# usnistgov/macos_security

macOS Security Compliance Project

Repository: https://github.com/usnistgov/macos_security
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/macos_security
Homepage: https://pages.nist.gov/macos_security
Language: YAML
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: apple, macos, compliance, zsh, bash, python3, mdm, mscp
Last push: 2026-08-26T18:42:40+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 96/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 89, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2280, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 72, "gap_med": 0.0, "n_releases_24m": 31}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2449, forks 301 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:52.868416+00:00)

## What it is
The macOS Security Compliance Project (mSCP) is an open-source tool from NIST that generates security baselines, configuration profiles, compliance scripts, and guidance documents for Apple platforms (macOS, iOS/iPadOS, visionOS). It implements NIST SP 800-219 automated secure configuration guidance derived from NIST SP 800-53 controls.

## Use cases
- generate macOS security hardening baselines
- create MDM configuration profiles for Apple devices
- audit and enforce macOS security settings with compliance scripts
- produce CIS-style benchmark documentation for macOS
- secure federal or enterprise Mac fleets against NIST 800-53 controls
- customize a security baseline for my organization's Macs
- check macOS compliance automatically

## When to choose
- you manage macOS/iOS devices and need NIST 800-53 or CIS-aligned hardening
- you need generated configuration profiles plus enforcement scripts for settings profiles can't enforce
- you want authoritative, Apple-recognized security guidance updated quickly for new OS releases
- you're a vendor building compliance manifests for Apple platforms

## When to avoid
- you need security compliance for non-Apple platforms
- you want a GUI-based policy management tool rather than CLI-generated artifacts
- you have no MDM or device management capability and need only profile-based settings
- you need a turnkey monitoring/endpoint-detection product rather than configuration guidance

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: security, configuration-management, cli, developer-tools
- domain: security, apple-ecosystem, developer-tools, self-hosted
- platform: cli, python
- tags: mdm, nist-800-53, compliance, hardening, configuration-profiles, cis-benchmarks, macos-security, device-management, macos, docker

## Member repositories
- usnistgov/macos_security (main) score 96

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:52.868416+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:30:15.577910+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/usnistgov/macos_security (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:52.868416+00:00, sha 123ec202cc10)
  - homepage: https://pages.nist.gov/macos_security (fetched 2026-08-29T10:11:43.854334+00:00, sha a3f4d05c4464)
  - site_page: https://pages.nist.gov/macos_security/welcome/getting-started (fetched 2026-08-29T10:11:43.856599+00:00, sha a01fcc0745a6)
  - site_page: https://pages.nist.gov/macos_security/more-information/faq (fetched 2026-08-29T10:11:43.858543+00:00, sha baef7240df65)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.