Why am I able to open Wireshark in macOS without root privileges?
As far as I know, capturing packets using Wireshark requires root/administrator privileges. In Windows, it prompts for UAC elevation and runs with administrative privileges. The same thing in Ubuntu; it prompts for a password to authorize access before showing me the interfaces.
However, in macOS, there is no authorization required. I don't have to enter a password. Instead, Wireshark is directly showing me the interfaces and I am able to capture packets.
How is Wireshark able to do this on macOS? What is special about macOS that allows interfaces and packets to be monitored without administrative access?
root wireshark
edited 34 mins ago
Cody Gray
2081311
asked 8 hours ago
scipsychoscipsycho
1028
add a comment |
As far as I know, capturing packets using Wireshark requires root/administrator privileges. In Windows, it prompts for UAC elevation and runs with administrative privileges. The same thing in Ubuntu; it prompts for a password to authorize access before showing me the interfaces.
However, in macOS, there is no authorization required. I don't have to enter a password. Instead, Wireshark is directly showing me the interfaces and I am able to capture packets.
How is Wireshark able to do this on macOS? What is special about macOS that allows interfaces and packets to be monitored without administrative access?
root wireshark
edited 34 mins ago
Cody Gray
2081311
asked 8 hours ago
scipsychoscipsycho
1028
What kind of wireshark are you running? GUI (app) or command line?
– IconDaemon
7 hours ago
Did you login as a standard user or as an administrator user?
– jksoegaard
7 hours ago
add a comment |
As far as I know, capturing packets using Wireshark requires root/administrator privileges. In Windows, it prompts for UAC elevation and runs with administrative privileges. The same thing in Ubuntu; it prompts for a password to authorize access before showing me the interfaces.
However, in macOS, there is no authorization required. I don't have to enter a password. Instead, Wireshark is directly showing me the interfaces and I am able to capture packets.
How is Wireshark able to do this on macOS? What is special about macOS that allows interfaces and packets to be monitored without administrative access?
root wireshark
edited 34 mins ago
Cody Gray
2081311
asked 8 hours ago
scipsychoscipsycho
1028
As far as I know, capturing packets using Wireshark requires root/administrator privileges. In Windows, it prompts for UAC elevation and runs with administrative privileges. The same thing in Ubuntu; it prompts for a password to authorize access before showing me the interfaces.
However, in macOS, there is no authorization required. I don't have to enter a password. Instead, Wireshark is directly showing me the interfaces and I am able to capture packets.
How is Wireshark able to do this on macOS? What is special about macOS that allows interfaces and packets to be monitored without administrative access?
root wireshark
root wireshark
edited 34 mins ago
Cody Gray
2081311
asked 8 hours ago
scipsychoscipsycho
1028
edited 34 mins ago
Cody Gray
2081311
asked 8 hours ago
scipsychoscipsycho
1028
edited 34 mins ago
Cody Gray
2081311
edited 34 mins ago
Cody Gray
2081311
edited 34 mins ago
Cody Gray
2081311
2081311
asked 8 hours ago
scipsychoscipsycho
1028
asked 8 hours ago
scipsychoscipsycho
1028
asked 8 hours ago
scipsychoscipsycho
1028
1028
What kind of wireshark are you running? GUI (app) or command line?
– IconDaemon
7 hours ago
Did you login as a standard user or as an administrator user?
– jksoegaard
7 hours ago
add a comment |
What kind of wireshark are you running? GUI (app) or command line?
– IconDaemon
7 hours ago
Did you login as a standard user or as an administrator user?
– jksoegaard
7 hours ago
What kind of wireshark are you running? GUI (app) or command line?
– IconDaemon
7 hours ago
What kind of wireshark are you running? GUI (app) or command line?
– IconDaemon
7 hours ago
Did you login as a standard user or as an administrator user?
– jksoegaard
7 hours ago
Did you login as a standard user or as an administrator user?
– jksoegaard
7 hours ago
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
The reason is that the Wireshark installer installs a LaunchDaemon (i.e. something that runs with superuser privileges on boot) for setting special permissions to capture network packets. More specifically you can look at the file /Library/LaunchDaemon/org.wireshark.ChmodBPF.plist to see what it does and when it is run.
As creating these LaunchDaemons require superuser privileges in itself, the Wireshark installer requires you to be a superuser (i.e. you have to enter an administrator user password to install the software).
If you look at the actual script run by the LaunchDaemon in /Library/Application Support/Wireshark/ChmodBPF/ChmodBPF, you'll see that it creates 256 devices entries /dev/bpf0 to /dev/bpf255 and sets to that everyone in the access_bpf group can read and write to these device files.
The access_bpf groups is actually also created by Wireshark installer. This also requires superuser privileges. If you open System Preferences and then Users & Groups, you'll be able to fold out the "Groups" part of the tree and see "access_bpf" listed there. You can then add/remove users from that group to give or remove permission to capture network packets within Wireshark.
answered 7 hours ago
jksoegaardjksoegaard
17.8k1747
add a comment |
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1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
The reason is that the Wireshark installer installs a LaunchDaemon (i.e. something that runs with superuser privileges on boot) for setting special permissions to capture network packets. More specifically you can look at the file /Library/LaunchDaemon/org.wireshark.ChmodBPF.plist to see what it does and when it is run.
As creating these LaunchDaemons require superuser privileges in itself, the Wireshark installer requires you to be a superuser (i.e. you have to enter an administrator user password to install the software).
If you look at the actual script run by the LaunchDaemon in /Library/Application Support/Wireshark/ChmodBPF/ChmodBPF, you'll see that it creates 256 devices entries /dev/bpf0 to /dev/bpf255 and sets to that everyone in the access_bpf group can read and write to these device files.
The access_bpf groups is actually also created by Wireshark installer. This also requires superuser privileges. If you open System Preferences and then Users & Groups, you'll be able to fold out the "Groups" part of the tree and see "access_bpf" listed there. You can then add/remove users from that group to give or remove permission to capture network packets within Wireshark.
answered 7 hours ago
jksoegaardjksoegaard
17.8k1747
add a comment |
The reason is that the Wireshark installer installs a LaunchDaemon (i.e. something that runs with superuser privileges on boot) for setting special permissions to capture network packets. More specifically you can look at the file /Library/LaunchDaemon/org.wireshark.ChmodBPF.plist to see what it does and when it is run.
As creating these LaunchDaemons require superuser privileges in itself, the Wireshark installer requires you to be a superuser (i.e. you have to enter an administrator user password to install the software).
If you look at the actual script run by the LaunchDaemon in /Library/Application Support/Wireshark/ChmodBPF/ChmodBPF, you'll see that it creates 256 devices entries /dev/bpf0 to /dev/bpf255 and sets to that everyone in the access_bpf group can read and write to these device files.
The access_bpf groups is actually also created by Wireshark installer. This also requires superuser privileges. If you open System Preferences and then Users & Groups, you'll be able to fold out the "Groups" part of the tree and see "access_bpf" listed there. You can then add/remove users from that group to give or remove permission to capture network packets within Wireshark.
answered 7 hours ago
jksoegaardjksoegaard
17.8k1747
add a comment |
The reason is that the Wireshark installer installs a LaunchDaemon (i.e. something that runs with superuser privileges on boot) for setting special permissions to capture network packets. More specifically you can look at the file /Library/LaunchDaemon/org.wireshark.ChmodBPF.plist to see what it does and when it is run.
As creating these LaunchDaemons require superuser privileges in itself, the Wireshark installer requires you to be a superuser (i.e. you have to enter an administrator user password to install the software).
If you look at the actual script run by the LaunchDaemon in /Library/Application Support/Wireshark/ChmodBPF/ChmodBPF, you'll see that it creates 256 devices entries /dev/bpf0 to /dev/bpf255 and sets to that everyone in the access_bpf group can read and write to these device files.
The access_bpf groups is actually also created by Wireshark installer. This also requires superuser privileges. If you open System Preferences and then Users & Groups, you'll be able to fold out the "Groups" part of the tree and see "access_bpf" listed there. You can then add/remove users from that group to give or remove permission to capture network packets within Wireshark.
answered 7 hours ago
jksoegaardjksoegaard
17.8k1747
The reason is that the Wireshark installer installs a LaunchDaemon (i.e. something that runs with superuser privileges on boot) for setting special permissions to capture network packets. More specifically you can look at the file /Library/LaunchDaemon/org.wireshark.ChmodBPF.plist to see what it does and when it is run.
As creating these LaunchDaemons require superuser privileges in itself, the Wireshark installer requires you to be a superuser (i.e. you have to enter an administrator user password to install the software).
If you look at the actual script run by the LaunchDaemon in /Library/Application Support/Wireshark/ChmodBPF/ChmodBPF, you'll see that it creates 256 devices entries /dev/bpf0 to /dev/bpf255 and sets to that everyone in the access_bpf group can read and write to these device files.
The access_bpf groups is actually also created by Wireshark installer. This also requires superuser privileges. If you open System Preferences and then Users & Groups, you'll be able to fold out the "Groups" part of the tree and see "access_bpf" listed there. You can then add/remove users from that group to give or remove permission to capture network packets within Wireshark.
answered 7 hours ago
jksoegaardjksoegaard
17.8k1747
answered 7 hours ago
jksoegaardjksoegaard
17.8k1747
answered 7 hours ago
jksoegaardjksoegaard
17.8k1747
answered 7 hours ago
jksoegaardjksoegaard
17.8k1747
17.8k1747
add a comment |
add a comment |
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What kind of wireshark are you running? GUI (app) or command line?
– IconDaemon
7 hours ago
Did you login as a standard user or as an administrator user?
– jksoegaard
7 hours ago