Automated Secure Configuration Guidance from the macOS Security Compliance Project (mSCP)

Published

July 20, 2023

Author(s)

Mark Trapnell, Eric Trapnell, Murugiah Souppaya, Bob Gendler, Dan Brodjieski, Allen Golbig, Karen Scarfone, Blair Heiserman

Abstract

The macOS Security Compliance Project (mSCP) provides resources that system administrators, security professionals, security policy authors, information security officers, and auditors can leverage to secure and assess macOS desktop and laptop system security in an automated way. This publication introduces the mSCP and gives an overview of the resources available from the project's GitHub site, which is continuously curated and updated to support each new release of macOS. The GitHub site provides practical, actionable recommendations in the form of secure baselines and associated rules. This publication also describes use cases for leveraging the mSCP content. Updates from the previous version of this publication mainly involve the new mSCP capability to create a custom benchmark by tailoring a baseline.

Citation

Special Publication (NIST SP) - 800-219r1

Report Number

800-219r1

NIST Pub Series

Special Publication (NIST SP)

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-219r1

Local Download

Keywords

Apple, baseline, configuration management, endpoint device security, macOS, macOS Security Compliance Project (mSCP), operating system security, security compliance

Citation

Trapnell, M. , Trapnell, E. , Souppaya, M. , Gendler, B. , Brodjieski, D. , Golbig, A. , Scarfone, K. and Heiserman, B. (2023), Automated Secure Configuration Guidance from the macOS Security Compliance Project (mSCP), Special Publication (NIST SP), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-219r1, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=936884 (Accessed October 24, 2025)