2.4.1 Ensure Show Wi-Fi status in Menu Bar Is Enabled

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.

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.

Solution

Profile Method:

Create or edit a configuration profile with the following information:

- The PayloadType string is com.apple.controlcenter
- The key to include is WiFi
- The key must be set to <integer>18</integer>

Impact:

The user of the system should have a quick check on their wireless network status available.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/15550

Item Details

Category: ACCESS CONTROL, CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT, SYSTEM AND COMMUNICATIONS PROTECTION

References: 800-53|AC-18, 800-53|CM-6, 800-53|CM-7, 800-53|SC-23, CSCv7|15.4, CSCv7|15.5

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: 49e092c4f16c391148c5e3938f88c9926069beab614ea5236be95a9caf1e98b4