7.11 App Store Password Settings

Information

With OS X 10.11 Apple has added settings for password storage for the App Store in OS X. These settings parallel the settings in iOS. As with iOS the choices are a requirement to provide a password after every purchase or to have a 15 minute grace period, and whether to require a password for free purchases. The response to this setting is stored in a cookie and processed by iCloud.

There is plenty of risk information on the wisdom of this setting for parents with children buying games on iPhones and iPads. the most relevant information here is the likelihood that users that are not authorized to download software may have physical access to an unlocked computer where someone who is authorized recently made a purchase. If that is a concern a password should be required at all times for App Store access in the Password Settings controls

NOTE: Nessus has not performed this check. Please review the benchmark to ensure target compliance.

Solution

None

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/301