Understanding macOS Security Compliance Project (mSCP): From the basics

As we know, today, corporate devices are not restricted to major desktop/laptop operating systems like Windows. Businesses today also rely on macOS devices for daily operations. But ensuring consistent security configurations across a fleet of Macs can be challenging. 

Why? Because more devices mean more gateways to security threats and compliance breaches. 

Now you might wonder, is there a consolidated framework that IT admins can follow to secure macOS devices, ensuring compliance with existing industry standards and government regulations? Yes, macOS Security Compliance Project (mSCP).

So, let’s get right into the details.

What is macOS Security Compliance Project (mSCP)

The macOS Security Compliance Project is a standardized, programmable framework for macOS hardening. In essence, it unifies the work of multiple standards bodies into a single project, simplifying compliance. As the official documentation notes, mSCP is an “open source effort to provide a programmatic approach to generating security guidance” for macOS. Mapping known security controls to automated configurations helps organizations keep Macs secure and audit-ready under various compliance requirements.

What is the purpose of mSCP

macOS Security Compliance Project generates the necessary security artifacts to harden macOS’ security. It takes a chosen baseline (for example, the CIS Benchmark or a NIST standard) and automatically produces the implementation deliverables, such as: 

• customized compliance documentation 
• audit checklists 
• configuration profiles 
• scripts for logging or remediation. 

For example, Apple’s guidance explains that mSCP can be used to output the deliverables as mentioned above based on the baseline use case. In practice, you select a security framework, and mSCP’s YAML rule library and Python tools parse the controls to output everything an administrator needs to apply and verify those settings. This means admins don’t write policies manually; mSCP provides tested blueprints that map each rule to real macOS settings.

Who developed the macOS Security Compliance Project

mSCP is a joint open-source effort led by the U.S. government and security organizations. The key regulatory bodies that contributed to this project include:

• NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) – The lead agency behind SP 800-219 (the formal guidance implementing mSCP). 
• NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) – Brought in system-hardening expertise from its security staff.
• DISA (Defense Information Systems Agency) – Provided the official macOS Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) for Apple devices.
• LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory) – Contributed cybersecurity research and validation for macOS controls.
• Others: The effort includes security staff from Idaho and Lawrence Livermore National Labs, the U.S. State Department, contractor Leidos, and the Center for Internet Security (CIS).

In short, mSCP is built by a coalition of federal IT security staff and volunteers from agencies that create or use security standards. Apple even links to mSCP on its security certifications site to acknowledge the project’s official status.

What problem does mSCP aim to solve?

The goal was to streamline and unify macOS compliance across many regulations. Before mSCP, agencies writing Mac security guidance had to work independently, duplicating effort for each new macOS release or standard. 

mSCP was created to consolidate those efforts, which means the project supports multiple security guides and regulated industry policies through one library of controls. By mapping every control against every supported framework, the project simplifies, radically accelerates annual security updates, and reduces redundant work. 

In other words, it provides one structured compliance framework so that (for example) a new macOS feature only needs to be evaluated once and then propagated to all baselines.

mSCP explicitly supports a wide range of authoritative baselines. For example, it includes controls and templates for:

• CIS Benchmarks: macOS CIS Level 1 and Level 2 hardening guides. 
• CIS Critical Security Controls (v8): Modern cybersecurity control framework. 
• NIST SP 800-53 (Rev. 5): Federal Information Systems controls (High/Moderate/Low)
• NIST SP 800-171 (Rev. 2): Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information on nonfederal systems. 
• DISA STIG: Apple macOS 14 (Security Technical Implementation Guide). 
• CNSSI 1253: Security categorization and control selection for national security systems (High/Moderate/Low). 

The macOS Security Compliance Project includes all these frameworks. It ensures that federal and industry standards are automatically incorporated. The Apple documentation confirms that mSCP maps controls against any security guide the project supports. It generates outputs that can be used in conjunction with management and security tools to achieve compliance.

But, who is mSCP exactly for?

mSCP is for any organization that needs to secure macOS devices in alignment with government regulations or industry standards. In practice, this includes

running Macs with strict security requirements. 

NIST explicitly notes that SP 800-219 (mSCP) provides resources for system administrators, security professionals, security policy authors, information security officers, and auditors to secure macOS in an automated way. The project’s objective is to support any organization, such as a government, enterprise, or educational institution, to adhere to security compliance frameworks and policies. 

To sum up, mSCP is for Mac admins and security teams, especially in regulated environments, who must demonstrate compliance with standards like CIS Controls, NIST, GDPR, HIPAA, FISMA, CMMC, and more.

4 reasons to consider adopting mSCP

Using mSCP brings significant benefits such as: it standardizes hardening across your fleet, makes audits easier, and improves security by relying on vetted controls. Because mSCP is built from authoritative sources (NIST, CIS, DISA, etc.), the settings it generates are pre-tested and validated. Apple notes that these mSCP baselines produce output that can be fed directly into management tools to achieve compliance. In practice, this means:

Benefit 1. Faster baseline creation 

Instead of manually researching each security control, admins can instantly generate complete configuration profiles, checklists, and remediation scripts. The GitHub project “can be used as a resource to easily create customized security baselines” via its library of atomic actions.

Benefit 2. Audit readiness

mSCP produces documentation and SCAP (Security Content Automation Protocol) content that auditors recognize. For example, the project even supports generating SCAP 1.3 data from its baselines. This means you can quickly show proof of compliance against your chosen standard.

Benefit 3. Reduced errors 

Since the controls are curated by expert compliance organizations, there’s less chance of missing a step or misconfiguring a setting. Every rule in mSCP is mapped to a compliance requirement, so nothing falls through the cracks.

Benefit 4. Stronger security

By following industry-leading guidelines and CIS benchmarks, your Macs will have a more hardened configuration than a typical ad-hoc setup. The automated approach also allows you to update settings quickly when new macOS versions appear.

In short, mSCP saves time and effort. It turns compliance from an open-ended task into a repeatable, automated process using government-approved settings. You can refer to Apple’s official support documentation for further understanding. 

Let’s understand how mSCP works under the hood

macOS Security Compliance Project is basically a GitHub-based toolkit built on standard technologies. mSCP’s repository consists of YAML files defining the rules and profiles, and Python scripts that parse them. 

Every security setting is broken into an “atomic action”, a single configuration step, with metadata linking it to the relevant control ID. When you want to produce a baseline, you choose one of the supported frameworks and run the mSCP scripts. The tools read the YAML rule definitions and generate outputs such as:

• Configuration profiles: MobileConfig files that can be deployed via an MDM to set preferences and restrictions.
• Audit scripts: Bash or shell scripts that scan the system and report compliance.
• Remediation scripts: Fix scripts to automatically turn off or on the required features.
• Documentation: Human-readable checklists and guides (often in HTML or PDF) showing which controls are met or require action.

The project’s GitHub structure reflects this design. It has folders like /rules, /sections, and /scripts, plus a versioned file (VERSION.yaml) tracking macOS versions. Importantly, mSCP maintains OS-specific branches. For example, there are separate branches for macOS 13, 14, etc., each containing rules tuned to that release. 

The repository itself advises working off one of the OS branches, rather than the main branch. This ensures you use controls compatible with your macOS version. In practice, an admin might check out the “macOS_14” branch, run the provided Python tool (mscp.py), and then receive a set of profiles, scripts, and reports tailored to macOS 14.

But what does a mSCP deployment look like…

Deploying mSCP baselines typically involves five simple steps:

Step 1. Generate a baseline: On a Mac or admin workstation, run the mSCP scripts to select the desired security guide (for example, CIS Level 1 or NIST High) and generate the output. This creates profile payloads, audit logs, and documentation.

Step 2. Deploy to devices: Use a device management solution like Scalefusion UEM to push the generated configuration profiles and scripts to manage Macs. For instance, you might upload the device profiles and assign them to your Mac device group.

Step 3. Audit compliance: On each Mac, run the mSCP compliance script or use built-in MDM sensors to verify which settings are in place. The script will report any deviations from the baseline.

Step 4. Remediate issues: For non-compliant settings, mSCP can provide remediation scripts or MDM commands. Some admins use orchestration tools to auto-fix drifts. You apply fixes and re-run the audit as needed.

Step 5. Monitor and iterate: Regularly re-audit to catch any drift over time and re-generate baselines when new macOS versions come out.

But the exciting part is that this process can be automated. For example, mSCP can output SCAP 1.3 files (for vulnerability scanners) to automate compliance checks. Once the baseline is in place, integration with management tools makes ongoing enforcement and reporting straightforward. The mSCP documentation emphasizes that its outputs are intended to be used in conjunction with management and security tools to achieve compliance.

Why mSCP is essential for MacAdmins

For MacAdmins, mSCP offers operational simplicity and alignment with regulations. Key advantages include:

1. Consistency at scale: mSCP enforces a uniform policy across all Macs, eliminating configuration drift. Instead of checking or setting each device manually, you deploy the same vetted profiles to everyone.

2. Regulatory alignment: Since mSCP is based on NIST, CIS, and DISA standards, using it ensures your organization automatically aligns with federal requirements. In fact, U.S. procurement rules (FAR 39.101) mandate using NIST’s vetted configurations. mSCP effectively provides those common security configurations for macOS.

3. Audit and reporting: The project produces detailed reports and documentation that match auditors’ expectations. You can demonstrate exactly which controls are met, saving hours of evidence-gathering.

4. Reduced workload: By providing pre-built compliance logic, MacAdmins avoid reinventing the wheel. The project’s wiki notes that system administrators can simply choose individual actions or a complete guide to generate baseline documentation, configuration profile payloads, and scripts. This plugs directly into fleet management workflows.

5. Vendor integration: Many MDM/UEM solutions now support mSCP outputs natively. Even if not, modern tools can deploy the configuration profiles and scripts that mSCP generates. This means MacAdmins don’t need to cobble together compliance policies from scratch, mSCP plus an MDM like Scalefusion handles it well. 

Overall, this results in reduced complexity for MacAdmins. mSCP provides one source of truth for macOS security policies, making large-scale device management and audit preparation much easier and faster.

Bonus: Key mSCP best practices for MacAdmins

A few caveats and best practices are important when using macOS Security Compliance Project:

• Use the correct OS branch: Always work in the mSCP branch matching your macOS version e.g. Big Sur, Sonoma, etc. Controls may differ between releases, so using the wrong branch could produce invalid settings.
• Test before wide rollout: Many hardening actions, especially strict CIS Level 2 rules, can disable features or change user experience. Always apply new baselines in a test environment to identify any unexpected side effects.
• Prerequisites: Running mSCP’s generation scripts requires a Python environment. Ensure you meet any dependency requirements listed in the reprofile under the name  ‘requirements.txt’.
• Deploying the scripts: mSCP outputs (profiles and scripts) are inert until deployed. You need a way to push them to Macs – either via an MDM like Scalefusion or by manually installing profiles on each device.
• Custom tailoring: mSCP is flexible. You don’t have to apply every rule. Let’s say your organization uses macOS devices exclusively and doesn’t rely on FileVault for disk encryption (which is specific to Windows). The control Ensure BitLocker is enabled for all drives wouldn’t apply to your setup. With mSCP’s flexible YAML configuration, you can simply exclude this control. This is powerful, but means administrators should understand the settings being enabled.
• Version updates: Keep an eye on mSCP updates. The project regularly adds rules for new macOS releases or updated frameworks. You may need to regenerate baselines each year or when Apple ships a major OS update.

As MacAdmins you must follow the documentation and testing carefully to avoid pitfalls. The official guidance and community tutorials stress that mSCP is a tool to support your process, but it doesn’t magically replace careful rollout and maintenance.

How does Scalefusion help you stay mSCP-ready?

Scalefusion is a unified endpoint management solution that complements mSCP in the following ways:

1. Built-in compliance policies

Scalefusion, with its Veltar’s Automated Compliance feature, includes prebuilt CIS Level 1 benchmarks for macOS. This aligns directly with one of mSCP’s standard baselines. With Scalefusion, you achieve security excellence with prebuilt CIS Level 1 compliance for your Mac fleet with ease. This means many of the same settings in an mSCP CIS baseline can be enforced natively.

2. Continuous monitoring

Scalefusion continuously tracks whether devices comply with policy. It provides continuous visibility into device compliance so you see immediately if a Mac drifts out of the mSCP-recommended state. This closed-loop monitoring saves admins from manual compliance checks.

3. Automated remediation

When a device falls out of compliance, Scalefusion can auto-remediate based on your rules. For example, if a configuration profile got removed or a setting is changed, IT can reapply the profile or run a fix script remotely from a unified dashboard without end-user intervention. This automation keeps your Macs in line with the mSCP baseline without constant manual fixes.

4. Apple-native controls

Scalefusion’s controls are designed for macOS in a way that no third-party agents are needed. This means it can enforce granular settings (like those from mSCP) directly via Apple’s built-in management APIs. 

For example, Scalefusion lets you push custom configuration profiles or scripts to devices on demand. Any profile or shell script output by mSCP can be deployed instantly to your Mac fleet through Scalefusion’s console.

5. Reporting and audit support

Scalefusion generates detailed compliance reports and logs. You can combine this with mSCP’s audit checklist to provide evidence for auditors. The audit-ready guidance promise of Veltar means you have documented proof of which CIS/mSCP controls are satisfied and the ones which are not.

In effect, Scalefusion does the heavy lifting of deploying and enforcing the mSCP rules you generate. You get a turnkey compliance framework: you just use mSCP to define what must be secure, and let Scalefusion handle enforcing and monitoring it at scale.

Be mSCP ready: The Scalefusion way!

The macOS Security Compliance Project is the definitive way to standardize Mac hardening to accepted baselines. By leveraging mSCP, organizations adopt a structured, expert-driven compliance framework. 

But pairing mSCP with Scalefusion’s management platform makes things practical: you can generate secure baselines and then automate deployment, monitoring, and remediation across your Mac fleet. 

Net result: A stronger security posture and audit-readiness with less manual effort.

To put mSCP into action, consider using Scalefusion’s macOS management solution to push any mSCP-generated profiles or scripts instantly. Get Veltar in addition for CIS compliance automation.