• Mac OS X,  Mac OS X Server,  Mac Security

    Programatically Manage Fingerprints in OS X

    Apple recently introduced a laptop with the same fingerprint technology found in an iPhone as well as a T-1 chip to take the sapphire Touch ID sensor information and store it securely, non-reversibly(ish), on the machine. OS X 10.12 now comes with a tool that can manage the fingerprints, stored as keys, on the device. The bioutil command is simple to use, with a few options that are mostly useful for enabling different features of the new technology. Let’s get started by enabling the unlock option, using the -r option to see if Touch ID is enabled for the current user and -s to check the system as well: bioutil…

  • Apple Configurator,  iPhone

    Disable iOS Initial Device Activation Options Using Apple Configurator 2

    One of the things that Apple Configurator 2, or an MDM solution, can do to make large-scale iOS deployments easier is to disable some of the screens displayed to users during the initial setup of an iOS device. This is critical when trying to get to a zero-touch deployment. On a DEP-based device, most of these steps would be disabled by your MDM solution. However, on a non-DEP-based device, these options would be disabled on the iOS device directly. To disable the initial configuration screens during activation on an iPhone or iPad and therefore require less steps during the setup of devices, first plug a device into Apple Configurator. Then, right-click…