don’t, you create an access point for a malicious user to access your files and folders.
Depending on your environment, you can share your files using AFP, FTP, or SMB. When
using AFP, user names and passwords are encrypted when the user authenticates to
your computer to access files. When using SMB, passwords are also encrypted when
attempting to authenticate. However, SMB passwords are not securely stored on your
computer.
FTP does not encrypt user names and passwords. This creates a possible way for
unauthorized users to obtain the user name and password and easily access your files.
Avoid using this protocol to share sensitive data. If you must use this protocol, encrypt
your data using a secure encrypted image.
File Sharing is great for sharing files with others if you are in an environment where file
sharing is frequent. Consider setting up a file server to prevent others from accessing
your computer.
By default, File sharing is turned off and should remain off when it is not used. This
prevents unauthorized users from attempting to access your computer.

When you configure File Sharing on your computer, you set restrictions that provide
access for specific users. The users you select can be further restricted by giving them
access to specific folders.
The default setting for File Sharing should be changed from “All users” to “Only these
users.” The default setting “All users” includes all users on your local computer and all
users in the directory server you are connected to.
You can securely configure File Sharing by restricting access to specific users. You can
also restrict each user’s file permissions for each file you are sharing by using the
triangles next to the user name (No Access, Read & Write, Read Only, or Write Only
(Drop Box)). If you create a sharing user account, create a strong password using
Password Assistant.
If you are sharing files with Windows users, you must use SMB. When you create the
password for users that will use SMB, use Password Assistant to help create a strong
password. The password you enter is not securely stored on the computer.

# Disable File Sharing services.

# -------------------------
# Default Setting:
# File Sharing Disabled:
# AFP
# FTP
# SMB
# NFS
# Disable FTP.
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ftp.plist
# Disable SMB.
sudo defaults delete /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/\
com.apple.smb.server EnabledServices
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/nmbd.plist
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/smbd.plist
com.apple.smb.server.preferences.plist
com.apple.smb.sharepoints.plist
com.apple.smbfs_load_kext.plist
org.samba.winbindd.plist
# Disable AFP.
com.apple.AppleFileServer.plist
com.apple.afpfs_afpLoad.plist
com.apple.afpfs_checkafp.plist
# Disable NFS
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.nfsd.plist
com.apple.lockd.plist
com.apple.statd.notify.plist
com.apple.portmap.plist
# Disabled (unload)
# Enabled (load)

Printer Sharing (CUPS)

Printer Sharing allows users on other computers to access printers connected to your
computer. Make sure this service remains disabled unless it is necessary. If it is
necessary, consider using dedicated print servers instead of sharing a printer from your
computer. By using a dedicated print server, you won’t have printer traffic routed
through your computer.
Scanner Sharing
Sharing allows users on other computers to access scanners connected to your
computer. Make sure this service remains disabled unless it is necessary. If it is
necessary, consider using dedicated scanner computers instead of sharing a scanner
from your computer. By using a dedicated scanner computer, you won’t have scanner
traffic routed through your computer.
Web Sharing (HTTP)

You can use the Apache web server software included with Snow Leopard to host a
website on your computer. By default, Web sharing is off and should remain disabled
unless it is necessary. Some risks of Web Sharing are described below.
Web Sharing
Two websites are available for users to view.
Users can only view the following website located in /shortname/Sites folder if you are
logged in on the computer:
http://your.computer.address/~yourusername/
By using Web Sharing, you expose your login user name (short name). This can give
hackers the ability to gain information about your computer.
The following website is located in Library/WebServer/Documents folder and is

available while Web Sharing is running:
http://your.computer.address

# Web Sharing
# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Web Services: Disabled
# Disable Web Sharing.
org.apache.httpd.plist
# Web Services:
# Disabled
# Enabled
Remote Login (SSH)

Remote Login allows users to connect to your computer through secure shell (SSH). By
enabling Remote Login, you activate more secure versions of commonly used insecure
tools.
The following table lists tools enabled with Remote Login, and their insecure
counterparts.
Secure Remote Login Tool Insecure Tool

ssh telnet
slogin login
scp rcp
sftp ftp
For more information about securing SSH, see “Enabling an SSH Connection” on
page 206.
By default, Remote Login is turned off and should remain off when it is not used. This

You can securely configure Remote Login by restricting access to specific users. The
default setting for Remote Login should be changed from “All users” to “Only these
users.” The default setting “All users” includes all users on your local computer and all
users in the directory server you are connected to.

# Remote Login (SSH)

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Remote Login (SSH): Disabled
# Disable Remote Login.
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ssh.plist
# Remote Login (SSH):
# Disabled
# Enabled
Enabling an SSH Connection

To set up a system as an SSH server, you must enable Remote Login in Sharing
preferences. For more information, see “Securing Sharing Preferences” on page 105.
To establish a secure SSH connection, verify that the client is receiving a valid
fingerprint from the server. Fingerprints help determine the authenticity of the
connection because they prove that the intended server, and not a rogue server, is
receiving SSH requests from the client.
To securely establish an SSH connection to a server for the first time:

1 On the server and the client, open Terminal.
2 On the client, enter the following command, but do not continue connecting if
prompted:
$ ssh username@ipaddress_or_hostname
Replace username with the name of a user on the server.
Replace ipaddress_or_hostname with the IP address or host name of the server.
When you connect to a host using the IP address, entries are created in the
ssh_known_hosts file. If you connect to the same host using its host name, a separate
entry is created in the ssh_known_host file because each connection is treated as a
unique connection.
On the server, if you select Remote Login in Sharing preferences, you are presented
with a sample command showing how to connect to the server. This command
includes the short name of the user you are logged in as and the IP address of the
server.

3 On the server, enter the following command:
$ ssh-keygen -l -f /private/etc/ssh_host_rsa_key.pub
This command prints the fingerprint of the server’s RSA key.
4 Compare the fingerprint displayed on the client with the one displayed on the server.
5 If they match, enter yes on the client.
If they do not match, your connection is not authentic.
You should never need to validate the server’s fingerprint again. If you are asked to
validate the server’s fingerprint again, your connection has been compromised or
Mac OS X has been reinstalled on the server. Verify with the server administrator to
make sure that your connection is authentic.
6 On the client, authenticate with the server using the password for the user name you
entered.
7 Test the connection with the server.
The name of your server should appear in the prompt.
To display your user name, enter whoami.
8 On the server and client, enter the following command:
$ exit
Configuring a Key-Based SSH Connection

SSH supports the use of password, key, and Kerberos authentication. You can modify
the ssh command so it only supports key-based authentication.
With key-based authentication, the client and server have public and private keys. The
two computers exchange public keys. When the computers communicate with each
other, they send data that is encrypted based on the other computer’s public key.
When a computer receives encrypted data, it can decrypt the data based on its private
key.
Key-based authentication is more secure than password authentication because it

requires that you have the private key file and know the password that lets you access
the key file. Password authentication can be compromised without needing a private
key file.
To perform this task, enable an SSH connection. For information, see “Enabling an SSH
Connection” on page 206.
If the server uses FileVault to encrypt the home folder of the user you want to use SSH
to connect as, you must be logged in on the server to use SSH. Alternatively, you can
store the keys for the user in a location that is not protected by FileVault. However, this
is not secure.

To allow only key-based SSH connections:
1 On the server and the client, open Terminal.
2 On the server, enter the following command:
$ mkdir ~/.ssh
3 On the client, enter the following command:

$ ssh-keygen -b 1024 -t dsa
This command generates a public/private key pair for the client.
4 On the client, when prompted for a location to store the keys, press Enter without
entering a location.
The keys are stored in /Users/username/.ssh/. The public key is named id_dsa.pub, and
the private key is named id_dsa.
5 On the client, when prompted for a passphrase, enter a complex password.
A complex password is at least 12 letters and is composed of mixed-case characters,
numbers, and special characters. For more information, see “Using Password Assistant
to Generate or Analyze Passwords” on page 130.
$ scp ~/.ssh/id_dsa.pub username@ipaddress_or_hostname:~/.ssh/
authorized_keys
This command copies the client’s public key into the server’s ~/.ssh folder and renames
the key to authorized_keys.
If the user needs more than one client public key on the server, those additional public
keys should be concatenated onto the end of the authorized_keys file. A separate key
entry is required for each connection type used to connect to the server. For example,
there is a key entry for the IP address and a key entry for the hostname of the server.
7 On the client, authenticate with the password of the user whose name you entered.
8 On the server, enter the following command and authenticate, if requested:
$ sudo pico /private/etc/sshd_config
This command loads the sshd_config file in the pico text editor. For information about
how to use pico, enter man pico in a Terminal window.

9 On the server, edit the following lines, removing the # when replacing original values:
Default Replace with Notes

#PermitRootLogin yes PermitRootLogin no Prevents logging in as root
through SSH. Set this for
all SSH methods of
authenticating.
#PasswordAuthentication yes PasswordAuthentication no Disables password
authentication.
#PermitEmptyPasswords no PermitEmptyPasswords no Denies access to accounts
without passwords. Set
this for all SSH methods of
authenticating.
#PubKeyAuthentication yes PubKeyAuthentication yes Enables key-based
authentication.
#RSAAuthentication yes RSAAuthentication no Disables RSA
authentication. (Not
needed for key-based
authentication.)
#RhostsRSAAuthentication no RhostsRSAAuthentication no Disables Rhost
authentication. (Not
authentication.)
#ChallengeResponseAuthentication ChallengeResponseAuthentication Not needed for key-based
yes no authentication.
#UsePAM yes UsePAM no Not needed for key-based
authentication.
#StrictModes yes StrictModes yes Ensures that files and
folders are protected by
the server’s permissions’
scheme.
#LoginGraceTime 2m LoginGraceTime 30 Reduces the time allowed
to authenticate to 30
seconds.
#KeyRegenerationInterval 1h KeyRegenerationInterval 3600 Ensures that the server key
is changed frequently.
#ServerKeyBits 768 ServerKeyBits 1024 Requires that the server
key is 1024 bits.
#Protocol 2,1 Protocol 2 Restricts OpenSSH so it
uses only SSH2. Set this for
all SSH methods of
authenticating.
AllowUsers username Add this line. Replace
username with the name
of the account you want
to log in as.

$ sudo pico /private/etc/sshd_config
11 Authenticate, if requested.
12 On the client, edit the following lines:
Default Replace with Notes

#PasswordAuthentication yes PasswordAuthentication no Disables password authentication.
#RSAAuthentication yes RSAAuthentication no Disables RSA authentication. (Not
authentication.)
13 On the client, test the SSH connection by entering the following command:
entry is created in the ssh_known_host file because each connection is treated as a
unique connection.
If successful, you are prompted to enter your passphrase for the key.
Preventing Connection to Unauthorized Host Servers

You can prevent your computer from connecting to rogue SSH servers by modifying
your /etc/ssh_known_hosts file. This file lists the servers you are allowed to connect to,
including their domain names and their public keys.
To prevent your computer from connecting to unauthorized servers:

1 If ~/.ssh/ doesn’t exist, enter the following command:
$ mkdir ~/.ssh/
2 If ~/.ssh/known_hosts exists, enter the following command to remove it:

$ srm ~/.ssh/known_hosts
3 Use SSH to connect to every server you want to allow access to by entering the
following command for each server:
entry is created in the ssh_known_hosts file because each connection is treated as a
unique connection.

4 When you are asked to verify the server’s public key fingerprint, enter yes if it matches
the server’s public key fingerprint.
You can display the server’s public key fingerprint by entering the following on the
server:
$ ssh-keygen -l -f /private/etc/ssh_host_rsa_key.pub

$ sudo cp ~/.ssh/known_hosts /etc/ssh_known_hosts
6 Authenticate, if requested.
Because ssh_known_hosts is located in /etc/, users can’t modify this file unless they
have administrator access.
$ srm ~/.ssh/known_hosts
After you remove ~/.ssh/known_hosts, your computer will only connect to servers
listed in /etc/ssh_known_hosts unless the user accepts the warning prompt.
Using SSH as a Secure Tunnel

You can use SSH to create a secure tunnel connecting to a server or client computer.
Many organizations only allow connection though a single port on the firewall to
enhance network security. By using SSH tunneling, you can connect through a single
port on a firewall and access a computer on the network.
This is important for computers on the network that are not configured for secure
encrypted communication. SSH tunneling encrypts the data between the computer
and the firewall, securing the data transmitted over an insecure network (such as the
Internet).

In the following example, Anne Johnson can create an SSH tunnel that connects to an
AFP server through a firewall. For additional security, this firewall should restrict all
other ports. After the SSH tunnel is established, Anne Johnson can securely connect to
the AFP server.
AFP connection jd oij

on o o ioi
fw xgh ew ewf
ew wef tp
rp s p
port 22 open
Anne Johnson’s
computer AFP server
Encrypted SSH Tunnel Internet
port 548 open

Firewall allows
secret
codes.txt, SSH (port 22) and
quarterly
Unencrypted reports.xls AFP (port 548) connections
AFP connection
Tom Clark’s
computer
To create an ssh tunnel:

1 Open Terminal.
2 Use the ssh command to create the SSH tunnel.
$ ssh -v -L 2501:localhost:5900 RemoteHostName -l RemoteAFPAccount
Replace RemoteHostName with the name of the host you what to connect to.
Replace RemoteAFPAccount with the AFP account name, and when prompted enter the
password for RemoteAFPAccount.
3 Create a server in AFP.
Enter the address localhost:2501 and the RemoteAFPAccount username and password.
Modifying the SSH Configuration File

Making changes to the SSH configuration file enables you to set options for each ssh
connection. You can make these changes for the system or specific users.
Â To make the change for the system, change the options in the /etc/ssh_config file,
which affects all ssh users on the computer.
Â To make the change for a user, make them in the username/.ssh/config file.
The ssh configuration file has connection options and other specifications for a specific
ssh host. A host is specified by the Host declaration. By default, the Host declaration is
an asterisk (“*”) indicating any host you are connecting to will use the options listed
below the Host declaration.

You can add a specific host and options for that host by adding a new Host declaration.
The new Host declaration will specify a name or address in place of the asterisk (“*”).
You can then set the connection option for your new host below the Host declaration.
This helps secure your ssh sessions in environments with different security levels.
For example, if you are connecting to a server using ssh through the Internet, the
server might require a more secure or stricter connection options. However, if you are
in a more secure environment, such as your own personal network, you might not
need such strict connection options.
For more information about ssh configuration file options, see the ssh man pages.
Generating Key Pairs for Key-Based SSH Connections

By default, SSH supports the use of password, key, and Kerberos authentication. The
standard method of SSH authentication is to supply login credentials in the form of a
user name and password. Key pair authentication enables you to log in to the server
without supplying a password.
This process works as follows:

1 A private and a public key are generated, each associated with a user name to establish
that user’s authenticity.
2 When you attempt to log in as that user, the user name is sent to the remote computer.
3 The remote computer looks in the user’s .ssh/ folder for the user’s public key.
This folder is created after using SSH the first time.
4 A challenge is then sent to the user based on his or her public key.
5 The user verifies his or her identity by using the private portion of the key pair to
decode the challenge.
6 After the challenge is decoded, the user is logged in without needing a password.
This is especially useful when automating remote scripts.
Key-based authentication requires possession of the private key instead of a password
to log in to the server. A private key is much harder to guess than a password. However,
if the home folder where the private key is stored is compromised—assuming the
private key is not protected by a password—this private key could be used to log in to
other systems. Password authentication can be compromised without needing a
private key file.
If the server uses FileVault to encrypt the home folder of the user you want to use SSH
to connect as, you must be logged in on the server to use SSH. Alternatively, you can
store the keys for the user in a location that is not protected by FileVault. However, this
is not secure.

To generate the identity key pair:
1 Enter the following command on the local computer.
$ ssh-keygen -t dsa
2 When prompted, enter a filename to save the keys in the user’s folder.
3 Enter a password followed by password verification (empty for no password).
For example:
Generating public/private dsa key pair.
Enter file to save the key in (/Users/anne/.ssh/id_dsa): frog
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):
Enter same passphrase again:
Your identification has been saved in frog.
Your public key has been saved in frog.pub.
The key fingerprint is:
4a:5c:6e:9f:3e:35:8b:e5:c9:5a:ac:00:e6:b8:d7:96 annejohnson1@mac.com
This creates two files. Your identification or private key is saved in one file (frog in our
example) and your public key is saved in the other (frog.pub in our example). The key
fingerprint, derived cryptographically from the public key value, is also displayed. This
secures the public key, making it computationally infeasible for duplication.
The location of the server SSH key is /etc/ssh_host_key.pub. Back up your key in case
you need to reinstall your server software. If your server software is reinstalled, you can
retain the server identity by putting the key back in its folder.
4 Copy the resulting public file, which contains the local computer’s public key, to the
.ssh/ folder in the user’s home folder on the remote computer.
The next time you log in to the remote computer from the local computer, you won’t
need to enter a password (unless you entered one in step 3 above).
If you are using an Open Directory user account and you have logged in using the
account, you do not need to supply a password for SSH login. On Snow Leopard Server
computers, SSH uses Kerberos for single sign-on authentication with any user account
that has an Open Directory password (but Kerberos must be running on the Open
Directory server). For more information, see Open Directory Administrator.
Updating SSH Key Fingerprints

The first time you connect to a remote computer using SSH, the local computer
prompts for permission to add the remote computer’s fingerprint (or encrypted public
key) to a list of known remote computers.
You might see a message like this:

The authenticity of host "server1.example.com" can't be established.
RSA key fingerprint is a8:0d:27:63:74:f1:ad:bd:6a:e4:0d:a3:47:a8:f7.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?

The first time you connect, you have no way of knowing whether this is the correct
host key. When you respond “yes,” the host key is then inserted into the ~/.ssh/
known_hosts file so it can be compared against in later sessions.
Be sure this is the correct key before accepting it. If at all possible, provide your users
with the encryption key through FTP, mail, or a download from the web, so they can
verify the identity of the server.
If you later see a warning message about a man-in-the-middle attack when you try to
connect, the key on the remote computer might no longer match the key on the local
computer. This can happen if you:
Â Change your SSH configuration on the local or remote computer.
Â Perform a clean installation of the server software on the computer you are logging
in to using SSH.
Â Start up from a Snow Leopard Server CD on the computer you are logging in to
using SSH.
Â Attempt to use SSH to log in to a computer that has the same IP address as a
computer that you previously used SSH with on another network.
To connect again, delete the entries corresponding to the remote computer you are
accessing (which can be stored by both name and IP address) in ~/.ssh/known_hosts.
Important: Removing an entry from the known_hosts file bypasses a security

mechanism that would help you avoid imposters and man-in-the-middle attacks. Be
sure you understand why the key on the remote computer has changed before you
delete its entry from the known_hosts file.
Remote Management (ARD)

You can use Apple Remote Desktop (ARD) to perform remote management tasks such
as screen sharing. When sharing your screen you should provide access to specific users
to prevent unauthorized access to your computer screen. You also need to determine
the privileges users will have when viewing your screen.
An ARD manager with full privileges can run these tasks as the root user. By limiting
the privileges that an ARD manager has, you can increase security. When setting
privileges, disable or limit an administrator’s access to an ARD client.
You can set a VNC password that requires authorized users to use a password to access
your computer. The most secure way is to require authorized users to request
permission to access your computer screen.
ARD is turned off by default and should remain off when it is not being used. This
prevents unauthorized users from attempting to access your computer.

To share your screen using ARD, you must securely turn on remote management in
Sharing preferences.
The default setting for remote management should be changed from “All users” to
“Only these users.” The default setting “All users” includes all users on your local
computer and all users in the directory server you are connected to.
Any account using ARD should have limited privileges to prevent remote users from
having full control of your computer.
You can securely configure ARD by restricting access to specific users. You can also
restrict each user’s privileges by setting ARD options. Limit the user’s privileges to the
user’s permission on the computer. For example, don’t give a standard user the ability
to change settings or delete items.
For more information, see Apple Remote Desktop Administration Guide.
You can also securely configure computer settings for remote management. If users
connect to your computer using VNC, require that they use a password by enabling
“VNC viewer may control screen with password.” Use Password Assistant to create a
strong password for VNC users.
# Remote Management (ARD)

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Remote Management: Disabled
# Disable Remote Management.
sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/\
Resources/kickstart -deactivate -stop
# Remote Management:
# Disabled
# Enabled
Remote Apple Events (RAE)

If you enable Remote Apple Events (RAE), you allow your computer to respond to
events sent by other computers on your network. These events include AppleScript
programs. A malicious AppleScript program can do things like delete your
~/Documents/ folder.

By default, RAE is turned off and should remain off when it is not used. This prevents
unauthorized users from accessing your computer.
# Remote Apple Events (RAE)

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Remote Apple Events: Disabled
# Disable Remote Apple Events.
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.eppc.plist
# Remote Apple Events:
# Disabled
# Enabled

Avoid enabling RAE. If you enable RAE, do so on a trusted private network and disable
it immediately after disconnecting from the network. The default setting for RAE
should be changed from “All users” to “Only these users.” The default setting “All users”
includes all users on your local computer and all users in the directory server you are
connected to.
When securely configuring RAE, restrict remote events to only be accepted from
specific users. This prevents unauthorized users from sending malicious events to your
computer. If you create a sharing user account, create a strong password using
Password Assistant. Avoid accepting events from Mac OS 9 computers. If you need to
accept Mac OS 9 events, use Password Assistant to create a strong password.
Xgrid Sharing
Computers on a network can use Xgrid to work together in a grid to process a job. Your
computer can join the grid as an Xgrid client or as an Xgrid agent. A client submits jobs
to the grid and an agent processes jobs received from an Xgrid controller. A controller
is a server that receives jobs from clients and distributes jobs to agents.
For more information about Xgrid, see Xgrid Administration.
By default, Xgrid Sharing is turned off and should remain off when it is not used. This

When you volunteer your computer as an agent, or when you run a grid-enabled
application as a client, specify the controller by name or address. This can be done
within the configuration settings of Xgrid Sharing. Also, always use a password or
single sign-on for authentication.
Although your computer can use Bonjour to discover controllers on the local network,
when you specify a controller you help ensure that your computer connects to the
intended Xgrid controller and not a malicious controller.
It is still possible for a malicious controller to spoof a legitimate controller’s DNS and
IP address, but choosing a specific controller prevents trivial attacks.

Your computer can specify the type of authentication it requires, including password,
Kerberos, or no authentication. If your computer connects to the Internet, require some
form of authentication to avoid unknowingly connecting to a malicious controller.
Malicious controllers can make agents run malicious software, create network
connections, and possibly crash your computer. Similarly, clients or controllers that lack
authentication might find their jobs (and sensitive data they contain) hijacked by
malicious agents.
Only connect to controllers that require authentication. Password authentication is a

simple authentication solution that maintains the confidentiality of your password
when validating the password supplied by the controller.
After password authentication, communication with the controller is transmitted in

clear text. If your connection uses Kerberos authentication, only the authentication
with the controller is encrypted.
# Xgrid Sharing
# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Xgrid Sharing: Disabled
# Disable Xgrid Sharing.
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/Daemons/com.apple.xgridagentd
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/Daemons/com.apple.xgridcontrollerd
# Xgrid Sharing:
# Disabled
# Enabled

Internet Sharing
Although Internet Sharing is a convenient way to share Internet access, enabling it is a
security risk. Internet Sharing also violates many organizational security policies.
Internet Sharing in Sharing preferences is preconfigured. Enabling Internet Sharing

activates DHCP, NAT, and Firewall services, which are unconfigurable. A compromise to
a single user node exposes the organization’s network to attack.
By default, Internet Sharing is turned off and should remain off when it is not used. This
# Internet Sharing
# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Internet Sharing: Disabled
# Disable Internet Sharing.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.nat
NAT -dict Enabled -int 0
com.apple.InternetSharing.plist
# Internet Sharing:
# Disabled
# Enabled

If you need to share your Internet connection using AirPort, use the AirPort options to
secure AirPort and prevent access to your computer from unauthorized users.
When configuring AirPort options to secure Internet Sharing, choose a channel from
the channel pop-up menu and enable encryption using WEP.
Use a strong password for the connection, use Password Assistant to help you create a
strong password, and set the WEP key length to 128 bit.
When you finish sharing your Internet connection, turn the service off.

Bluetooth Sharing
If you have a Bluetooth module installed in your computer or if you are using an
external USB Bluetooth module, you can set up your computer to use Bluetooth to
send and receive files with other Bluetooth-enabled computers or devices.
You can control how your computer handles files that are exchanged between
Bluetooth devices. You can choose to accept or refuse files sent to your computer and
choose which folder other devices can browse.
By default, Bluetooth Sharing is turned off and should remain off when it is not used.
This prevents unauthorized users from accessing your computer.
Restricting Access to Specified Users

If you are in an environment where you would like to share files with another computer
or device, use the Bluetooth Sharing options and Bluetooth preferences to securely
enable Bluetooth and avoid unauthorized access to your computer.
Bluetooth options should always require pairing and be set to “Ask What to Do” when
receiving or sharing items.
When configuring Bluetooth preferences, to secure Bluetooth sharing, use the

Discoverable option only while you are setting up the Bluetooth computer or device.
After the device is configured, disable the Discoverable option to prevent unauthorized
users from discovering your Bluetooth connection.
In the advanced section of Bluetooth preferences, make sure that “Allow Bluetooth
devices to wake this computer” and “Share my internet connection with other
Bluetooth devices” are not selected.
# Bluetooth Sharing
# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Bluetooth Sharing: Disabled
# Disable Bluetooth Sharing.
sudo defaults -currentHost write com.apple.bluetooth PrefKeyServicesEnabled
0
# Bluetooth Sharing:
# Disabled
# Enabled

Understanding and Managing Daemons and Agents
Daemons and agents, also known as background programs, are programs that run
without any graphical user interface. Many of these programs provide important
system services that are critical to system functionality.
Snow Leopard uses a process called launchd to manage daemons and agents. The
launchd process is responsible for loading and unloading daemons and agents, and it
manages communication between them and the applications or devices they provide
services to. You can use the launchctl command line program to instruct launchd on
how to control daemons and agents.
Listing Active Daemons and Agents on the System

The launchctl command can list the daemons and agents available on the system.
Many of these daemons and agents provide important services that are critical to
system functionality.
Daemons are programs that run in the background as part of the overall system (that
is, they are not tied to a particular user). To see a list of the daemons managed by
launchd, run the following command:
$ sudo launchctl list
Agents are programs that run in the background on behalf of a user, to provide
services to that user. To see a list of the agents managed by launchd for you (since you
are the current user), run the following command:
$ launchctl list
In the lists generated by the commands above, the first column shows a process ID
number if the daemon or agent is running when the launchctl command is run, or it
shows a hyphen (-). A major feature of launchd is its ability to run daemons or agents
only when their services are necessary, in response to a direct need for their services.
Daemons and agents that are not running can be activated by launchd as needed.
Configuration Files for Daemons and Agents

Configuration files in the plist format describe how launchd controls daemons and
agents on the system.
The following table lists the folders where launchd reads these configuration files, and
the type of configuration file found in each folder.
Folder Type of Configuration File

~/Library/LaunchAgents Per-user agents provided by the user
/Library/LaunchAgents Per-user agents provided by the administrator
/Library/LaunchDaemons System-wide daemons provided by the administrator

Folder Type of Configuration File
/System/Library/LaunchAgents Mac OS X per-user agents
/System/Library/ Mac OS X system-wide daemons
LaunchDaemons
Disabling and Re-enabling Daemons and Agents

Many daemons and agents provide important services that are critical to system
functionality. However, in some environments, disabling daemons and agents can be
appropriate because their functionality is unneeded or unwanted in that environment.
Some of these instances are noted below.
If a daemon or agent must to be disabled, use the launchctl command as follows:

$ sudo launchctl unload -w <PathToPlist>
For example, to disable the daemon that provides Bluetooth service, use the following
command:
$ sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/
com.apple.blued.plist
The sudo command is not needed when disabling an agent for the current user.
Disabling daemons or agents creates files in /var/db/launchd.db that record which

daemons or agents have been disabled. For daemons, the file /var/db/launchd.db/
com.apple.launchd/overrides.plist is created. For agents, individual folders are created
whose names reflect the user id of the user for whom the agent has been disabled.
A user’s id number can be found using the id program. For example, the user with id
501 stores an overrides.plist file in /var/db/launchd.db/com.apple.launchd.peruser.501/
overrides.plist. These overrides.plist files make it easy to identify daemons or agents
that are disabled so they can be reenabled later if necessary.

# Understanding and Managing Daemons and Agents

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Airport services: off
# Remote control service: off
# Screen Sharing service: off
# Remote management service: off
# Bluetooth Sharing: off
# Turn off AirPort Services using the following commands. Run the last
# command as the current user.
com.apple.airportPrefsUpdater.plist
com.apple.AirPort.wps.plist
launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.airportd.plist
# Turn off remote control service using the following command:
launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.RemoteUI
# Turn off Screen Sharing services.
com.apple.RFBEventHelper.plist
com.apple.RFBRegisterMDNS_RemoteManagement.plist
com.apple.RFBRegisterMDNS_ScreenSharing.plist
com.apple.ScreenSharing.plist
# Turn off Remote Management service using the following commands:
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/\
com.apple.RemoteDesktop.plist
com.apple.RemoteDesktop.PrivilegeProxy.plist
# Turn off Bluetooth service using the following command:
# Disabled (unload)
# Enabled (load)

Where to Get Additional Information
The following resources provide further information about managing daemons
and agents:
Â Getting Started with launchd http://developer.apple.com/macosx/launchd.html
Â Introduction to System Startup Programming Topics http://developer.apple.com/mac/
library/documentation/MacOSX/Conceptual/BPSystemStartup/BPSystemStartup.html
Â Technical Note TN2083 Daemons and Agents http://developer.apple.com/mac/
library/technotes/tn2005/tn2083.html
Â The man pages for launchctl, launchd, and launchd.plist

10 Advanced Security Management
10
Use this chapter to monitor your system and prevent attacks.
Knowing the points of your computer that are susceptible to attack can help you
monitor activity and prevent attacks from occurring.
Managing Authorization Through Rights

Authorization on Snow Leopard is controlled by a policy database. This database is
stored in /etc/authorization. The database format is described in comments at the top
of that file.
The SecurityAgent plug-in processes all requests for authentication by gathering

requirements from the policy database (/etc/authorization).
Actions can be successfully performed only when the user has acquired the rights to
do so.
Understanding the Policy Database

The policy database is a property list that consists of two dictionaries:
Â The rights dictionary
Â The rules dictionary
The Rights Dictionary

The rights dictionary contains a set of key/value pairs, called right specifications. The key
is the right name and the value is information about the right, including a description
of what the user must do to acquire the right.
The following is an extract from the policy database installed on your system.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC ...>
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
...
225
<key>rights</key>
<dict>
<key></key>
<dict>
<key>class</key>
<string>rule</string>
<key>comment</key>
<string>Matches otherwise unmatched rights (i.e., is a default).</
string>
<key>rule</key>
<string>default</string>
</dict>
<key>system.device.dvd.setregion.initial</key>
<dict>
<key>class</key>
<string>user</string>
<key>comment</key>
<string>Used by the DVD player to set the region code the first
time. Changing the region code after it is set requires a different
right (system.device.dvd.setregion.change).</string>
<key>group</key>
<string>admin</string>
<key>shared</key>
<true/>
</dict>
...
<key>config.add.</key>
<dict>
<key>class</key>
<string>allow</string>
<key>comment</key>
<string>Wildcard right for adding rights. Anyone is allowed to add
any (non-wildcard) rights.</string>
</dict>
...
In this extract from the policy database, there are three rights:
Â The right specification with an empty key string is known as the default right
specification. To obtain this right a user must satisfy the default rule which, by default
on current versions of Mac OS X, is to prove that they are an administrator.
Â system.device.dvd.setregion.initial controls whether the user can set the initial
region code for the DVD drive. By default, a user must prove that they are an
administrator (in group admin) to set the DVD region.
226 Chapter 10 Advanced Security Management

Â config.add. is
a wildcard right specification (it ends with a dot) that matches any
right whose name starts with the config.add. characters. This right controls whether
a user can add a right specification to the policy database. By default any user can
add a right specification.
When a program asks for a right, Authorization Services executes the following
algorithm:
1 It searches the policy database for a right specification whose key exactly matches the
right name.
2 If that fails, it searches the policy database for a wildcard right specification whose key
matches the right name. If multiple right specifications are present, it uses the one with
the longest key.
3 If that fails, it uses the default right specification.
After it has found the relevant right specification, Authorization Services evaluates the
specification to decide whether to grant the right.
In some cases this is easy. For example, in the extract from the policy database above,
config.add. is always granted.
In other cases it can be more complex. For example, setting the DVD region requires
that you enter an administrator password.
The Rules Dictionary

A rule consists of a set of attributes. Rules are preconfigured when Snow Leopard
Server is installed, but applications can change them at any time. Rules are contained
in the Rules dictionary.
The following table describes the attributes defined for rules.
Rule attribute Generic rule value Description

key The key is the name of a rule. A key uses the same
naming conventions as a right. The Security Server uses a
rule’s key to match the rule with a right. Wildcard keys
end with a period (“.”). The generic rule has an empty key
value. Rights that do not match a specific rule use the
generic rule.
group admin The user must authenticate as a member of this group.
This attribute can be set to any group.
Chapter 10 Advanced Security Management 227

Rule attribute Generic rule value Description
shared true If this is set to true, the Security Server marks the
credentials used to gain this right as shared. The Security
Server can use any shared credentials to authorize this
right.
For maximum security, set sharing to false so credentials
stored by the Security Server for one application cannot
be used by another application.
timeout 300 The credential used by this rule expires in the specified
number of seconds.
For maximum security where the user must authenticate
every time, set the timeout to 0.
For minimum security, remove the timeout attribute so
the user authenticates only once per session.
There are specific rules in the policy database for Snow Leopard applications. There is
also a generic rule in the policy database that the Security Server uses for any right that
doesn’t have a specific rule.
Managing Authorization Rights

Managing authorization rights involves creating and modifying right and rule values.
Creating an Authorization Right

To authorize a user for specific rights, you must create an authorization right in the
rights dictionary. Each right consists of the following:
Â The name of the right
Â A value that contains optional data pertaining to the right
Â The byte length of the value field
Â Optional flags
The right always matches the generic rule unless a rule is added to the policy database.
Modifying an Authorization Right

To modify a right, change the value in /etc/authorization and save the file.
To lock out all privileged operations not explicitly allowed, change the generic rule by
setting the timeout attribute to 0.
To allow all privileged operations after the user is authorized, remove the timeout
attribute from the generic rule.
To prevent applications from sharing rights, set the shared attribute to false.
To require users to authenticate as a member of the staff group instead of the admin
group, set the group attribute to staff.

Example Authorization Restrictions
As an example of how the Security Server matches a right with a rule in the policy
database, consider a grades-and-transcripts application.
The application requests the right com.myOrganization.myProduct.transcripts.create.

The Security Server looks up the right in the policy database. Not finding an exact
match, the Security Server looks for a rule with a wildcard key set to
com.myOrganization.myProduct.transcripts., com.myOrganization.myProduct.,
com.myOrganization., or com.—in that order—checking for the longest match.
If no wildcard key matches, the Security Server uses the generic rule.
The Security Server requests authentication from the user. The user provides a user
name and password to authenticate as a member of the group admin. The Security
Server creates a credential based on the user authentication and the right requested.
The credential specifies that other applications can use it, and the Security Server sets
the expiration to five minutes.
Three minutes later, a child process of the application starts. The child process requests
the right com.myOrganization.myProduct.transcripts.create.
The Security Server finds the credential, sees that it allows sharing, and uses the right.
Two and a half minutes later, the same child process requests the right
com.myOrganization.myProduct.transcripts.create again, but the right has expired.
The Security Server begins the process of creating a credential by consulting the policy
database and requesting user authentication.
Example of Authorizing for Screen Saver

After you configure a password-protected screen saver to prevent unauthorized users
from accessing your unattended computer, modify the default rule settings of the
system.login.screensaver (shown below) to prevent users in the admin group from
being able to unlock your screen saver.
<key>system.login.screensaver</key>
<dict>
<key>class</key>
<key>comment</key>
<string>the owner as well as any admin can unlock the
screensaver;modify the group key to change this.</string>
<key>rule</key>
<string>authenticate-session-owner-or-admin</string>
</dict> <key>system.login.tty</key>
The authenticate-session-owner-or-admin rule (shown below) permits users in the

admin group or the session owner to authenticate and unlock the screen saver.

<key>authenticate-session-owner-or-admin</key>
<dict>
<key>allow-root</key>
<false/>
<key>class</key>
<key>comment</key>
<string>the owner as well as any admin can
authorize</string>
<key>group</key>
<string>admin</string>
<key>session-owner</key>
<true/>
<key>shared</key>
<false/>
</dict>
The default setting creates a possible point of attack, because the more users you have
in the admin group the more you depend on those users to protect their user names
and passwords.
The authenticate-session-owner rule (shown below) permits only the session owner to
authenticate and unlock the screen saver.
<key>authenticate-session-owner</key>
<dict>
<key>class</key>
<key>comment</key>
<string>authenticate session owner</string>
<key>session-owner</key>
<true/>
</dict>
By changing the rule in system.login.screensaver (shown below) to authenticate-

session-owner, users of the admin group cannot unlock the screen saver.
<key>system.login.screensaver</key>
<dict>
<key>class</key>
<key>comment</key>
<string>the owner as well as any admin can unlock the
screensaver;modify the group key to change this.</string>
<key>rule</key>
<string>authenticate-session-owner</string>
</dict> <key>system.login.tty</key>

Maintaining System Integrity
By monitoring events and logs, you can help protect the integrity of your computer
and network. Auditing and logging tools monitor your computer and help you
maintain the security of your computer.
By reviewing audits and logs, you can stop login attempts from unauthorized users or
computers and further protect your configuration settings.
Validating File Integrity

The verifying of file permissions is a form of file integrity checking. You can use the
pkgutil command to verify file permissions. For more information about pkgutil, see
its man page.
Validating a file’s integrity is also important because when downloading files over an
insecure network the files are vulnerable to attack. Your files can be intercepted and
modified by an attacker who is monitoring the insecure website activity.
For example, if you are downloading a file or program from a website that is not using
SSL, your files can be intercepted and modified to become a security threat to your
computer.
To prevent this, compare the checksum (MD5, SHA-1, or SHA-256/512 hash) value of the
file you download with the original checksum value of the file, which is usually posted
on the website you are downloading from.
The checksum value is a 128-bit value generated from the file you are downloading,
which is like a fingerprint of the file. This value is unique to the file, and as long as the
file is not modified, it always generates the same checksum value. The checksum value
is generally posted on the website to use as a comparison. Only trust checksum values
that are on a website that is accessed over SSL.
After you download the file, run one of the following commands on the file to generate
the checksum value. The source of the file will specify which type of checksum it is:
$ md5 file_name
$ /usr/bin/openssl sha1 file_name
Then compare the checksum value you generated with the published checksum value.
If the values are the same, the file has not been modified and is safe to use. If the
values differ, the file has been modified or corrupted and should not be trusted. Delete
the file and try downloading it again.
Snow Leopard provides the checksum tools necessary for checking file validity;
however, other third-party tools are available for verifying file integrity.

About File Integrity Checking Tools
File integrity tools help protect your computer by detecting and logging changes to
file system objects such as files and folders. Some file integrity tools can also detect
changes to your local directory domain and to kernel modules.
Depending on the file integrity tool you choose, you can use advanced features such as
the ability to reverse file system changes or to receive detailed logs in various formats.
File integrity tools are generally hosted on a server that can be securely accessed. The
server retrieves logs from clients and stores baseline configuration databases and
configuration data.
For more information about checksums and file hashing, see “Verifying the Integrity of
Software” on page 40.
Using Digital Signatures to Validate Applications and

Processes
A digital signature uses public key cryptography to ensure the integrity of data. As
with traditional signatures written with ink on paper, they can be used to identify and
authenticate the signer of the data.
However, digital signatures go beyond traditional signatures because they can also
ensure that the data itself has not been altered. This is like designing a check in such
a way that if someone alters the amount of the sum written on the check, an “Invalid”
watermark becomes visible on the face of the check.
To create a digital signature, the signer generates a message digest of the data
and then uses a private key to sign the digest. The signer must have a valid digital
certificate containing the public key that corresponds to the private key. The
combination of a certificate and related private key is called an identity.
The signature includes the signed digest and information about the signer’s digital
certificate. The certificate includes the public key and the algorithm needed to verify
the signature.
To verify that the signed document has not been altered, the recipient uses the
algorithm to create a message digest and applies the public key to the signed digest.
If the two digests prove identical, the message was not altered and was sent by the
owner of the public key.
To ensure that the person who provided the signature is not only the same person
who provided the data but is also who they say they are, the certificate is also signed
—in this case by the certification authority (CA) who issued the certificate.

Signed code uses several digital signatures:
Â If the code is universal, the object code for each architecture is signed separately.
Â Various components of the application bundle (such as the Info.plist file, if there is
one) are also signed.
Validating Application Bundle Integrity

To validate the signature on a signed application bundle, use the codesign command
with the -v option.
$ codesign -v code-path
This command verifies that the code binaries at code-path are signed, that the
signature is valid, that sealed components are unaltered, and that the bundle passes
basic consistency checks. It does not by default verify that the code satisfies any
requirements except its own designated requirement.
To inspect a specific requirement, use the -R option. For example, to verify that
the Apple Mail application is identified as Mail, signed by Apple, and secured with
Apple’s root signing certificate, use the following command:
$ codesign -v -R="identifier com.apple.mail and anchor apple"
/Applications/Mail.app
If all codes verify properly as requested, codesign exits. Unlike the -r option, the -R
option takes only a single requirement rather than a requirements collection (no =>
tags). Add additional -v options to get details on the validation process.
For more information about signing and verifying application bundle signatures, see
the Code Signing Guide at developer.apple.com/documentation/Security/Conceptual/
CodeSigningGuide. For more information about the codesign command, see its man
page.
Validating Running Processes

You can also use codesign to validate the signatures of running processes.
If you pass a number rather than a path to the verify option, codesign takes the
number to be the process ID (pid) of a running process, and performs dynamic
validation instead.

Using Activity Analysis Tools
Mac OS X includes several command-line tools that you can use to analyze computer
activity.
Depending on tool configurations and your computer’s activity, running these tools
can use large amounts of disk space. Additionally, these tools are only effective when
other users don’t have administrator access. Users with administrator access can edit
logs generated by the tool and circumvent the tool.
If your computer contains sensitive data, consider using auditing and logging tools. By
using both types of tools, you can properly research and analyze intrusion attempts
and changes in your computer’s behavior.
You configure these tools to meet your organization’s needs, and then change their
logging settings to create relevant information for review or archiving.
Validating System Logging

Logging is the recording of events, including changes to service status, processes, and
operating system components. Some events are security related, while others are
information messages about your computer’s activity.
If an unexpected error occurs, you can analyze logs to help determine the cause of the
error. For example, logs might explain why a software update can’t be installed, or why
you can’t authenticate.
Logging tools can be useful if you have multiple users who can access the sudo
command. You can view logs to see what users did using the sudo command.
Because some sudo commands perform additional actions that are not logged, limit
the sudo commands that users can use. For more information, see “Securing the System
Administrator Account” on page 125.
Use Console to view and maintain log files. Console is located in the /Applications/
Utilities/ folder. Upon starting, the Console window shows the console.log file. Click
Logs to display a pane that shows other log files on the system in a tree view. The tree
includes folders for services such as web and mail server software.
Mac OS X log files are handled by the BSD subsystem or by a specific application. The
BSD subsystem handles most important system logging, while some applications
handle their own logging.
Like other BSD systems, Mac OS X uses a background process called syslogd to handle
logging. A fundamental decision to make when configuring syslogd is whether to use
local or remote logging. In local logging, log messages are stored on the hard disk. In
remote logging, log messages are stored on a dedicated log server.

Using remote logging is strongly recommended. If computer logs are stored on a
remote computer they can be analyzed; however, you must ensure the logs are
transferred securely to the remote computer and that they are secure. Otherwise, the
log files could be modified through a man-in-the-middle attack.
Configuring syslogd
The configuration file for the system logging process syslogd is /etc/syslog.conf. For
information about configuring this file, issue the command man syslog.conf in a
Terminal window.
Each line of /etc/syslog.conf consists of text containing the following types of data.
Â Facilities are categories of log messages. Standard facilities include mail, news, user,
and kern (kernel).
Â Priorities deal with the urgency of the message. In order from least to most critical,
they are as follows: debug, info, notice, warning, err, crit, alert, and emerg. The
priority of the log message is set by the application sending it, not syslogd.
Â An action specifies what to do with the log message of a facility and priority.
Messages can be sent to files, named pipes, devices, or remote hosts.
The following sample line specifies that for any log messages in the category “mail”
with a priority of “emerg” or higher, the message is written to the /var/log/mail.log file:
mail.emerg /var/log/mail.log
The facility and priority are separated by a period, and these are separated from the
action by tabs. You can use wildcards (“*”) in the configuration file. The following
sample line logs messages of any facility or priority to the file /var/log/all.log:
*.* /var/log/all.log
Local System Logging

The default configuration in /etc/newsyslog.conf is configured for local logging in the
/var/log folder. The computer is set to rotate log files using the periodic launchd job
according to time intervals specified in the /etc/newsyslog.conf file.
Rotation entails compressing the current log file, incrementing the integer in the
filename of compressed log files, and creating a log file for new messages.
The following table describes the rotation process after two rotations.
Files before rotation Files after first rotation File after second rotation
system.log system.log system.log
mail.log mail.log mail.log
mail.log.1.gz mail.log.1.gz
system.log.1.gz system.log.1.gz

Files before rotation Files after first rotation File after second rotation
mail.log.2.gz
system.log.2.gz
Log files are rotated by a launchd job, and the rotation occurs if the computer is on
when the job is scheduled. By default, log rotation tasks are scheduled between
midnight and 1 in the morning, to be as unobtrusive as possible to users. If the system
will not be powered on at this time, adjust the settings in /etc/newsyslog.conf.
For information about editing the /etc/newsyslog.conf file, issue the man 5
newsyslog.conf command in a Terminal window.
Remote System Logging

In addition to local logging, consider using remote logging. Local logs can be altered if
the computer is compromised.
When deciding whether to use remote logging, consider the following issues. If these
issues outweigh the benefits of remote logging, don’t use remote logging.
Â The syslog process sends log messages in the clear, which could expose sensitive
information.
Â Too many log messages will fill storage space on the logging system, rendering
further logging impossible.
Â Log files can indicate suspicious activity only if a baseline of normal activity is
established and if the logs are monitored for such activity.
The following instructions assume a remote log server exists on the network.
To enable remote logging:

1 Open /etc/syslog.conf as root.
2 Add the following line to the top of the file, replacing your.log.server with the name
or IP address of the log server, and keeping all other lines intact:
*.* @your.log.server
3 Exit, saving changes.

4 Send a hangup signal to syslogd to make it reload the configuration file:
$ sudo killall –HUP syslogd
Auditing System Activity

Auditing is the capture and maintenance of information about security-related events.
Auditing helps determine the causes and the methods used for successful and failed
access attempts.

Mac OS X includes a suite of auditing tools to manage, refine, and view auditing logs.
These tools are installed by default. For information about these auditing tools, see the
Common Criteria Configuration and Administration guide, available at www.apple.com/
support/security/commoncriteria/. The mechanism for starting the auditing daemon
has changed, but the tools themselves have not.
Security Auditing
The audit subsystem allows authorized administrators to create, read, and delete audit
information. The audit subsystem creates a log of auditable events and allows the
administrator to read audit information from the records in a manner suitable for
interpretation.
The default location for these files is the /var/audit/ folder. The audit subsystem is
controlled by the audit utility located in the /usr/sbin/ folder. This utility transitions the
system in and out of audit operation.
The default configuration of the audit mechanism is controlled by a set of

configuration files in the /etc/security/ folder. Features of the daemon are controlled by
the audit utility and the audit_control file.
Enabling Security Auditing

By default, Auditing is turned on in Snow Leopard, but if it is off, you can reenable it
using the launchctl command.
To turn auditing on:

1 Open Terminal
$ sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/
com.apple.auditd.plist
Analyzing Security Audit Logs

If auditing is enabled, the auditing subsystem adds records of auditable events to an
audit log file. The name of an audit log file consists of the date and time it was created,
followed by a period, and the date and time it was terminated. For example:
20040322183133.20040322184443.
This log was created on March 22, 2004 at 18:31:33 and was terminated on March 22,
2004 at 18:44:43.
The audit subsystem appends records to only one audit log file at a time. The active file
has a suffix “.not_terminated” instead of a date and time.
Audit log files are stored in the folders specified in the audit_control file. The audit
subsystem creates an audit log file in the first folder specified.

Audit log files are not stored in a human readable format. Use the praudit command
to print audit records in a human readable form.
By using praudit -l option, each record prints on its own line. For example:
praudit -l /var/audit/20040322183133.20040322184443
For more information about other options, see the praudit man page.
The auditreduce command provides the ability to search audit records for specific
events, users, or times. The following command selects records associated with the
effective user root:
auditreduce -e root /var/audit/20040322183133.20040322184443
For more examples and information, see the auditreduce man page.
When less than the minfree amount of disk space is available on the volume containing
the audit log file, the audit subsystem:
1 Issues an audit_warn soft warning.
2 Terminates the current audit log file.
3 Creates a new audit log file in the next specified folder.
After all specified folders have exceeded this minfree limit, auditing resumes in the first
folder again. However, if that folder is full, an auditing subsystem failure can occur.
You can terminate the current audit log file and create one manually using the audit
utility. This action is commonly referred to as “rotating the audit logs.”
Use audit -n to rotate the current log file. Use audit -s to force the audit subsystem to
reload its settings from the audit_control file (which also rotates the current log file).
Auditing Additional Events

By default, the auditing daemon is configured to watch for login and logout events,
authentication and authorization events, and system calls, but other auditable events
are possible. You can configure auditd to track many more events, and it can be set to
do so on a per user basis.
The full list of possible audit event classes can be found in /etc/security/audit_class
and the full list of events and their mappings to system calls and other actions can be
found in /etc/security/audit_event. For more information, see the man pages for
audit_control and audit_event.
To add additional events for all users:

1 Open Terminal.
2 Enter the following command to edit the audit control file.
$ sudo pico /etc/security/audit_control

3 Locate the line that begins with “flags” and add auditable events as a comma-delimited
list, using the abbreviations found in the audit_events file.
4 Save the file.
To add events for a user, edit /etc/security/audit_user instead and use the following
format:
username:eventclass1,eventclass2
By default, audit_user contains an example for the root user.
Using Antivirus Tools

Installing antivirus tools helps prevent infection of your computer by viruses, and
helps prevent your computer from becoming a host used to spread viruses to other
computers. These tools quickly identify suspicious content and compare them to
known malicious content.
In addition to using antivirus tools, follow computer usage habits that avoid virus
infection. For example, don’t download or open content you didn’t request, and never
open a file sent to you by someone you don’t know. For more information about
securely using mail, see “Setting Mail Security” on page 165.
When you use antivirus tools, make sure you have the latest virus definition files. The
protection provided by antivirus tool depends on the quality of your virus definition
files. If your antivirus program supports it, enable automatic downloading of virus
definitions.
For a list of antivirus tools, see the Macintosh Products Guide at guide.apple.com.
Using Intrusion Detection Systems

An intrusion detection system (IDS) monitors user activity and examines data received
through the network. You are notified of suspicious activity, and in many cases the
suspicious activity is automatically prevented.
There are two types of intrusion detection systems:

Â Host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS). A HIDS monitors operating system
activity on specific computers, but not network traffic. If an intruder repeats attempts
to guess a login password, this can cause a HIDS alert.
Â Network-based intrusion detection systems (NIDS). A NIDS examines network
packets and compares them to a database of known attack patterns.

Appendix
A Security Checklist
A
Use the checklist in this appendix to follow the steps required
to secure Mac OS X.
This appendix contains checklists of action items found throughout this guide, ordered
by chapter.
You can customize these checklists to suit your needs. For example, you can mark the
completion status of action items in the “Completed?” column. If you deviate from the
suggested action item, use the “Notes” column to justify or clarify your deviation.
Installation Action Items

For details, see Chapter 2, “Installing Mac OS X.”
Action Item Completed? Notes

Securely erase the Mac OS X
partition before installation
Install Mac OS X using Mac OS
Extended disk formatting
Do not install unnecessary
packages
Do not transfer confidential
information in Setup Assistant
Do not connect to the Internet
Create administrator accounts
with difficult-to-guess names
Create complex passwords for
administrator accounts
Do not enter a password-related
hint; instead, enter help desk
contact information
Enter correct time settings and
set NTP time server
240
Turn off Auto-login
Use an internal Software Update
server
Update system software using
verified packages
Repair disk permissions after
installing software or software
updates
Hardware Action Items

For details, see Chapter 3, “Securing System Hardware.”

Restrict access to rooms that
have computers
Store computers in locked or
secure containers when not in
use
Disable Wi-Fi Support Software
Disable Bluetooth Support
Software
Disable Audio Recording
Support Software
Disable Video Recording
Support Software
Disable USB Support Software
Disable FireWire Support
Software
Global System Action Items

For details, see Chapter 4, “Securing Global System Settings.”
Action Items Completed? Notes

Require an EFI password
Create an access warning for the
login window
Create an access warning for the
command line
Appendix A Security Checklist 241

System Preferences Action Items
For details, see Chapter 5, “Securing System Preferences.”

Log in with administrator
privileges
Enable MobileMe for user
accounts without access to
critical data
Securely configure MobileMe
preferences
Securely configure Accounts
preferences
Securely configure Appearance
preferences
Change the number of recent
items displayed
Securely configure Bluetooth
preferences
Securely configure CD & DVD
preferences
Securely configure Date & Time
preferences
Securely configure Desktop &
Screen Saver preferences
Securely configure Display
preferences
Securely configure Dock
preferences
Securely configure Energy Saver
preferences
Configure Exposé & Spaces
Preferences
Securely configure Keyboard
preferences
Securely configure Mouse
preferences
Securely configure Print & Fax
preferences
Securely configure Network
preferences
Securely configure Parental
Control preferences
242 Appendix A Security Checklist

Securely configure Security
preferences
Securely configure Sharing
preferences
Securely configure Software
Update preferences
Securely configure Sound
preferences
Securely configure Speech
preferences
Securely configure Spotlight
preferences
Securely configure Startup Disk
preferences
Securely configure Time
Machine preferences
Account Configuration Action Items

For details, see Chapter 6, “Securing Accounts.”

Create an administrator account
and a standard account for each
administrator
Create a standard or managed
account for each
nonadministrator
Set parental controls for
managed accounts
Restrict sudo users to access
required commands
Securely configure LDAPv3
access
Securely configure Active
Directory access
Use Password Assistant to
generate complex passwords
Authenticate using a smart card,
token, or biometric device
Set a strong password policy
Secure the login keychain

Secure keychain items
Create keychains for specialized
purposes
Use a portable drive to store
keychains
Encryption (DAR) Action Items

For details, see Chapter 7, “Securing Data and Using Encryption.”

Assign POSIX access permissions
based on user categories
Review and modify folder flags
Restrict Permissions on User
Home Folders
Strip setuid bits from some
programs
Application Action Items

For details, see Chapter 8, “Securing Applications.”

Configure Mail using SSL
Disable the Preview Pane for
Mail Messages
Disable Auto-Fill
Block Pop-ups
Only Allow Cookies from Visited
Sites
Disable opening safe files in
Safari
Verify certificate validity
Request MobileMe identity
certificate
Secure iChat communications
Create a strong password for
iTunes
Secure remote access using VPN
Turn firewall protection on

Services Action Items
For details, see Chapter 9, “Securing Network Services.”

Configure IPFW2 firewall
Implement IPFW ruleset
Enable firewall logging
Implement inclusive ruleset
Set ruleset to permit services
Set more restrictive ruleset
Configuring System to load
IPFW ruleset
Bonjour
Secure BTMM access through
Security Preferences
Set up screen sharing through
VNC with password protection
Disable Screen Sharing when
possible
Disable File Sharing when
possible
Disable Printer Sharing when
possible
Disable Scanner Sharing when
possible
Disable Web Sharing when
possible
Disable Remote Login when
possible
Establish key-based SSH
connections
Configure ARD to manage
remote tasks
Disable Remote Management
when possible
Disable Remote Apple Events
when possible
Disable Xgrid Sharing when
possible

Disable Internet Sharing when
possible
Disable Bluetooth Sharing when
possible
Advanced Management Action Items

For details, see Chapter 10, “Advanced Security Management.”

Create an authorization right to
the dictionary to authorize users
Create a digital signature
Enable security auditing
Configure security auditing
Generate auditing reports
Enable local logging
Enable remote logging
Install a file integrity checking
tool
Create a baseline configuration
for file integrity checking
Install an antivirus tool
Configure the antivirus tool to
automatically download virus
definition files

Appendix
B Security Scripts
B
# Updating from an Internal Software Update Server
# ------------------------------------------------
# Default Settings:
# blank
# Software updates are downloaded from one of the following software update
# servers hosted by Apple:
# swscan.apple.com:80
# swquery.apple.com:80
# swcdn.apple.com:80
# Specify the software update server to use.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.SoftwareUpdate CatalogURL
http://swupdate.apple.com:8088/index-leopard-snowleopard.merged-
1.sucatalog
# Replace swupdate.apple.com with the fully qualified domain name (FQDN)
# or IP address of your software update server.
# To switch your computer back to the default Apple update server.

# defaults delete com.apple.SoftwareUpdate CatalogURL
# Updating from Internet Software Update Server

# -----------------------------------
# Default Settings:
# The softwareupdate command by default checks and lists available
# updates for download. Software Update preferences are set to the
# command-line equivalent of:
# softwareupdate --list --schedule on
# Download and install software updates.
sudo softwareupdate --download --all --install
247
# Use the following commands to view softwareupdate options:
# $ softwareupdate -h
# or
# $ man softwareupdate
# Updating Manually from Installer Packages

# -----------------------------------
# Default Settings:
# None
# Download software updates.
sudo softwareupdate --download --all
# Install software updates.
sudo installer -pkg $Package_Path -target /Volumes/$Target_Volume
# Use the following commands to view installer options:
# $ installer -h
# or
# $ man installer
# Verifying the Integrity of Software

# -----------------------------------
# Default Settings:
# None
# Use the sha1 command to display a file’s SHA-1 digest.
# Replace $full_path_filename with the full path filename of the update
# package or image that SHA-1 digest is being checked for.
sudo /usr/bin/openssl sha1 $full_path_filename
# Use the following command to view the version of OpenSSl installed on
# your computer:
# $ openssl version
# Use the following command to view openssl options:
# $ man openssl
248 Appendix B Security Scripts

# Using Disk Utility to Repair Disk Permissions
# -----------------------------------
# Default Setting:
# None
# Verify disk permissions
sudo diskutil verify Permissions /Volumes/$Target_Boot_Drive
# If permission discrepancies exist that were not set by your
# organizations, use the following Repair disk permissions command:
sudo diskutil repairPermissions /Volumes/$Target_Boot_Drive
# Use the following command to view diskutil options:
# $ diskutil
# -------------------------------------------------------------------
# Securing System Hardware
# -------------------------------------------------------------------
# Removing Wi-Fi Support Software
# -------------------------
# Default setting:
# Remove Apple AirPort kernel extensions.
sudo srm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/IO80211Family.kext
# None
# Removing BlueTooth Support Software
# -----------------------------
# Default setting:
# Remove Bluetooth kernel extensions.
sudo srm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/IOBluetoothFamily.kext
sudo srm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/IOBluetoothHIDDriver.kext
# None
Appendix B Security Scripts 249

# Removing IR Support Software
# -----------------------------
# Default setting:
# Remove IR kernel extensions.
sudo srm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/AppleIRController.kext
# None
# Securing Audio Support Software

# -----------------------------
# Default setting:
# Remove Audio Recording kernel extensions.
sudo srm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/AppleUSBAudio.kext
sudo srm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/IOAudioFamily.kext
# None
# Securing Video Recording Support Software

# -----------------------------
# Default setting:
# Remove Video Recording kernel extensions.
# Remove external iSight camera.
sudo srm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/Apple_iSight.kext
# Remove internal iSight camera.
sudo srm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/IOUSBFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/\
# None

# Securing USB Support Software
# -----------------------------
# Remove USB kernel extensions.
# Default setting:
sudo srm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/IOUSBMassStorageClass.kext
# None
# Securing FireWire Support Software
# -----------------------------
# Default setting:
# Remove FireWire kernel extensions.
sudo srm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/\
# None
# Securing Global System Settings

# -------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Configuring EFI Settings
# ----------------------------------
# Default Setting:
# security-mode is off
# Secure startup by setting security-mode. Replace $mode-value with
# “command” or “full.”
sudo nvram security-mode=”$mode-value”
# Verify security-mode setting.
sudo nvram -x -p

# security-mode:
# “command”
# “full”
# Use the following command to view the current nvram settings:
# $ nvram -x -p
# Use the following commands to view nvram options:
# $ nvram -h
# or
# $ man nvram
# Enabling Access Warning for the Login Window

# ----------------------------------
# Create a login window access warning.
LoginwindowText “Warning Text”
# You can also used the BannerSample project to create an access warning.
# Enabling Access Warning for the Command Line

# ----------------------------------
# Create a command-line access warning.
sudo touch /etc/motd
sudo chmod 644 /etc/motd
sudo echo “Warning Text” >> /etc/motd
# -------------------------------------------------------------------
# Securing System Preferences
# -------------------------------------------------------------------
# Securing MobileMe Preferences
# -------------------------
# Default Setting:
# If a MobileMe account is entered during setup, MobileMe is configured
# for that account.
# Use the following command to display current MobileMe settings:
# $ defaults -currentHost read com.apple.<Preferenceidentifier>
# Use the following command to view all current settings for currenHost:
# $ defaults -currentHost read
#Disable Sync options.
sudo defaults -currentHost write com.apple.DotMacSync ShouldSyncWithServer 1
# Disable iDisk Syncing.
sudo defaults -currentHost write com.apple.idisk $USER_MirrorEnabled -bool
no
# None

# Securing Accounts Preferences
# -----------------------------
# Change an account’s password.
# Don’t use the following command on a computer that might have
# other users logged in simultaneously.
sudo dscl . passwd /Users/$User_name $Oldpass $Newpass
# Make sure there is no password hint set.
RetriesUntilHint -int 0
# Set the login options to display name and password in the login window.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow SHOWFULLNAME
-bool yes
# Disable Show the Restart, Sleep, and ShutDown Buttons.
PowerOffDisable -bool yes
# Disable fast user switching.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/.GlobalPreferences
MultipleSessionEnabled -bool NO
# Securing Appearance Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# MaxAmount 10
# Disable display of recent applications.
sudo defaults write com.apple.recentitems Applications -dict MaxAmount 0
# MaxAmount 0,5,10,15,20,30,50
# Securing Bluetooth Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Turn Bluetooth on.
# Turn Bluetooth off.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.Bluetooth\
ControllerPowerState -int 0
# 0 (OFF) or 1 (On)

# Securing CDs & DVDs Preferences
# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Preference file non existent: /Library/Preferences/com.apple.digihub
# Blank CD: "Ask what to do"
# Blank DVD: "Ask what to do"
# Music CD: "Open iTunes"
# Picture CD: "Open iPhoto"
# Video DVD: "Open DVD Player"
# Disable blank CD automatic action.
com.apple.digihub.blank.cd.appeared -dict action 1
# Disable music CD automatic action.
com.apple.digihub.cd.music.appeared -dict action 1
# Disable picture CD automatic action.
com.apple.digihub.cd.picture.appeared -dict action 1
# Disable blank DVD automatic action.
com.apple.digihub.blank.dvd.appeared -dict action 1
# Disable video DVD automatic action.
com.apple.digihub.dvd.video.appeared -dict action 1
# action 1 = "Ignore"
# action 2 = "Ask what to do"
# action 5 = "Open other application"
# action 6 = "Run script"
# action 100 = "Open Finder"
# action 101 = "Open itunes"
# action 102 = "Open Disk Utility"
# action 105 = "Open DVD Player"
# action 106 = "Open iDVD"
# action 107 = "Open iPhoto"
# action 109 = "Open Front Row"

# Securing Date & Time Preferences
# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# NTP Server: time.apple.com
# Time Zone: Set time zone automatically using current location
# Set the NTP server.
sudo cat >> /etc/ntp.conf << END server time.apple.com END
# Set the date and time.
sudo systemsetup -settimezone $Time_Zone
# NTP Server: Any valid NTP server
# Time Zone: /usr/share/zoneinfo
# Securing Desktop & Screen Saver Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# None
# Set idle time for screen saver. Replace XX with the idle time in seconds.
sudo defaults -currentHost write com.apple.screensaver idleTime -int XX
# Set host corner to activate screen saver.
corner -int 5
# Set modifier key to 0 wvous-corner_code-modifier
modifier -int 0
# Corner options:
# wvous-bl-corner (bottom-left)
# wvous-br-corner(bottom-right)
# wvous-tl-corner (top-left)
# wvous-tr-corner (top-right)

# Securing Dock Preferences
# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# None
# Automatically hide and show Dock.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.dock autohide -bool YES
# autohide -bool YES
# autohide -bool NO
# Securing Energy Saver Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# None
# Disable computer sleep.
sudo pmset -a sleep 0
# Enable hard disk sleep.
sudo pmset -a disksleep 1
# Disable Wake for Ethernet network administrator access.
sudo pmset -a womp 0
# Disable Restart automatically after power failure.
sudo pmset -a autorestart 0
# 0 (OFF) or 1 (ON)
# Securing Exposé & Spaces Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Enabled
# Disable dashboard.
com.apple.dashboard.advisory.fetch.plist

# Securing Network Preferences
# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Enabled
# Disable IPv6.
sudo networksetup -setv6off $interface
# The interface value can be AirPort, Bluetooth, Ethernet, or FireWire.
# Securing Print & Fax Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Disabled
# Disable the receiving of faxes.
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.efax.plist
# Disable printer sharing.
sudo cp /etc/cups/cupsd.conf $TEMP_FILE
if /usr/bin/grep "Port 631" /etc/cups/cupsd.conf
then
usr/bin/sed "/^Port 631.*/s//Listen localhost:631/g" $TEMP_FILE > /etc/
cups/cupsd.conf
else
echo "Printer Sharing not on"
fi
# Securing Security Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Required Password Wake: Disabled
# Automatic Login: Disabled
# Password Unlock Preferences: Disabled
# Secure Virtual Memory is Enabled on Portable computer and is Disabled
# on Desktop computers.
# IR remote control: Enabled
# FileVault: Disabled

# Enable Require password to wake this computer from sleep or screen saver.
sudo defaults -currentHost write com.apple.screensaver askForPassword -int 1
# Disable Automatic login.
com.apple.userspref.DisableAutoLogin -bool yes
# Require password to unlock each System Preference pane.
# Edit the /etc/authorization file using a text editor.
# Find <key>system.preferences<key>.
# Then find <key>shared<key>.
# Then replace <true/> with <false/>.
# Disable automatic login.
com.apple.autologout.AutoLogOutDelay -int 0
UseEncryptedSwap -bool yes
# Disable IR remote control.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.driver.AppleIRController
DeviceEnabled -bool no
# Enable FileVault.
# To enable FileVault for new users, use this command.
sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/ManagedClient.app/Contents/Resources/\
createmobileaccount
# Enable Firewall.
# Replace value with
# 0 = off
# 1 = on for specific services
# 2 = on for essential services
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.alf globalstate -int
value
# Enable Stealth mode.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.alf stealthenabled 1
# Enable Firewall Logging.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.alf loggingenabled 1
# Securing System Swap and Hibernation Storage

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Secure Virtual Memory on Portable computers is Enabled and is Disabled on
# Desktop computers.
UseEncryptedSwap -bool YES

# UseEncryptedSwap -bool NO
# UseEncryptedSwap -bool YES
# You can also turn hibernate off by using the following command:
# sudo pmset hibernatemode 0
# Securing Sharing Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# $host_name = User’s Computer
# Change computer name where $host_name is the name of the computer.
sudo systemsetup -setcomputername $host_name
# Change computer Bonjour host name.
sudo scutil --set LocalHostName $host_name
# The host name cannot contain spaces or other non-DNS characters.
# Securing Software Updates Preferences
# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Check for Updates: Enabled
# Check Updates: Weekly
# Disable check for updates and Download important updates automatically.
sudo softwareupdate --schedule off
# Check for Updates: Enabled or Disabled
# Check Updates: Daily, Weekly, Monthly
# Securing Sound Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Internal microphone or line-in: Enabled
# Disable internal microphone or line-in.
# This command does not change the input volume for input devices. It
# only sets the default input device volume to zero.
sudo osascript -e "set volume input volume 0"
# Internal microphone or line-in: Enabled or Disabled

# Securing Speech Preferences
# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Speech Recognition: Disabled
# Text to Speech: Enabled
# Disable Speech Recognition.
sudo defaults write
"com.apple.speech.recognition.AppleSpeechRecognition.prefs"
StartSpeakableItems -bool false
# Disable Text to Speech settings.
TalkingAlertsSpeakTextFlag -bool false
SpokenNotificationAppActivationFlag -bool false
SpokenUIUseSpeakingHotKeyFlag -bool false
sudo defaults delete "com.apple.speech.synthesis.general.prefs"
TimeAnnouncementPrefs
# Each item can be set to ON or OFF:
# OFF: -bool false
# ON: -bool true
# Securing Spotlight Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# ON for all volumes
# Disable Spotlight for a volume and erase its current meta data, where
# $volumename is the name of the volume.
sudo mdutil -E -i off $volumename
# Spotlight can be turned ON or OFF for each volume.
# Securing Startup Disk Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Startup Disk = "Macintosh HD"
# Set startup disk.
sudo systemsetup -setstartupdisk $path

# Startup Disk = Valid Boot Volume
# Securing Time Machine Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# OFF
# Enable Time Machine.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.TimeMachine AutoBackup 1
# 0 (OFF) or 1 (ON)
# Securing Universal Access Preferences

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# OFF
# Disable VoiceOver service.
launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.VoiceOver.plist
com.apple.ScreenReaderUIServer.plist
launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.scrod.plist
# None
# -------------------------------------------------------------------
# Securing Applications
# -------------------------------------------------------------------
# Disabling iSync
# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# OFF
# Disable iSync.
com.apple.syncservices.SyncServer.plist
com.apple.syncservices.uihandler.plist
# None

# -------------------------------------------------------------------
# Securing Network Services
# -------------------------------------------------------------------
# Disabling IKE VPN Key Management Service
# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# OFF
# If a VPN is not used, disable the IKE VPN key management service.
com.apple.racoon.plist
# None
# Block Bonjour listening

# -------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Bonjour is enabled.
# Firewall is disabled.
# Reload the firewall rules.
# Disable firewall and allow Bonjour.
# Enable firewall and block port 5353.
# Enable Bonjour Service

# -------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Bonjour is enabled
# Firewall is disabled
# Remove the following line from /etc/ipfw.conf.
# Reload the firewall rules
# Disable Firewall and allow Bonjour
# Enable Firewall and block port 5353

# DVD or CD Sharing
# -------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Disabled (unload)
# Disable DVD or CD Sharing.
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons\
com.apple.ODSAgent.plist
# Disabled (unload)
# Enabled (load)
# Screen Sharing (VNC)

# -------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Disabled
# Disable Screen Sharing.
sudo srm /private/etc/ScreenSharing.launchd
# Enabled:
# "All Users"
# "Only these users"
# Disable File Sharing services.

# -------------------------
# Default Setting:
# File Sharing Disabled:
# AFP
# FTP
# SMB
# NFS

# Disable FTP.
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ftp.plist
# Disable SMB.
sudo defaults delete /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/\
com.apple.smb.server EnabledServices
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/nmbd.plist
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/smbd.plist
com.apple.smb.server.preferences.plist
com.apple.smb.sharepoints.plist
com.apple.smbfs_load_kext.plist
org.samba.winbindd.plist
# Disable AFP.
com.apple.AppleFileServer.plist
com.apple.afpfs_afpLoad.plist
com.apple.afpfs_checkafp.plist
# Disable NFS
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.nfsd.plist
com.apple.lockd.plist
com.apple.statd.notify.plist
com.apple.portmap.plist
# Disabled (unload)
# Enabled (load)
# Web Sharing
# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Web Services: Disabled
# Disable Web Sharing.
org.apache.httpd.plist

# Web Services:
# Disabled
# Enabled
# Remote Login (SSH)

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Remote Login (SSH): Disabled
# Disable Remote Login.
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ssh.plist
# Remote Login (SSH):
# Disabled
# Enabled
# Remote Management (ARD)

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Remote Management: Disabled
# Disable Remote Management.
sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/\
Resources/kickstart -deactivate -stop
# Remote Management:
# Disabled
# Enabled
# Remote Apple Events (RAE)

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Remote Apple Events: Disabled
# Disable Remote Apple Events.
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.eppc.plist

# Remote Apple Events:
# Disabled
# Enabled
# Xgrid Sharing
# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Xgrid Sharing: Disabled
# Disable Xgrid Sharing.
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/Daemons/com.apple.xgridagentd
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/Daemons/com.apple.xgridcontrollerd
# Xgrid Sharing:
# Disabled
# Enabled
# Internet Sharing
# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Internet Sharing: Disabled
# Disable Internet Sharing.
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.nat
NAT -dict Enabled -int 0
com.apple.InternetSharing.plist
# Internet Sharing:
# Disabled
# Enabled
# Bluetooth Sharing
# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Bluetooth Sharing: Disabled
# Disable Bluetooth Sharing.
sudo defaults -currentHost write com.apple.bluetooth PrefKeyServicesEnabled
0

# Bluetooth Sharing:
# Disabled
# Enabled
# Understanding and Managing Daemons and Agents

# -----------------------------
# Default Setting:
# Bluetooth Sharing: off
# Turn off AirPort Services using the following commands. Run the last
com.apple.airportPrefsUpdater.plist
com.apple.AirPort.wps.plist
launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.airportd.plist
# Turn off remote control service using the following command:
launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/com.apple.RemoteUI
# Turn off Screen Sharing services.
com.apple.RFBRegisterMDNS_RemoteManagement.plist
com.apple.RFBRegisterMDNS_ScreenSharing.plist
com.apple.ScreenSharing.plist
# Turn off Remote Management service using the following commands:
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchAgents/\
com.apple.RemoteDesktop.plist
com.apple.RemoteDesktop.PrivilegeProxy.plist
# Turn off Bluetooth service using the following command:
# Disabled (unload)
# Enabled (load)

Index
Index
A key-based SSH 213–215
access control entries. See ACEs See also keychain services; passwords
access rights. See permissions server- vs. client-side 170
access warnings 57–60 strengthening methods 130–133
See also permissions system preferences 63
accounts user
administrator 33–34, 118–119, 124–127 authorization 225
authentication setup 62, 130 See also authentication
checklists 243–244 authorization rights 228–230
creating secure 121–127 AutoFill options 170, 175
credential storage 134–139 automatic actions, disabling 73
directory domains 127–129
initial setup 34 B
mobile 127 Back to My Mac. See BTMM
nonadministrator user 118–119 backups 163–164
preferences 67–69 BannerSample file, modifying 59
types 118 Berkeley Software Distribution. See BSD
ACEs (access control entries) 41, 147 Bill of Materials file 41
ACLs (access control lists) 41, 135, 143, 147–148, 163 biometrics-based authentication 133
Active Directory 129 Bluetooth preferences 72–73, 220
activity analysis tools 233–236 Bonjour browsing service 194
Address Book 128, 181 bookmarks, synchronizing 174
administrator account 33–34, 118–119, 124–127 Boot Camp 163
Advanced Encryption Standard (AES-128) 99 browsers
AFP (Apple Filing Protocol) 201–202 preferences 174
antivirus tools. See virus screening security 170
appearance preferences 70–71 BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution) 18, 234
Apple Filing Protocol. See AFP BTMM (Back to My Mac) 197–198
Apple Remote Desktop. See ARD
Apple Software Restore. See ASR C
Application firewall 184–186 CA. See Certificate Authority
applications cache, browser 170
access control 23, 24, 186 CDs, preferences 73, 199
securing 165–170, 232–233 CDSA (Common Data Security Architecture) 18
ARD (Apple Remote Desktop) 215–216 CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) 18
ASR (Apple Software Restore) 33 Certificate Assistant 171–172
assistive devices 117 Certificate Authority 171–172
attributes, rules 227 Certificate Revocation List. See CRL
auditing tools 236–238 certificates 21, 27, 155, 165–169, 178–180
authentication checksum tool 231
accurate time settings 35 CIFS (Common Internet File System). See SMB
Active Directory 129 Click 93
Directory Access 128–129 client-side authentication 170
268
codesign command 233 Enabling 60
command-line interface encryption
access warnings 60 disk images 157–159
erasing files 161 FileVault 29, 153–156
ssh access 205–215 Mail service 165–169
startup security setup 56 secure virtual memory 104
command-line tools, Firewall service 187 Time Machine 163–164
Common Criteria Tools 236 Energy Saver preferences 80–81
Common Data Security Architecture. See CDSA erasing data permanently 159–162
Common Security Service Manager. See CSSM Everyone permission level 144
Computer Emergency Response Team. See CERT Exposé & Spaces preferences 83–84
computers, host name 106 Extensible Firmware Interface. See EFI
configuration files 212
Console tool 234 F
contacts search policy 128–129 fax preferences 96–98
cookies 170, 177 files
credential storage 134–139 backup of 163–164
CRL (Certificate Revocation List) 171 Bill of Materials 41
CSSM (Common Security Service Manager) 21 downloading safely 173
encryption 153–159
D erasing 159–162
Dashboard preferences 83–84 integrity checking tools 232
data security 104, 143–162, 163–164 managing log 234
Date & Time preferences 75–76 package 41
Desktop preferences 77–78 permissions 143–146, 148–149
dictionaries security 104, 177
rights 225–227 file services
rules 227 See also FTP; share points
digital signature 165–169, 232–233 file sharing 201–202
directories. See directory services; domains, directory; file systems, erasing data 159
folders File Transfer Protocol. See FTP
Directory Access 128–129 FileVault 29, 43, 99, 153–156, 157, 207
directory services FileVault master keychain 154
Active Directory 129 fingerprints, server 206, 214–215
directory domains 127–129 Firewall service 26, 106, 183–186
Open Directory 129 FireWire 114
discovery, service 128 FireWire Bridge Chip GUID 114
disk images Firmware interface 55
encrypting 28, 157–159, 182 firmware password 55, 114–115
read/write 157 flags for files and folders 146–147
restoring from 33 folders
disks flags for 146–147
permissions for 40–42 home 127, 152–156
startup 114–115 permissions for 152–153
Disk Utility 28, 41, 160, 162 shared 182
display mirroring 79 free disk space, erasing 162
Displays preferences 79 FTP (File Transfer Protocol) 201–202
Dock preferences 79
domains, directory 127–129 G
Download Inspector 25 global file permissions 148–149
DVDs, preferences 73, 199 grids, server 217–218
groups, permissions 144
E guest accounts, permissions 144
EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) 54, 115 guest operating systems 163
email. See Mail service
Index 269
H remote 205–215, 217
hard drive 43 security measures 67–69, 239
hardware, protection of 43, 241, 245 logs
HIDS (host-based intrusion detection systems) 239 audit 237–238
HISEC (Highly Secure) templates 129 security 234–236
home folders 127, 152–156
host name 106 M
hosts. See servers Mach 18
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) email 166 Mail service 165–169
managed preferences
I Dashboard 83–84
iChat service 178, 178–180, 181 Date & Time 75–76
iDisk 182 Desktop 77–78
images. See disk images Displays 79
installation 31–42, 107, 240–241 Dock 79
installer packages 107 Energy Saver 80–81
Intel-based Macintosh 54, 163 Exposé & Spaces 83–84
International preferences 84 International 84
Internet-based Software Update 36 Keyboard 84
Internet security MobileMe 64–66
browsers 170, 176 Mouse 84
email 165–169 Network 85–86, 87
instant messaging 178–180 Parental Controls 93–95
MobileMe preferences 64–66 Print & Fax 96–98
sharing 105–106, 181, 197–198, 217–220 Security 99–101, 184
intrusion detection system (IDS) monitors 239 Sharing 105–106, 184, 206, 216–220
IP addresses 85 Software Update 36–39, 107
IPFW2 software 187 Sound 109
iPhoto 181 Spotlight 111–113
IPv6 addressing 85 Startup Disk 114–115
iTunes 181 Time Machine 115–116, 163–164
Universal Access 117
K managed user accounts 118
Kerberos 129, 131–132, 165 mandatory access controls 23–25
key-based SSH connection 207–210, 213–215 Microsoft Windows compatibilities 147
Keyboard preferences 84 mobile accounts 127
Keychain Access 134, 169, 171–172 MobileMe preferences 64–66, 178–180
keychain services 21, 23, 134–139, 154 Mouse preferences 84
L N
NetBoot service 33
L2TP/IPSec (Layer Two Tunneling Protocol, Secure
network-based directory domains 127–129
Internet Protocol) 192–194
network-based intrusion detection systems. See NIDS
Launch Services 25
network-based keychains 139
layered security architecture 20
network install image 114
LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol)
Network preferences 87
service 129
network services
LDAPv3 access
access control 87
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol. See LDAP
FileVault limitations 153, 157
local system logging 235
installation 32
locking folders 146
keychains 139
logging tools 234–236
logs 234–236
login
managed users 121
access warnings 57–60
preferences 85–86
automatic 99
security methods 27, 165, 183–186
keychain 135–136
270 Index
sharing 105–106, 199, 217–220 accounts 67–69
sleep mode security 80 appearance 70–71
Software Update cautions 36 Bluetooth wireless 72–73, 220
wireless preferences 72–73 CDs 73, 199
newsyslog command 236 cookies 177
NIDS (network-based intrusion detection DVDs 73, 199
systems) 239 fax 96–98
nonadministrator user accounts 118–119 overview 62, 63
NTP (network time protocol) 35 screen saver 77–78
nvram tool 56 See also managed preferences
speech recognition 110
O time 75–76
Open Directory 129 Print & Fax preferences 96–98
open source software 18–20 Printer Sharing 204
owner permission 144 privacy option, iChat service 179
private browsing 170
P private key 207
packages, file 41 privileges vs. permissions 40
Parental Controls 24, 93–95, 121–124 protocols. See specific protocols
Password Assistant 68, 130–131 proxy settings 177
passwords public key cryptography 232–233
authentication setup 130–131, 166–167 public key infrastructure. See PKI
changing 67–69 pwpolicy command 133
command-line tools 56
firmware 55, 114–115 Q
keychain 135 Quarantine 25
master FileVault 154–156
Startup Disk preferences 114–115 R
tokens 133 read/write disk images 157
vs. key-based authentication 207 recent items list 70–71
PDFs, encrypted 159 Remote Apple Events 216
permissions remote images in email 166
access 18 Remote Login 205–215
disk 40–42 remote server login 217
folders 152–153 remote system logging 236
manipulating 146 removable media
overview 143–149 FileVault limitations 153, 157
user 202 rights dictionary 225–227
viewing 144 right specifications 225–227
physical access, securing 43 root permissions 54, 125–126
physical computers rules dictionary 227
hardware security 44
PKI (public key infrastructure) 21, 165, 179, 207 S
See also certificates Safari preferences 170, 173–177
plug-ins 176 sandboxing 24
policy database 225–228 Scanner Sharing 204
portable computers screen saver preferences 77–78, 99
FileVault 153 Screen Sharing 200
keychains 139 searching preferences 111–113
mobile accounts 127 Secure Empty Trash command 162
portable files, encrypting 157–159 Secure iChat certificate 179
portable keychains 139 secure notes 134
POSIX (Portable Operating System Interface) 41, Secure Sockets Layer. See SSL
144–149 Secure Transport 20
preferences security 104, 181
Index 271
security architecture overview 18–21 ticket-based authentication 129
security-mode environment variable 56 Time Machine 115–116, 163–164
security-password environment variable 56 time settings 35, 75–76
Security preferences 99–101, 184 TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocol
Server Message Block/Common Internet File System. tokens, digital 133
See SMB Transport Layer Security protocol. See TLS
servers transport services 20
authentication 171–172 tunneling protocols
fingerprints 206, 214–215 SSH 211
securing connections 210 VPN 192–194
server-side authentication 170 two-factor authentication 29
Setup Assistant 33–34
SHA-1 digest 40 U
shared resources UIDs (user IDs) 119–120
printers 96, 98 Universal Access preferences 117
user accounts 119 UNIX and security 18
share points 201–202 updating software 35–39, 107
Sharing preferences 105–106, 184, 206, 216–220 user accounts 118–127
Simple Finder 122 user ID. See UID
single sign-on (SSO) authentication 131–132 users
See also Kerberos access control 24, 121–124, 202, 228–230
single-user mode 54 automatic actions control 73
sleep mode, securing 80–81, 99 home folders 127, 152–156
smart cards 29, 132 keychain management 137–138
SMB (Server Message block) 201–202 mobile 127
software, networking 165, 186 permissions 41, 144
Software Update service 35, 36–39, 107 preferences control 78, 83
Sound preferences 109 root 54
sparse images 157 See also user accounts
speech recognition preferences 110
Spotlight preferences 111–113 V
srm command 161 validation, system integrity 231–232, 246
SSH (secure shell host) 205–215 virtual memory 100, 104
ssh command 205–215 Virtual Network Communication. See VNC
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) 20, 165, 179 virus screening 239
standard user accounts 118 VNC (Virtual Network Communication) 200
startup, securing 54–55 volumes, erasing data 159
Startup Disk preferences 114–115 VPN (Virtual Private Network)
stealth mode 185 clients 27
sudo tool 125–127 security 192–194
su tool 126
swap file 100 W
synchronization 64–66, 174 web browsers. See browsers
syslogd configuration file 235 web forms, completing 175
system administrator (root) account 125–127 Web Sharing 204
system preferences. See preferences websites, sharing 204
system setup 33–35 wireless preferences 72–73
T X
target disk mode 115 Xgrid 217–218
third-party applications 83
272 Index

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What are some of the security features introduced in Snow Leopard?

What are some of the security features introduced in Snow Leopard?

What are some of the ways Mac OS X protects user accounts?

What are some of the ways Mac OS X protects user accounts?

Mac OS X

Apple Remote Desktop, Finder, and QuickTime

MobileMe is a service mark of Apple Inc.

Preface 11 About This Guide

Chapter 1 17 Introduction to Mac OS X Security Architecture

Chapter 2 31 Installing Mac OS X

Chapter 3 43 Securing System Hardware

Chapter 4 54 Securing Global System Settings

Chapter 5 62 Securing System Preferences

Chapter 6 118 Securing Accounts

Chapter 7 143 Securing Data and Using Encryption

Chapter 8 165 Securing Applications

Chapter 9 183 Securing Network Services

Chapter 10 225 Advanced Security Management

Appendix A 240 Security Checklist

Appendix B 247 Security Scripts

Important: This document is intended for use by security professionals in sensitive

What’s in This Guide

This guide includes the following chapters:

Using This Guide

12 Preface About This Guide

Using the Command-Line Instructions from This Guide

Using Onscreen Help

Related Snow Leopard Server Security Guide

Preface About This Guide 13

Printing PDF Guides

Getting Documentation Updates

14 Preface About This Guide

Getting Additional Information

For additional security-specific information, consult these resources:

Preface About This Guide 15

16 Preface About This Guide

Security Architectural Overview

Mach provides memory management, thread control, hardware abstraction, and

Permissions are granted at the level of folders, subfolders, files, or applications.

18 Chapter 1 Introduction to Mac OS X Security Architecture

Apple actively participates with the open-source community by routinely releasing

Chapter 1 Introduction to Mac OS X Security Architecture 19

Secure Worldwide Communication Internet

Secure Applications Applications

Secure Network Protocols Network

Security Services Operating System

Secure Boot/”Lock Down” Hardware

Â Secure worldwide communication—Firewall and mail filtering help prevent

20 Chapter 1 Introduction to Mac OS X Security Architecture

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)

Chapter 1 Introduction to Mac OS X Security Architecture 21

Existing Security Features in Snow Leopard

22 Chapter 1 Introduction to Mac OS X Security Architecture

Mandatory Access Controls

Chapter 1 Introduction to Mac OS X Security Architecture 23

Sandboxing is based on the system’s mandatory access controls mechanism, which is

Managed User Accounts

24 Chapter 1 Introduction to Mac OS X Security Architecture

This is the kind of simple UI administrators of a public library or computer environment

This mechanism dramatically reduces the number of warnings related to downloads