Mac OS X 10.3: Terminal Commands That Require Authentication Unlock Other Applications

In Mac OS X Panther, Terminal commands that unlock resources and allow you to perform certain functions that you might not otherwise be able to, such as su and sudo, share the logged-in account's credentials with any application that requests them. This includes System Preference panes that are normally "locked" to the user and require authentication. If this is undesirable, you can use Fast User Switching as a workaround.

Example: A non-administrator user, such as a student in a school lab, is logged in. The user needs to perform a certain operation that requires administrator access. An administrator user, such as a teacher, opens Terminal and uses the sudo command to allow the student to perform the task. Mac OS X 10.3 differs from earlier versions of Mac OS X because the non-administrator user now has access to other resources. Among other things, this means that all System Preference panes are now unlocked for the logged-in user, regardless of the Security pane or master password settings.

To avoid sharing credentials, you can use Fast User Switching:

Enable Fast User Switching if it isn't on. Do this one time:


  1. Log in with an administrator account.
  2. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
  3. From the View menu, choose Accounts.
  4. Click the Login Options button.
  5. Select "Enable fast user switching".
  6. Create another admin user account.



Then, follow these steps whenever you need to authenticate or unlock resources via Terminal:


  1. Switch to the alternative account via the Fast User Switching menu.
  2. Do what you need to in the Terminal.
  3. Switch back to the original account.



Note: You can also reset session credentials by locking an unlocked System Preferences pane, such as Network preferences.

Published Date: Oct 11, 2016