2.1.2 Show Bluetooth status in menu bar

Information

By showing the Bluetooth status in the menu bar, a small Bluetooth icon is placed in the menu bar. This icon quickly shows the status of Bluetooth, and can allow the user to quickly turn Bluetooth on or off.

Rationale:

Enabling 'Show Bluetooth status in menu bar' is a security awareness method that helps understand the current state of Bluetooth, including whether it is enabled, discoverable, what paired devices exist, and what paired devices are currently active.

Impact:

Bluetooth is a useful wireless tool that has been widely exploited when configured improperly. The user should have insight into the Bluetooth status.

Solution

Perform the following to enable Bluetooth status in the menu bar:
Graphical Method:

Open System Preferences

Select Bluetooth

Select Show Bluetooth in menu bar

Terminal Method:
For each user, run the following command to enable Bluetooth status in the menu bar:

$ sudo -u <username> defaults write /Users/<username>/Library/Preferences/com.apple.systemuiserver menuExtras -array-add '/System/Library/CoreServices/Menu Extras/Bluetooth.menu'

example:

$ sudo -u firstuser defaults write /Users/firstuser/Library/Preferences/com.apple.systemuiserver menuExtras -array-add '/System/Library/CoreServices/Menu Extras/Bluetooth.menu'

Note: If the remediation is run multiple times multiple instances of the Bluetooth status will appear after rebooting the system. Command-click and drag the unwanted icons off the menu bar.
http://osxdaily.com/2012/01/05/remove-icons-menu-bar-mac-os-x/

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/3421