DISA STIGS Viewer

The macOS system must enforce session lock no more than five seconds after screen saver is started.

Overview

Finding ID Version Rule ID IA Controls Severity
V-268422 APPL-15-000003 SV-268422r1034206_rule   Medium
Description
A screen saver must be enabled and the system must be configured to require a password to unlock once the screen saver has been on for a maximum of five seconds. An unattended system with an excessive grace period is vulnerable to a malicious user.
STIG Date
Apple macOS 15 (Sequoia) Security Technical Implementation Guide 2025-05-05

Details

Check Text (C-72452r1034204_chk)
Verify the macOS system is configured to initiate a session lock within five seconds of the screen saver starting with the following command:

/usr/bin/osascript -l JavaScript << EOS
function run() {
let delay = ObjC.unwrap($.NSUserDefaults.alloc.initWithSuiteName('com.apple.screensaver')\
.objectForKey('askForPasswordDelay'))
if ( delay <= 5 ) {
return("true")
} else {
return("false")
}
}
EOS

If the result is not "true", this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-72353r1034205_fix)
Configure the macOS system to initiate a session lock within five seconds of the screen saver starting by installing the "com.apple.screensaver" configuration profile.