Questions tagged [root]
root is the account that has access to all commands on a Unix-like system
139
questions
2
votes
1answer
53 views
When do processes run under root by default?
I know that when I use "sudo" an application can run under root, or if a window appears saying "Application wants to make changes to the system, enter your password for this", they ...
0
votes
1answer
40 views
Getting slow internet response for browsers other than Safari (MacOS Mojave)
I got a strange error message that might pertain to the issue: The operation couldn’t be completed. (OSStatus error -9806.)
Recently, I did do a little bit of file deletions by name (a measure to ...
1
vote
2answers
367 views
How to open folder in Finder as root (like right-click on folder does in Linux)?
I have always used Linux before and now switched to macOS. I have found a solution for right click button open folder in terminal.
but I also want to have the option to right click and open folder in ...
0
votes
0answers
82 views
Terminal says 'Read-only file system' after trying to force RGB mode for my display [duplicate]
I'm trying to force RGB mode in macOS to fix the picture quality of my external monitor. I had to do this when I got my MacBook 16". Now, after installing Big Sur, the problem reappears.
The ...
0
votes
0answers
8 views
'items rooted in the hierarchy of the named item' - what is being described here?
Any number of descriptions of Macos file permission and ownership features use the term 'rooted' in ways that indicate that it is a well understood concept.
For example: 'items rooted in the hierarchy ...
0
votes
1answer
132 views
Not even root can `ls .Trashes` on external disk in MacOS
I want to look in the trash directory on an external disk connected to my Mac.
db@15 ~ % cd /Volumes/2TB/.Trashes
db@15 .Trashes % ls
ls: .: Operation not permitted
db@15 .Trashes % sudo su
Password:
...
1
vote
1answer
39 views
Why do I see this installation screen upon logging in?
I logged into my Mac and the progress bar went about half way when the screen blacked out, another loading progress bar showed up, after which this showed up (see image).
What's going on?
0
votes
1answer
61 views
Restrict super user write access to some files
Is there a way to add folders to the SIP (System Integrity Protection) configurations in order to prevent them to be modified by the root user?
Or any other way not involving System Integrity ...
0
votes
0answers
35 views
Recover root password from terminal [duplicate]
So, how can I recover password of root account using only terminal?
I have only terminal (not sudo), and no GUI acces
0
votes
0answers
47 views
Touch Bar Server shows up in Activity Monitor, but no Touch Bar on my Mac
I have an early 2013 13" Retina MacBook Pro. I was checking Activity Monitor and noticed that TouchBarServer is usually at the top of the list for both CPU and Memory. Mind you, the 2013 MacBook ...
0
votes
0answers
35 views
iBooks is broken in root account
Due to permission issues, I'm using root account on macOS High Sierra. However, a number of things don't work, and one example of such is that iBooks is broken. Upon launch, the following dialog is ...
-1
votes
2answers
67 views
Catlina Security: Does root need permissions?
Consider the new privacy system in Catalina. E.g. disk access, cam, mic, input etc. Does an application run as root need such permissions or is everything inherently granted?
0
votes
1answer
57 views
Terminal does not accept root password (just changed it)
Using dsenableroot I've just changed the password to a very simple one and terminal says
***Successfully enabled root user.
Then I run a command with sudo and it won't accept the password I just ...
1
vote
0answers
33 views
Location of on my iPad in root perspective
What is the location of On My iPad in the Files app in root perspective?
I have iPadOS 13.3.1 which is jailbroken
1
vote
0answers
47 views
Crash when trying to activate root in single user mode
when i try to activate root in the single user mode, my computer crashes. It says something with stress and I have to press a key to restart.
I used the tutorial How to activate root using the Single-...
0
votes
0answers
51 views
How do I overcome “Operation not permitted” when attempting to edit a file as root (admin)? [duplicate]
I'm using Mac 10.13.6. I want to add environment variables to be recognized by my Apache instance. However, I'm not able to edit the file, event when logged in as root ...
localhost:Documents davea$...
2
votes
1answer
99 views
Process called “ItYoingm” using over 90% CPU and over 106GB memory - root user
I have recently downloaded Catalina on my Macbook pro and every now and again my fan goes into overdrive, even when I'm hardly using any programs.
I opened my Activity Monitor and there is a process ...
2
votes
0answers
57 views
How proxy authentication works before first user login?
For the creation of a tool which make uses of system proxy preferences, I am trying to understand their keychain usage:
From my current understanding, on MacOS (Catalina) the system preferences for ...
0
votes
1answer
2k views
How to load a 2nd copy of OneCast with a new license?
I am trying to use OneCast to control 10 Xboxes, I have successfully got up to 6 that I can control, I can view all 10, but can't control all 10. The issue I am having is that when I load the app ...
1
vote
1answer
382 views
How to Get Root Access in Mojave?
I need to copy "Network Diagnostics.app" into the Mojave Core Services library.
Running "csrutil disable" from terminal doesn't work, says you have to run from Recovery OS. I don't know if I have ...
2
votes
1answer
47 views
Chown to make sudo unncessary?
I am setting up a new Mac for mobile app development and so I need to install a lot of things through the Terminal. Its asking me for sudo to do a lot of things and I vaguely remember a chown command ...
1
vote
0answers
43 views
Two Factor Authentication for GUI Privilege Elevation prompt on Catalina
How can I set up two factor authentication for the privilege elevation prompts in macos, e.g System Preferences -> Security & Privacy -> 🔒 in bottom left corner.
If smart card is not possible (...
1
vote
1answer
5k views
How to activate root using the Single-User Mode in Catalina
I can't activate root using the Single-User mode since the Catalina update got released...
$ /sbin/mount -uw /
$ launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.opendirectoryd.plist
$ ...
1
vote
1answer
135 views
How to change the charging chime on MBP (PowerChime.app)
Many people want to disable the charging chime introduced with the USB-c MBP's (and some enable on non-USB-c). I, however, want to change the chime.
Sadly however I can't change anything in "...
-1
votes
1answer
31 views
How can I view and manipulate directory contents that are hidden from root?
As root (!) I get this:
sh-3.2# pwd
/Users/madler/Library/Safari
sh-3.2# ls
ls: .: Operation not permitted
I'm not sure how even root is prohibited from looking at or modifying this (and other) ...
0
votes
2answers
1k views
Can't move files in root user desktop
I logged in as the root user so that I could pull all the files from all users into one folder to then transfer to an external hard drive. I had no problem moving files to the root user desktop but ...
2
votes
1answer
239 views
How to create installable app with setuid bit set owned by root
I have inherited a codebase that needs updating, but I don't have the build scripts that created the final pkg file.
The code needs to access a connected USB device (treated as a drive) to read and ...
0
votes
1answer
1k views
Root User Cannot Reset Another Users Password
I wanted to enable Root user on macOS Mojave Version 10.14.4 so that i can use it in case another users or admins lose their login credentials. I tried this and when i tested out password reset for an ...
0
votes
0answers
24 views
How can I create an alias/shorcut to sudo/root an app permanently?
I would like to have an alias to run an app as root always. I am trying to save time and not go through the terminal commands.
Thanks!
-2
votes
1answer
1k views
How to run the “Build Phase” in Xcode as root
ALL,
This post is spawned by this question
In my Xcode I added the new Build Phase to copy .dylib files to /usr/local/lib. And then I tried to rebuiold the application by doing "Command + B".
...
0
votes
1answer
565 views
How to make `sudo su` run startup scripts?
Supposedly the bin/sh shell that is the default root shell is not strictly a "bash" shell, but is a POSIX compliant equivalent. According to this site, when you invoke the shell executable of a "...
11
votes
1answer
3k views
Why am I able to open Wireshark and capture packets in macOS without root privileges?
As far as I know, capturing packets using Wireshark requires root/administrator privileges. In Windows, it prompts for UAC elevation and runs with administrative privileges. The same thing in Ubuntu; ...
1
vote
0answers
86 views
Root User Can't run Files Off Desktop or Documents? Mojave 10.14.3
Anybody else have this issue with root in Mojave (10.14.3)? I have root enabled and I try to run a simple .txt/.png/.pkg off the root desktop. It doesn’t run, I get an error in Console “Unable to load ...
2
votes
1answer
44 views
Disabled then enabled kext signing; some keys no longer work properly
MacOS Sierra MacBook Pro mid2012
I disabled kext signing (to use change some icons in liteicon, which I never got to), and pretty soon some of my keys didn't work like they should. I then enabled it, ...
0
votes
1answer
70 views
Unable to log into any accounts (regular or root)
After starting up macOS Sierra, I am unable to log into any accounts (regular or root). I don't recall making any changes to system files or user accounts, so am generally puzzled by this.
3
votes
2answers
2k views
Running mc (midnight commander) under su on Mojave/Catalina
After installing prebuild mc binary to Mojave (link and link 2), and trying to run mc under root with sudo command, I got error:
$sudo mc
common.c unimplemented subshell type 1
read (subshell_pty...):...
2
votes
3answers
6k views
Location of the root's home directory in macOS
All Unix-like operating systems I've seen use /root as the home directory for the root account. What's the reason it was moved to /var/root in macOS? Can I change it to the usual /root?
I need to run ...
1
vote
1answer
830 views
Can't delete macports directory as root
I've enabled root user in my mac using the latest Mojave. I am trying to delete a folder with it but for some reason I get the error "Permission denied". I thought root could do anything on a unix ...
5
votes
0answers
331 views
Easiest way to definitely, positively delete a file in macOS (10.14+) as root?
I have a 1TB main drive where ~400GB seemingly got stuck in /Volumes/Time Machine Backups/ after the 10.14 update.
I managed to delete most of it, but some files and folders are extremely resilient ...
4
votes
2answers
5k views
How do I grant root access to user files in Mojave?
I upgraded my laptop to Mojave. For years, my backup strategy has included using rsync (MacPorts rsync 3.1.3) to copy files to a file server. This stopped working properly, now showing some errors ...
0
votes
1answer
630 views
How to manage permissions of files owned by user “_unknown” in Mac OS 10.13.4?
I've got permissions problems with files on my MacOS 10.13.4 desktop.
When I try to correct the problems by hand, I see a curious issue:
Matt$ sudo chown Matt:Engineers TestFile
chown: TestFile: ...
2
votes
1answer
114 views
Is it possible to create a user with all admin rights *except* the ability to interrupt a particular process and access a particular folder?
On Windows, it's not really doable. It is possible on linux with mandatory access control (for example). So you can have a web filter running, but the sudoer wouldn't be able to interfere with it (at ...
3
votes
0answers
82 views
How ask for administrator password before mounting any disk or image?
I have a place with some mac computers and I don't want anybody mounting anything. Is there a way to ask for administrator's password before mount an USB or image?
3
votes
1answer
169 views
How do system services modify protected directories with system integrity protection
I am running macOS High Sierra.
I was wondering how system services (e.g. Time Machine with the protected backup directories) could modify the directories that root cannot access. I was trying to ...
2
votes
2answers
2k views
Getting error in Terminal when typing Passwd *Username*
I’ve been trying to change the root password via Terminal on macOS. I launched Terminal by holding cmd + S while booting, which logged me automatically in as root without password.
When I type in ...
3
votes
0answers
93 views
Protecting the system wallpaper
Objective
To require the root password when changing wallpaper on my system when logged in as myself. Similar behavior to editing your security settings in Preferences where a password is required to ...
-1
votes
1answer
2k views
Commander One -> Restart as Root
This article says it is possible to run Commander One as root. I remember I was doing something like this, but now I don't have Restart as Root menu item available.
How to make it work again?
I'm ...
2
votes
1answer
461 views
How do I ensure that the macOS root account bug is fully fixed on my machine?
There has been a large amount of confusion around Security Update 2017-001, especially due to rumors of the fix being reverted when running macOS version 10.13.1.
I am looking for a way to be fully ...
0
votes
1answer
145 views
Could the High Sierra root bug have been exploited over SSH?
I'm sure we're all familiar with the recent security issue in High Sierra/OSX 10.13. It is well known that remote access can be gained using Screen Share, but I've not seen anything definite regarding ...
0
votes
1answer
87 views
Secure setting for shell for unused root account
The security patch to Apple's root login security flaw — to 10.13.1 (17B1003) — has changed the shell setting reported by
dscl . list /Users UserShell
for root to /bin/sh (from /bin/bash). What does ...
