The macOS system must disable root login.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-268443	APPL-15-000100	SV-268443r1034269_rule		Medium

Description

To assure 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 15 (Sequoia) Security Technical Implementation Guide	2025-05-05

Details

Check Text (C-72473r1034267_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-72374r1034268_fix)

Configure the macOS system to disable root login with the following command:

/usr/bin/dscl . -create /Users/root UserShell /usr/bin/false