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View Other Properties

How to List Screenlock Status Across All Macs

Using Kolide, you can easily view and query Mac Screenlock Status across your fleet.

Introduction

MacOS has a security feature which allows your device to lock and require a password after a period of inactivity. It consists of several interrelated toggles from separate preference panes which together determine when an idle Mac will require a password:

  • Security & Privacy > General Tab
  • Energy Saver
  • Desktop & Screensaver

This inventory captures all of these controls to give a big-picture view of the screenlock settings on a device. The configuration of a safe screenlock policy helps prevent unauthorized access to your device if it is left unattended.

To learn more about screenlock security on a Mac please refer to the official Apple Support documentation: Require a password after waking your Mac

What Mac Screenlock Status Data Can Kolide Collect?

Kolide's endpoint agent bundles in osquery to efficiently collect Mac Screenlock Status from Macs in your fleet. Once collected, Kolide will parse, clean up, and centrally store this data in Inventory for your team to view, query, or export via API.

Kolide meticulously documents every piece of data returned so you can understand the results.

Mac Screenlock Status Schema

Column Type Description
id Primary Key

Unique identifier for the object

device_id Foreign Key

Device associated with the entry

device_name Text

Display name of the device associated with the entry

device_user_id Foreign Key

The Device User associated with the entry

display_sleep_idle_ac Bigint

The amount of time in seconds the device must be idle while connected to power before the screen turns off

Special Values:

  • 9223372036854775807 - (MAX INT) - Device will never sleep when connected to A/C power
display_sleep_idle_battery Bigint

The amount of time in seconds the device must be idle while running on battery power before the screen turns off

Special Values:

  • 9223372036854775807 - (MAX INT) - Device will never sleep when running on battery power
managed_screensaver_idle Bigint

The amount of time in seconds the device must be idle before it activates the screensaver based on a managed preference set by an administrator. This value takes precedence over user_screensaver_idle.

Special Values:

  • NULL - There is no managed screensaver preference
  • 9223372036854775807 - (MAX INT) - Device will never activate the screensaver based on this managed preference
minimum_effective_idle Bigint

The amount of time in seconds the device must be idle before it either sleeps or activates the screensaver.

The value here is the "worst case" scenario. For example, if a device is on A/C power your device takes 900 seconds to sleep, but on battery power it only takes 300 seconds to sleep, the value in this column will be 900.

Special Values:

  • 9223372036854775807 - (MAX INT) - Device will never activate the screensaver or sleep
screenlock_enabled Boolean

true if the "require password after sleep or screensaver begins" setting is checked under the Security and Privacy pane in System Preferences, otherwise false.

screenlock_grace_period Bigint

The amount of time in seconds the device can be asleep or the screensaver is visible before a password is required to unlock it.

Special Values:

  • NULL or -1 - Screenlock is not enabled and the grace period is not applicable
  • 0 - Device will immediately require a password as soon as it sleeps or the screensaver activates
user_screensaver_idle Bigint

The amount of time in seconds the device must be idle before it activates the screensaver based on the user's preferences. The managed_screensaver_idle takes precedence over this value.

Special Values:

  • 9223372036854775807 - (MAX INT) - Device will never activate the screensaver based on this user-based preference
username Text

The username of the user account in which the screenlock settings are associated.

collected_at Timestamp

Time the row of data was first collected in the database

updated_at Timestamp

Time the row of data was last changed in the database

What Can You Do With This Information?

Kolide enables you to write your own queries against the data the agent collects. This allows you to build your own reports and API endpoints. For example, you can:

Check if macOS screenlock prompts for a password when waking from sleep or screensaver
Kolide SQL
SELECT device_name, screenlock_enabled FROM mac_screenlock_configs;
Example Results
device_name screenlock_enabled
balthazar false
Ashleys-MacBook-Pro-2 true
siegfried true
Jacks-MacBook-Pro false
daves-imac true
Find Macs with screenlock timeouts set to more than 10 minutes of inactivity
Kolide SQL
SELECT 
  device_name, 
  minimum_effective_idle, 
  screenlock_enabled, 
  username, 
  -- Screenlock settings are stored in seconds (10 * 60 = 600)
  CASE WHEN minimum_effective_idle > 600 
       THEN TRUE 
       ELSE FALSE 
    END AS idle_exceeds_threshold 
FROM mac_screenlock_configs 
ORDER BY minimum_effective_idle DESC
Example Results
username device_name screenlock_enabled idle_exceeds_threshold minimum_effective_idle
dave Daves-MacBook-Pro true true 3600
jackson jackson-mbp- true true 1200
titus maximus true true 1200
fernando Fernandos-MacBook-Air true true 1200
balthazar balthazar true false 600
junebug Forrests-iMac-Pro true false 600

Why Should I Collect Mac Screenlock Status?

Understanding the state and verifying the desired configuration of screenlock is a critical compliance requirement for many IT & Security teams.

A device with an insecure screenlock configuration is at higher risk of unauthorized access and compromise.

End-User Privacy Consideration

Kolide practices Honest Security. We believe that data should be collected from end-user devices transparently and with privacy in mind.

No additional personally identifiable data is collected or transmitted as part of this inventory.

When you use Kolide to list Mac Screenlock Status data from end-user devices, Kolide gives the people using those devices insight into exactly what data is collected, the privacy implications, and who on the IT team can see the data. This all happens in our end-user privacy center which can be accessed directly by employees.

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