DISA STIGS Viewer

The macOS system must disable iCloud Desktop and Document folder sync.

Overview

Finding ID Version Rule ID IA Controls Severity
V-268522 APPL-15-002150 SV-268522r1034506_rule   Medium
Description
The macOS system's ability to automatically synchronize a user's Desktop and Documents folder to their iCloud Drive must be disabled. Apple's iCloud service does not provide an organization with enough control over the storage and access of data and, therefore, automated file synchronization must be controlled by an organization-approved service.
STIG Date
Apple macOS 15 (Sequoia) Security Technical Implementation Guide 2025-05-05

Details

Check Text (C-72552r1034504_chk)
Verify the macOS system is configured to disable iCloud Desktop and Document folder synchronization with the following command:

/usr/bin/osascript -l JavaScript << EOS
$.NSUserDefaults.alloc.initWithSuiteName('com.apple.applicationaccess')\
.objectForKey('allowCloudDesktopAndDocuments').js
EOS

If the result is not "false", this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-72453r1034505_fix)
Configure the macOS system to disable iCloud Desktop and Document folder synchronization by installing the "com.apple.applicationaccess" configuration profile.