The macOS system must disable root login.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-277051 | APPL-26-000100 | SV-277051r1148605_rule | CCI-000764 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| To ensure individual accountability and prevent unauthorized access, logging in as root at the login window must be disabled. The macOS system must require individuals to be authenticated with an individual authenticator prior to using a group authenticator, and administrator users must never log in directly as root. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000104-GPOS-00051, SRG-OS-000109-GPOS-00056, SRG-OS-000364-GPOS-00151 | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| Apple macOS 26 (Tahoe) Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2026-02-11 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-277051r1148605_chk)
Verify the macOS system is configured to disable root login with the following command:
/usr/bin/dscl . -read /Users/root UserShell 2>&1 | /usr/bin/grep -c "/usr/bin/false"
If the result is not "1", this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-81111r1148604_fix)
Configure the macOS system to disable root login with the following command:
/usr/bin/dscl . -create /Users/root UserShell /usr/bin/false