Questions tagged [security]
If your question pertains to a specific protocol, e.g., ssh or ssl (https), please use that tag instead. This is for general security of hardware, information, software topics where another tag isn’t presumed. iPhone security should use iPhone or iOS tag.
1,990
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Resolution to unexpected "Profiles/MDM wants to make changes." popups? Beware SpamResponse/wmcglobal?
I'm frequently getting unexpected "Profiles/MDM wants to make changes." popups.
It started right after I began installing SpamResponse by clicking GET, but aborted when it prompted to ...
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1
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38
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Is there a way to prevent apps like Google's from adding services/daemons to mac?
Companies like Google and others love to install daemons/services on
~/Library/LaunchDaemons
Sonoma alerts me when this happens, but I want to be able to prevent bloat services like this even ...
- 2,417
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1
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42
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How to disable all "Allow paste from" prompts?
When I open many apps, I get prompted
"App" would like to paste from "Last app"
Do you want to allow this?
Don't Allow Paste
Allow Paste
I always want to select "Don't Allow ...
- 8,602
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+50
How to Prevent Accidental Touch pad Activation Triggering Privacy & Security Window on MacBook Pro 16
I'm facing a rather frustrating issue with my MacBook Pro 16. While typing, I often accidentally touch the Touch pad, which triggers the Privacy & Security window to pop up. This is becoming quite ...
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Are iCloud passwords and iCloud Keychain separate?
I've seen people refer to iCloud Passwords as 'Keychain' but I am unsure if it's the same as what we see when you open 'Keychain Access' on macOS.
Years back I ran into an issue where my keychain was '...
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1
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Startup Disk "Reduced Security" setting effect on drive encryption
I have a M1 Mac. In order to install a legacy kernel extension needed for a peripheral, I have changed my startup disk security settings to "Reduced Security" as detailed here:
https://...
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1
answer
89
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How to diagnose a dialog box that flashes up unpredictably, at irregular intervals, too fast to read contents?
Over the last couple of days, I’ve repeatedly had a dialog box appear for a fraction of a second and then disappear, much too quickly to read the contents. It’s happened maybe 4 or 5 times so far; it ...
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Where is the Touch ID data stored?
I would like to 'backup' my Touch ID data or configuration. What file(s) would I need to backup in order to preserve that data and can I simply restore those files to set it up again on the same or ...
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How do I set up separate verification codes in Passwords for two sites with a shared domain?
I'm trying to set up Verification Codes in Apple's Passwords for two sites that share a domain (top-level and second-level) but with different subdomains. But Passwords seems not to allow this.
For ...
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Cannot select S/MIME Certificate to sign email on iOS
I installed my certificate along side all certificates in the chain.
It shows as trusted in my settings.
However for my email-account I cannot enable signing because "No valid certificates found.&...
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856
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Suspicious looking item Google LLC under Allow in Background on Mac OS Ventura [duplicate]
I am using Mac OS Ventura. Just now I got a popup that Google LLC has been added to list of applications running in the background. When I opened the list, I saw this:
I disabled Google LLC in above. ...
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123
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Cannot boot a MacBook Air M2 from an USB drive
I tried installing several macOS versions (Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma) on a Samsung USB-C drive (MUF-256DA) using a MacBook Air M2.
I disabled the MacBook's security from the startup options (recovery ...
- 209
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21
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How do I find the password for my "Local Items" keychain?
I'm looking through passwords in Keychain Access, but some of them are prompting me for a password for a keychain I'm not familiar with. How do I find the password for my "Local Items" ...
- 9,369
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1
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44
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Safari 17.0 clear history command deletes passwords in keychains
Since the Safari 17.0 update under Ventura 13.6, I noticed a problem with the "Clear history" menu command. When clearing history with the "all history" option, Safari asks for a ...
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2
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75
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iCloud Keychain Security + 2FA with SMS?
I'm currently exploring the idea of using iCloud Keychain now that macOS supports it on Chromium browsers but I don't fully understand the security of it.
I understand that it's end to end encrypted ...
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2
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My iPhone got stolen. It has a passcode and was in airplane mode so it does not have Wifi. But today it appears on find my device?
My iPhone got stolen about 3 months ago on an airplane in the middle of the sky. It was on airplane mode, and after landed, I realized that my phone had been stolen so I logged in to my iCloud to turn ...
- 153
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0
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22
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How to revert implicit access permission to a folder in macOS?
In macOS some folders are protected in the sense that you have to allow an app to access them: Downloads, Documents, Desktop and a few others. Even if you haven't allowed some app to access, say, ...
- 101
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1
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68
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Why does MacOS show different first launch messages on unsigned apps?
As a developer I know that if an app is not signed and downloaded from the internet, macOS shows a message to the user when he first tries to open and that they may need to right click->open or ...
- 217
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1
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41
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Checkmark for switching Apple-ID password on icloud.com
I have a little question which hopefully some of you can answer me.
You can switch your Apple-ID password in different ways. One for example is on the device settings itself or via webbrowser on any ...
user506714
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50
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Trying To Delete Left-Over Malware Files
An annoying piece of malware that pretends to be a new Safari / Sonoma security feature has deposited itself and its associated files inside my System/Library/... In short, I need to delete a folder ...
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1
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54
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Is it feasible to use an iPad that supports Apple Pencil 2nd Generation without internet?
I need an iPad to manage the tons of note-taking and reading I have to do.
But I don't want any access to wireless internet to keep my bad videos addiction under control.
I asked a question here - got ...
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Scripts menulet env issue
For many years, I have used the Scripts menulet (enabled from the preferences in Apple's Script Editor), which provides a little drop-down menu to trigger scripts -- not just AppleScripts, but shell ...
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58
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After a password reset on a MacBook with a FileVault recovery key, can I access new changes in my iCloud Keychain without logging in to iCloud again?
Alternate phrasing of the core question: Where exactly is that secret stored which provides a MacBook with access to one’s iCloud account one previously logged in to?
I have a MacBook Pro (14", ...
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0
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126
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How Do We Access Sonoma Password Manager Items from the Command Line?
I have some automation that uses /usr/bin/security to pull data from my Keychain. I want to move this data to the new Password Manager (Settings.app -> Passwords), but I can't find the items in ...
- 201
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1
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76
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restrict my Desktop folder access for root (macos)
I have read somewhere macOS is rootless. That means we can put some restrictions so far that even root can't access to some system folders.
I would like to apply this restriction to my Desktop folder.
...
- 119
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31
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M1 Macbook pro: "Add" button missing in automation > Security & Privacy Settings > System preferences
I've been wanting to add "Script Editor" to automation but there seems to be no button to add it. Is there any possible way of achieving this??
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138
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Unable to log into Hulu through Chrome because "Location is turned off in Mac System Preferences", but setting is on and still won't let me in
I am trying to log into Hulu with Chrome and it asks to share my location. I say yes. It goes to log in and I get a popup for a location request. I accept and the browser says my location has been ...
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1
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92
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Mac Pro with Startup Security Utility
hi I am trying to remove or disable Startup Security Utility in terminal, does anyone know any commands that can do this so I can reinstall from an external device, for some reason internet recovery ...
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55
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"You should move it to the Trash." Is there a way I can add an app to a whitelist so that my Mac allow me to use this particular app?
Per a tutorial, when trying to open apps from unknown sources, macOS gives me an option "Open Anyway".
However, my macOS 13.3 doesn't give that option to me
instead, it gives "will ...
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0
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44
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My old roommate stole my iPhone and i just got it back
They changed the passcode and now I can't get in. After upgrading to the iPhone 12, my old roommate stole my old iPhone 11. They changed the passcode, but continued to use my Apple ID and password. I ...
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75
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Secure way to connect to VNC from iPad
've setup a VNC server in a computer and want to connect to if from another network. I first thought of doing port forwarding, but it did not work as I think for it to work I require to contact my ISP ...
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1
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How does Apple manage apps in Downloads and Applications differently?
I'm using MacBook M1 Air, I tried updating the VS Code editor but it didn't do it. VS Code says I have to drag VS Code from Downloads into Applications on macOS. After completing this drag-and-drop ...
- 125
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0
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41
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Python script unable to access external drive under cron
My desired cron job consists of a bash script that does the following:
Create a new Python environment (with a new python executable)
Use that Python executable to run a Python script, which accesses ...
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1
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121
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Why isn't sudo authentication in one terminal propagated to another terminal?
When I sudo followed by a password in one terminal and then sudo in another terminal, I have to enter my password again. I am pretty sure it wasn't always like this. If I recall correctly, you could ...
- 3,268
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How to prevent external media from being mounted on my Mac without requiring a password?
I have a MacBook Air (macOS 12.6.7) that I travel with and use in public places. Is there a way to prevent a USB drive (or any other external physical network connection via cable) from becoming ...
- 155
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0
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161
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(Manually) Approving a kext extension through Terminal in Mac OS Ventura
so I would like to keep the security settings on Mac OS Ventura enabled but also enable an audio driver for my sound card that would need to otherwise have the security settings turned off in recovery ...
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0
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100
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Being asked for password in Ventura on Network settings
I'm using Ventura 13.4.1 (c), on a number of Macs.
All MacBook Pro laptops, I change my network settings regularly for work (DNS, etc). For some reason on one of the Macs I get this popup each time I ...
- 1,316
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Change screen saver auto-lock time based on current wifi network
I would like to make mac require a password after being asleep for 30 seconds when it is not on my home wifi network, but only require a password after 4 hours when its on my home network. I have ...
- 3,272
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NFC can’t scanned by app, but the phone is recognize it
I want to have my NFC cards (I have 10+ card that I need every day) on my iPhone 13 Pro, and use it instead of theme
Office, metro, room door, automated actions, …
I tried many apps but they didn’t ...
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how to remove preference pane-based malware? (have already tried malware removal apps)
Running macOS 13.4.1 or an i3 MacBook Air. At the top of Application Notifications I have had the following appear:
ask you
Confirm that you're not a robot, you need click Allow
If I allow it to, a ...
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How to avoid having to re-permission 3rd-party apps every time MacOS is upgraded
I'm currently using MacOS 11.7.8.
I make use of a small number of 3rd-party apps. When first installing a few of these 3rd-party apps, I understand that I have to go to "System Preferences => ...
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1
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Since Preview does not support embedded JS, am I safe from attacks using it as a vector?
Recently, I have been doing some research on PDF attacks. From what I could gather, there are two types of attacks that seem most common: Hyperlink based and JavaScript based.
Now, flattening a PDF ...
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How can I replicate the "give app permission to access documents" on the command line?
Following up from this question: What does it mean to give apps access to Documents folder on Mac?
How can one replicate the "give apps access" process on the command line? I ask because I'm ...
- 11
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0
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173
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Avoid "not authorized to send Apple events to System Events (-1743)" in MacOS Ventura from keyboard shortcut
I am attempting to follow the instructions here to create a keyboard shortcut that toggles a window to full screen with no menu bar. On MacOS Ventura 13.4, I always get the error "Not authorized ...
- 21
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0
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334
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How secure are the notes stored alongside passwords in iOS?
I am not discussing the Notes app, nor the Secure Notes feature of the traditional Keychain Access on macOS - rather the NOTES section of Passwords found in the iOS Settings app. In looking for an ...
- 2,523
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1
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74
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Next steps for checking and securing a Mac from Malware?
A website I manage through another hosting company was infected with "descriptionscripts" malware, which has since been cleaned.
However, I had to browse the site itself during that time and ...
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0
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256
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What is this large "payloadv2" file doing in mac os Install Data?
This 10.5 gb folder titled "payloadv2" located in "mac os Install Data" has me concerned. It contains many archive split files. A quick google search only brought up a single ...
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0
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50
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How to password protect writing to a file but not reading to the file
Purpose: limit writing to /etc/hosts to prevent me from editing the file without permission from someone that I entrust the password to. Note that I am the administrator of this Mac, so the password ...
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51
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When relocating a home folder to another Volume, how do you resolve Sandbox errors for the new root .TemporaryItems folder?
Summary:
I migrated my user data to a new APFS volume to mitigate upgrade issues with Ventura, but I am now experiencing high CPU usage with syncdefaultsd and secd due to permission issues. I need ...
- 5,232
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145
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how to restore disappeared saved web passwords after changing local user login password
The web passwords saved for a local user "UL" have disappeared after changing that local user's password and I need to recover them.
Here is my specific setup:
I'm working on a MacBook Air ...
- 11