Information
The Wi-Fi status in the menu bar indicates if the system's wireless internet capabilities are enabled. If so, the system will scan for available wireless networks in order to connect. At the time of this revision, all computers Apple builds have wireless network capability, which has not always been the case. This control only pertains to systems that have a wireless NIC available. Operating systems running in a virtual environment may not score as expected, either.
Rationale:
Enabling 'Show Wi-Fi status in menu bar' is a security awareness method that helps mitigate public area wireless exploits by making the user aware of their wireless connectivity status.
Impact:
The user of the system should have a quick check on their wireless network status available.
Solution
Perform the following to enable Wi-Fi status in the menu bar:
Graphical Method:
Open System Preferences
Select Dock & Menu Bar
Select Wi-Fi
Set Show in Menu Bar
Terminal Method:
For each user, run the following to turn the Wi-Fi status on in the menu bar
$ sudo -u <username> defaults -currentHost write com.apple.controlcenter.plist WiFi -int 18
example:
$ sudo -u firstuser defaults -currentHost write com.apple.controlcenter.plist WiFi -int 18
Profile Method:
Create or edit a configuration profile with the PayloadType of com.apple.controlcenter
Add the key WiFi
Set the key to <integer>18</integer>
Additional Information:
AirPort is Apple's marketing name for its 802.11x based wireless network interfaces.
Option-click the Wifi icon in the menu bar to find out more information about the connected wireless network.