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macOS Authorizations DB & Authd

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Athorizarions DB

The database located in /var/db/auth.db is database used to store permissions to perform sensitive operations. These operations are performed completely in user space and are usually used by XPC services which need to check if the calling client is authorized to perform certain action checking this database.

Initially this database is created from the content of /System/Library/Security/authorization.plist. Then, some services might add or modify this dataabse to add other permissions to it.

The rules are stored in the rules table inside the database and contains the folliwing colmns:

  • id: A unique identifier for each rule, automatically incremented and serving as the primary key.
  • name: The unique name of the rule used to identify and reference it within the authorization system.
  • type: Specifies the type of the rule, restricted to values 1 or 2 to define its authorization logic.
  • class: Categorizes the rule into a specific class, ensuring it is a positive integer.
    • "allow" for allow, "deny" for deny, "user" if the group property indicated a group which membership allows the access, "rule" indicates in an array a rule to be fulfilled, "evaluate-mechanisms" followed by a mechanisms array which are either builtins or a name of a bundle inside /System/Library/CoreServices/SecurityAgentPlugins/ or /Library/Security//SecurityAgentPlugins
  • group: Indicates the user group associated with the rule for group-based authorization.
  • kofn: Represents the "k-of-n" parameter, determining how many subrules must be satisfied out of a total number.
  • timeout: Defines the duration in seconds before the authorization granted by the rule expires.
  • flags: Contains various flags that modify the behavior and characteristics of the rule.
  • tries: Limits the number of allowed authorization attempts to enhance security.
  • version: Tracks the version of the rule for version control and updates.
  • created: Records the timestamp when the rule was created for auditing purposes.
  • modified: Stores the timestamp of the last modification made to the rule.
  • hash: Holds a hash value of the rule to ensure its integrity and detect tampering.
  • identifier: Provides a unique string identifier, such as a UUID, for external references to the rule.
  • requirement: Contains serialized data defining the rule's specific authorization requirements and mechanisms.
  • comment: Offers a human-readable description or comment about the rule for documentation and clarity.

Example

# List by name and comments
sudo sqlite3 /var/db/auth.db "select name, comment from rules"

# Get rules for com.apple.tcc.util.admin
security authorizationdb read com.apple.tcc.util.admin
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
	<key>class</key>
	<string>rule</string>
	<key>comment</key>
	<string>For modification of TCC settings.</string>
	<key>created</key>
	<real>701369782.01043606</real>
	<key>modified</key>
	<real>701369782.01043606</real>
	<key>rule</key>
	<array>
		<string>authenticate-admin-nonshared</string>
	</array>
	<key>version</key>
	<integer>0</integer>
</dict>
</plist>

Moreover in https://www.dssw.co.uk/reference/authorization-rights/authenticate-admin-nonshared/ it's possible to see the meaning of authenticate-admin-nonshared:

{
  'allow-root' : 'false',
  'authenticate-user' : 'true',
  'class' : 'user',
  'comment' : 'Authenticate as an administrator.',
  'group' : 'admin',
  'session-owner' : 'false',
  'shared' : 'false',
  'timeout' : '30',
  'tries' : '10000',
  'version' : '1'
}

Authd

It's a deamon that will receive requests to authorize clients to perform sensitive actions. It works as a XPC service defined inside the XPCServices/ folder and use to write its logs in /var/log/authd.log.

Moreover using the security tool it's possible to test many Security.framework APIs. For example the AuthorizationExecuteWithPrivileges running: security execute-with-privileges /bin/ls

That will fork and exec /usr/libexec/security_authtrampoline /bin/ls as root, which will ask for permissions in a prompt to execute ls as root:

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