security [-hilqv] [-p prompt] [command] [command_options] [command_args]
administer keychains, manipulate keys and certificates, etc.
Interactive mode is entered by using -i or -p
-h |
-h for help.
help |
list-keychains |
Export all certificates from all keychains into a pem file called allcerts.pem.
security> find-certificate -a -p > allcerts.pem
Export all certificates from all keychains with the email address me@foo.com into a pem file called certs.pem.
security> find-certificate -a -e me@foo.com -p > certs.pem
Print the SHA-1 hash of every certificate in 'login.keychain' whose common name includes 'MyName'
security> find-certificate -a -c MyName -Z login.keychain | grep ^SHA-1
find-identity [-p policy] [-s string] [-v] [keychain...]
Find an identity (certificate + private key) satisfying a given policy. If no policy arguments are provided, the
X.509 basic policy is assumed. If no keychain arguments are provided, the default search list is used.
-p policy to evaluate (multiple -p are allowed). Supported policies: basic, ssl-client, ssl-server, smime, eap, ipsec, ichat, codesigning, sys-default, sys-kerberos-kdc
-s string policy-specific string (e.g. a DNS hostname for SSL, or RFC822 email address for S/MIME)
-v Show valid identities only (default is to show all identities)
Examples
Display valid identities that can be used for SSL client authentication
security> find-identity -v -p ssl-client
Display identities for a SSL server running on the host 'www.domain.com'
security> find-identity -p ssl-server -s www.domain.com
Display identities that can be used to sign a message from 'user@domain.com'
security> find-identity -p smime -s user@domain.com
delete-certificate [-c name] [-Z hash] [-t] [keychain...]
Delete a certificate from a keychain. If no keychain arguments are provided, the default search list is used.
-c name Specify certificate by its common name
-Z hash Specify certificate by its SHA-1 hash
-t Also delete user trust settings for this certificate
The certificate to be deleted must be uniquely specified either by a string found in its common name, or by its
SHA-1 hash.
set-identity-preference [-n] [-c identity] [-s service] [-u keyUsage] [-Z hash] [keychain...]
Set the preferred identity to use for a service.
-n no identity (clears existing preference for the given service)
-c identity by common name of the certificate
-s service service (may be a URL, RFC822 email address, DNS host, or other name) for which this identity is to be preferred
-u keyUsage
-Z hash by SHA-1 hash of certificate
The identity is located by searching the specified keychain(s) for a certificate whose common name contains the
given identity string. If no keychains are specified to search, the default search list is used. Different identity preferences can be set for individual key usages. Differentiate between two identities which contain
the same string by providing a SHA-1 hash of the certificate (in addition to, or instead of, the name.)
PARTIAL PATHS AND WILDCARDS
Starting with 10.6, it is possible to specify identity preferences on a per-domain basis, by using the wildcard
character '*' as the leftmost component of the service name. Unlike SSL wildcards, an identity preference wildcard
can match more than one subdomain. For example, an identity preference for the name "*.army.mil" will match
"server1.subdomain1.army.mil" or "server2.subdomain2.army.mil". Likewise, a preference for "*.mil" will match both
"server.army.mil" and "server.navy.mil".
KEY USAGE CODES
0 - preference is in effect for all possible key usages (default)
1 - encryption only
2 - decryption only
4 - signing only
8 - signature verification only
16 - signing with message recovery only
32 - signature verification with message recovery only
64 - key wrapping only
128 - key unwrapping only
256 - key derivation only
To specify more than one usage, add values together.
get-identity-preference [-s service] [-u keyUsage] [-p] [-c] [-Z]
-s service Specify service (may be a URL, RFC822 email address, DNS host, or other name)
-u keyUsage Specify key usage (optional)
-p Output in pem format
-c common name
-Z SHA-1 hash
create-db [-aho0] [-g dl|cspdl] [-m mode] [name]
-a Turn off autocommit
-g dl|cspdl Use the AppleDL (default) or AppleCspDL
-m mode Set the file permissions to mode.
-o Force using openparams argument
-0 Force using version 0 openparams
Examples
security> create-db -m 0644 test.db
security> create-db -g cspdl -a test2.db
export [-k keychain] [-t type] [-f format] [-w] [-p format] [-P passphrase] [-o outfile]
-k keychain from which item(s) will be exported.
-t type Possible types are certs, allKeys, pubKeys, privKeys, identities, and all. The default is all. An identity consists of both a certificate and the correspond-
ing private key.
-f format of the exported data. Possible formats are openssl, bsafe, pkcs7, pkcs8,
pkcs12, x509, openssh1, openssh2, and pemseq. The default is pemseq if more than one item is being
exported. The default is openssl if one key is being exported. The default is x509 if one certifi-
cate is being exported.
-w private keys are to be wrapped on export.
-p PEM armour is to be applied to the output data.
-P passphrase wrapping passphrase immediately. The default is to obtain a secure passphrase via GUI.
-o outfile Default is to write data to stdout.
Examples
security> export -k login.keychain -t certs -o /tmp/certs.pem
security> export -k newcert.keychain -t identities -f pkcs12 -o /tmp/mycerts.p12
import inputfile [-k keychain] [-t type] [-f format] [-w] [-P passphrase] [options...]
-k keychain into which item(s) will be imported.
-t type Possible types are cert, pub, priv, session, cert, and agg.
Pub, priv, and session refer to keys; agg is one of the aggregate types (pkcs12 and PEM sequence).
The command can often figure out what item_type an item contains based in the filename and/or
item_format.
-f format of the exported data. Possible formats are openssl, bsafe, raw, pkcs7, pkcs8,
pkcs12, x509, openssh1, openssh2, and pemseq. The command can often figure out what format an item
is in based in the filename and/or item_type.
-w private keys are wrapped and must be unwrapped on import.
-x private keys are non-extractable after being imported.
-P passphrase the unwrapping passphrase immediately. The default is to obtain a secure passphrase via GUI.
-a attrName attrValue
Specify optional extended attribute name and value. Can be used multiple times. This is only valid
when importing keys.
-A Allow any application to access the imported key without warning (insecure, not recommended!)
-T appPath Specify an application which may access the imported key (multiple -T are allowed)
Examples
security> import /tmp/certs.pem -k
security> import /tmp/mycerts.p12 -t agg -k newcert.keychain
security> import /tmp/mycerts.p12 -f pkcs12 -k newcert.keychain
cms [-C|-D|-E|-S] [options...]
Encode or decode CMS messages.
-C create a CMS encrypted message
-D decode a CMS message
-E create a CMS enveloped message
-S create a CMS signed message
Decoding options:
-c content use this detached content file
-h level generate email headers with info about CMS message (output level >= 0)
-n suppress output of content
Encoding options:
-r id,... create envelope for comma-delimited list of recipients, where id can be a certificate nickname or
email address
-G include a signing time attribute
-H hash hash = MD2|MD4|MD5|SHA1|SHA256|SHA384|SHA512 (default: SHA1)
-N nick use certificate named "nick" for signing
-P include a SMIMECapabilities attribute
-T do not include content in CMS message
-Y nick include an EncryptionKeyPreference attribute with certificate (use "NONE" to omit)
-Z hash find a certificate by subject key ID
Common options:
-e envelope specify envelope file (valid with -D or -E)
-k keychain specify keychain to use
-i infile use infile as source of data (default: stdin)
-o outfile use outfile as destination of data (default: stdout)
-p password use password as key db password (default: prompt)
-s pass data a single byte at a time to CMS
-u certusage set type of certificate usage (default: certUsageEmailSigner)
-v print debugging information
Cert usage codes:
0 - certUsageSSLClient
1 - certUsageSSLServer
2 - certUsageSSLServerWithStepUp
3 - certUsageSSLCA
4 - certUsageEmailSigner
5 - certUsageEmailRecipient
6 - certUsageObjectSigner
7 - certUsageUserCertImport
8 - certUsageVerifyCA
9 - certUsageProtectedObjectSigner
10 - certUsageStatusResponder
11 - certUsageAnyCA
install-mds
Install (or re-install) the Module Directory Services (MDS) database. This is a system tool which is not normally
used by users. There are no options.
add-trusted-cert [-d] [-r resultType] [-p policy] [-a appPath] [-s policyString] [-e allowedError] [-u keyUsage] [-k
keychain] [-i settingsFileIn] [-o settingsFileOut] [-D] certFile
Add certificate (in DER or PEM format) from certFile to per-user or local Admin Trust Settings. When modifying
per-user Trust Settings, user authentication is required via an authentication dialog. When modifying admin Trust
Settings, the process must be running as root, or admin authentication is required.
Options:
-d Add to admin cert store; default is user.
-r resultType resultType = trustRoot|trustAsRoot|deny|unspecified; default is trustRoot.
-p policy Specify policy constraint (ssl, smime, codeSign, IPSec, iChat, basic, swUpdate, pkgSign, pkinit-
Client, pkinitServer, eap).
-r resultType resultType = trustRoot|trustAsRoot|deny|unspecified; default is trustRoot.
-a appPath Specify application constraint.
-s policyString
Specify policy-specific string.
-e allowedError
Specify allowed error (an integer value, or one of: certExpired, hostnameMismatch)
-u keyUsage Specify key usage, an integer.
-k keychain Specify keychain to which cert is added.
-i settingsFileIn
Input trust settings file; default is user domain.
-o settingsFileOut
Output trust settings file; default is user domain.
-D Add default setting instead of per-cert setting. No certFile is specified when using this option
Key usage codes:
-1 - Any
1 - Sign
2 - Encrypt/Decrypt Data
4 - Encrypt/Decrypt Key
8 - Sign certificate
16 - Sign revocation
32 - Key exchange
To specify more than one usage, add values together (except -1 - Any).
Examples
security> add-trusted-cert /tmp/cert.der
security> add-trusted-cert -d .tmp/cert.der
remove-trusted-cert [-d] [-D] certFile
Remove certificate (in DER or PEM format) in certFile from per-user or local Admin Trust Settings. When modifying
per-user Trust Settings, user authentication is required via an authentication dialog. When modifying admin Trust
Settings, the process must be running as root, or admin authentication is required.
Options:
-d Remove from admin cert store; default is user.
-D Remove Default Root Cert setting instead of an actual cert setting. No certFile is specified when
using this option.
dump-trust-settings [-s] [-d]
Display Trust Settings.
Options:
-s Display trusted system certs; default is user.
-d Display trusted admin certs; default is user.
user-trust-settings-enable [-d] [-e]
Display or manipulate user-level Trust Settings. With no arguments, shows the current state of the user-level Trust
Settings enable. Otherwise enables or disables user-level Trust Settings.
Options:
-d Disable user-level Trust Settings.
-e Enable user-level Trust Settings.
trust-settings-export [-s] [-d] settings_file
Export Trust Settings to the specified file.
Options:
-s Export system Trust Settings; default is user.
-d Export admin Trust Settings; default is user.
trust-settings-import [-d] settings_file
Import Trust Settings from the specified file. When modifying per-user Trust Settings, user authentication is
required via an authentication dialog. When modifying admin Trust Settings, the process must be running as root, or
admin authentication is required.
Options:
-d Import admin Trust Settings; default is user.
verify-cert [-c certFile] [-r rootCertFile] [-p policy] [-k keychain] [-d date] [-n] [-L] [-l] [-e emailAddress] [-s
sslHost] [-q]
Verify one or more certificates.
Options:
-c certFile Certificate to verify, in DER or PEM format. Can be specified more than once; leaf certificate has
to be specified first.
-r rootCertFile
Root certificate, in DER or PEM format. Can be specified more than once. If not specified, the sys-
tem anchor certificates are used. If one root certificate is specified, and zero (non-root) certifi-
cates are specified, the root certificate is verified against itself.
-p policy Specify verification policy (ssl, smime, codeSign, IPSec, iChat, basic, swUpdate, pkgSign, pkinit-
Client, pkinitServer, eap, appleID, macappstore, timestamping). Default is basic.
-k keychain Keychain to search for intermediate certs. Can be specified multiple times. Default is the current
user's keychain search list.
-d date Date to set for verification. Specified in the format of YYYY-MM-DD-hh:mm:ss (time optional). e.g:
2016-04-25-15:59:59 for April 25, 2016 at 3:59:59 pm in GMT
-n Avoid searching any keychains.
-L Use local certificates only. If an issuing CA certificate is missing, this option will avoid access-
ing the network to fetch it.
-l Specifies that the leaf certificate is a CA cert. By default, a leaf certificate with a Basic Con-
straints extension with the CA bit set fails verification.
-e emailAddress
Specify email address for the smime policy.
-s sslHost Specify SSL host name for the ssl policy.
-q Quiet, no stdout or stderr.
Examples
security> verify-cert -c applestore0.cer -c applestore1.cer -p ssl -s store.apple.com
security> verify-cert -r serverbasic.crt
authorize [-updPiew] [right...]
Authorize requested right(s). The extend-rights flag will be passed by default.
Options:
-u Allow user interaction.
-p Allow returning partial rights.
-d Destroy acquired rights.
-P Pre-authorize rights only.
-l Operate authorization in least privileged mode.
-i Internalize authref passed on stdin.
-e Externalize authref to stdout
-w Wait while holding AuthorizationRef until stdout is closed. This will allow client to read external-
ized AuthorizationRef from pipe.
Examples
security> security authorize -ud my-right
Basic authorization of my-right.
security> security -q authorize -uew my-right | security -q authorize -i my-right
Authorizing a right and passing it to another command as a way to add authorization to shell scripts.
authorizationdb read <right-name>
authorizationdb write <right-name> [allow|deny|<rulename>]
authorizationdb remove <right-name>
Read/Modify authorization policy database. Without a rulename write will read a dictionary as a plist from stdin.
Examples
security> security authorizationdb read system.privilege.admin > /tmp/aewp-def
Read definition of system.privilege.admin right.
security> security authorizationdb write system.preferences < /tmp/aewp-def
Set system.preferences to definition of system.privilege.admin right.
security> security authorizationdb write system.preferences authenticate-admin
Every change to preferences requires an Admin user to authenticate.
execute-with-privileges <program> [args...]
Execute tool with privileges. On success stdin will be read and forwarded to the tool.
leaks [-cycles] [-nocontext] [-nostacks] [-exclude symbol]
Run /usr/bin/leaks on this process. This can help find memory leaks after running certain commands.
Options:
-cycles Use a stricter algorithm (See leaks(1) for details).
-nocontext Withhold the hex dumps of the leaked memory.
-nostacks Don't show stack traces of leaked memory.
-exclude symbol
Ignore leaks called from symbol.
error [<error code(s)...>]
Display an error string for the given security-related error code. The error can be in decimal or hex, e.g. 1234 or
0x1234. Multiple errors can be separated by spaces.
ENVIRONMENT
MallocStackLogging
When using the leaks command or the -l option it's probably a good idea to set this environment variable before
security is started. Doing so will allow leaks to display symbolic backtraces.
FILES
~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.security.plist
Property list file containing the current user's default keychain and keychain search list.
/Library/Preferences/com.apple.security.plist
Property list file containing the system default keychain and keychain search list. This is used by processes
started at boot time, or those requesting to use the system search domain, such as system daemons.
/Library/Preferences/com.apple.security-common.plist
Property list file containing the common keychain search list, which is appended to every user's search list and
to the system search list.
SEE ALSO
certtool(1), leaks(1)
HISTORY
security was first introduced in Mac OS X version 10.3.
BUGS
security still needs more commands before it can be considered complete. In particular, it should someday supersede both
the certtool and systemkeychain commands.
Darwin March 1, 2012