2.6.1.2 Ensure 'Show Location Icon in Control Center when System Services Request Your Location' Is Enabled

Information

This setting provides the user an understanding of the current status of Location Services and which applications are using it.

Apple has fully integrated location services into macOS. When user applications access location an arrow is displayed next to the Control Center in the menu bar to give users an indication when their location is being accessed. By default system services like time zones, weather, travel times, geolocation, "Find my Mac," and advertising services do not indicate the location is accessed.

Enabling the "Show location icon in the menu bar when System Services request your location" setting will show an arrow in the control center when a system service accesses the location. Although an indication that location was accessed, Control Center will only say that it was accessed by "System Services" and not the individual service. Looking in System Settings > Location Services > System Services > Details... will expose exactly which system services have accessed Location Services in the last 24 hours. Third-party tools will be shown individually when they access location services.

Solution

Graphical Method:

Perform the following steps to set whether the location services icon is in the menu bar:

- Open System Settings
- Select Privacy & Security
- Select Location Services
- Select Details...
- Set Show location icon in menu bar when System Services request your location to enabled

Terminal Method:

Run the following commands to set the option of the location services icon being in the menu bar:

% /usr/bin/sudo /usr/bin/defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.locationmenu.plist ShowSystemServices -bool true

Impact:

Users may be provided visibility to a setting they cannot control if organizations control Location Services globally by policy.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/18636

Item Details

Category: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT, SYSTEM AND SERVICES ACQUISITION

References: 800-53|CM-2, 800-53|CM-6, 800-53|CM-7, 800-53|CM-7(1), 800-53|CM-9, 800-53|SA-3, 800-53|SA-8, 800-53|SA-10, CSCv7|5.1

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: c331c64bc05fc626e606e0aa4e1134d1ae92302966a9616cd0f8a1f0ffcf2997