Re:Use Touch ID for Sudo on Mac
by superkuh on Monday March 01, 2021 @04:26PM
(#26308646)
You still have to provide a password. Fingerprints are not passwords. They are usernames.
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This is correct only in the instance that a biometric is stored on the host.
In TouchID, the biometric is stored only in the secure enclave, and is used to generate a private key signature, which serves as the password.
Additionally, it's always possible to reset TouchID to an unauthenticated state, where it will refuse a fingerprint read until the password is typed in.
There's no sense cargo-culting this bit of conventional wisdom without understanding where it comes from, and what sort of attacks it is meant to prevent.
Technically you are correct and I used to complain about this myself for years. But it seems like at least for consumers they’re often content to have authentication equal authorization so I feel like mostly this battle has been lost in the consumer space.
huh? fingerprints are not 'usernames' (you don't just provide a 'username' for an applepay authorization for example).
and yes, adding this in you do _not_ have to type out your sudo password and can grant permissions using only touch id.