Hidden users

I've researched the topic 'hidden users' here but all the questions seem to be about how you hide a user. I'd like to turn that round: When I used a freeware app called InforMac I found I had 24 hidden user accounts on my G5. Why? Who are these guys? Can I get rid of them? Or did I, unknowing, put them there myself?
John

Hi JTD
Who are these guys?You should have all these system users on your machine (and maybe others if you have installed other software). This lists User ID (UID), short name, and full name:
<pre>-2 nobody Unprivileged User
0 root System Administrator
1 daemon System Services
99 unknown Unknown User
26 lp Printing Services
27 postfix Postfix User
70 www World Wide Web Server
71 eppc Apple Events User
74 mysql MySQL Server
75 sshd sshd Privilege separation
76 qtss QuickTime Streaming Server
6 cyrusimap Cyrus IMAP User
78 mailman Mailman user
79 appserver Application Server
82 clamav Clamav User
83 amavisd Amavisd User
84 jabber Jabber User
85 xgridcontroller Xgrid Controller
86 xgridagent Xgrid Agent
87 appowner Application Owner
88 windowserver WindowServer
91 tokend Token Daemon
92 securityagent SecurityAgent</pre>It seems you have one more than me!
Can I get rid of them?Definitely not! Let them stay 'hidden'.

Similar Messages

ARD Hidden Users

For some reason, recently, ARD connections no longer work for hidden users. Before I had no problem accessing machines remotely as a hidden user (a user with a UID < 500 - doesn't show up in pref panes or login window). I manage a wide deployment of Macs and labs and having a user hidden is necessary in most situations.
If I unhide the user it regains all ARD access privileges and has the ability to authenticate for ARD. If I hide the user (as well as it no longer showing up in the Acc. Privs. Pane) it no longer authenticates for ARD.
Has anyone else experienced this or have a workaround/solution besides un-hiding the user I want to administer ARD on the client machine?
Mac OS X (10.4.9) Dual 1.8ghz G5/1g ; 2 Powerbook G4s 12" 1.5/1.25g ; MBPro 15" 2.16/1g ; iMac 17"

Still unresolved - but issue no longer matters to me.

How to pass hidden user/passwd to report?

Hi,
Running reports in the Web is there a way to pass hidden user/passwd to report without using the map file?

No, you either have to have the details in the map file or the URL itself. There's no other way to hide the username/password.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Jatinder
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by ehlamentavel:
Hi,
Running reports in the Web is there a way to pass hidden user/passwd to report without using the map file?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
null

Remove hidden users

i used the "dscacheutil -q user" command to list the hidden user accounts on my machine. one of them...
name: _pencomm
password: ********
uid: 216
gid: 216
dir: /var/empty
shell: /bin/bash
gecos: Livescribe Pen Communication User
was created when i installed livescribe on my machine. i've since removed livescribe, but this hidden user account remains.
how do i get rid of it?!?
thanks.

This command should delete the user:
sudo dscl . delete /Users/ _pencomm
Further queries should be made to
https://discussions.apple.com/community/mac_os/mac_os_x_technologies#/?tagSet=10 48

Hidden User and ARD and Lion not a good mix

Hi,
We have a hidden user that we use to monitor students in school. If we upgrade to Lion on the client, the hidden user account will not work anymore with ARD authentication. I can login as the hidden user, but ARD will not accept the credentials for the hidden user. Has anyone else seen this or know how we can still maintain a hidden user and use ARD?

This will get rid or your ant problem. This stuff really works. You put a few drops of the liquid on a little piece of paper and you will see TONS of them come and eat it. They take it back to their colony and it kills them all. The next day they are all gone. It's that quick.
http://www.terro.com/
-Bmer
Mac Owners Support Group
Join Us @ MacOSG.com
 An Apple User Group 
MacOSG Podcast >>
Note: I receive no compensation for product endorsements.

Help To Those Who Want To Remove Hidden Users In Mac/Macbooks

The content of removing hidden user is below! Hope it helps! If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to post a reply to your problem! I will be glad to help!
-Gabriel

How To Delete Hidden Users On Mac/Macbook
What You Will Need:
- An Administrator Account
- Terminal (Applications > Utilities > Terminal)
Steps:
- Open Terminal
- Copy this command line into terminal window (without colons) "sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow Hide500Users -bool NO"
- Hit return
- If it prompts you for password, type in your current user's PW and hit return(when you type it will be invisible so make sure you type correctly)
- Close Terminal
- Goto 'Users & Groups' (System Preferences > Users & Groups)
- You should be able to see a new user(the hidden user) under 'Other Users' section
- Click on the lock icon and type in your Administrator Username & Password to unlock it
- Click on the User(the hidden user) and press the minus icon and delete it like a normal account
Done!
If any of you guys need a PDF slides for these solution, do CLICK ME
(Link to Google Drive. Download for later offline viewing.)
If any of you guys encounter any problems, feel free to comment below I will be ready to help you!
-Gabriel

HELP! How Do I Delete Hidden Users?

i'm running 10.6.7. i have a hidden user account on my machine created by a livescribe installation. i've removed livescribe from my machine, but now want to delete the livescribe account that was created. anyone know how to do this?
ADthanksVANCE!
mark

How do you know it's a "hidden Account?"
Don't know if this will help. To show all invisible Folders:
Open terminal and copy/paste:
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool true
Reverting to the default of NOT showing hidden files:
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool false
Restart or Force Quit Finder required to take effect. Use the command
killall Finder
Or get EasyFind, set to show Invisible files, and search for it there. When you find it, try "Destroy" from EF or choose "Reveal in Finder" and move it to the Trash from there. You may need to enter your password.
http://www.devon-technologies.com/download/index.html
Message was edited by: WZZZ

Server App showing hidden users?

Hi,
I am a little familiar with 10.8 sever, have it running on a few machines, but i'm still a novice so go easy please.
I loaded up my server app today and I was greeted with this massive list of what I presume to be hidden users, not sure why they are appearing and how to turn that off? The pictures explain better what the issue is.
Many thanks in advance for any help.
Christopher

Hi Christopher,
Sometimes the solution is right in front of you but you just don't see it. It was very easy to solve:
Select the "Users" tab in the Server.app and then from the toplevel menubar select View -> Hide System Accounts
That's it!! (Must have accidentally selected it without noticing ......)
Decided to put it in this thread as well in case somobody else (or you) might stumble across this problem as well.
Jan.

How to view hidden users, add & delete?

I administer eMacs and iBooks in an elementary school setting. Ideally, having hidden users like an administrator, would clean up login page and make the system more secure. The login page would not normally display the hidden login users until required.
How do you view, add & delete hidden users?

For now, I used a Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow.plist file that has a "HideAdminUsers" command in it, and used it by simply replacing the standard com.apple.loginwindow.plist file that displays all users. Conversely, I switched them back when the task was done.
It sounds as if you used this command to modify the .plist file:
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow HideAdminUsers -boolean Yes
As an aside, it can be reversed with
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow HideAdminUsers -boolean No
I don't think there is a keystroke to show the hidden admin usernames, but you can log into a hidden admin account with just a few more keystrokes. At the login screen, press the down-arrow to highlight one of the non-admin accounts, then hold down the option key and press Return. At the next window, enter your admin username (the shortname is fine) and enter your admin password. If there is only one non-admin account in the login window, then click the back button before pressing the down-arrow key.

Help, hidden user account trouble need help

i tried to create a hidden user account using the tuturial on : http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20080127172157404&query=hidden%2Bus er%2Baccount
when i did it i restarted my computer and at login the account i created appeared i went on it then switched to my regular account and when i switched my regular account settings where messed up, first off the colour of everything on the screen was lighter than it should be and fast user switching which i had enabled was now disabled and when i enable it it doesnt work and if i close system prefs then re open it shows fast user switching off, i logged off so i could switch to the new one and when i logged on as the new one the colors where fine but i had caouple other problems, in this account fast user switching was enabled and so i switched to my original account where the problems from before still existed. i tried deleting the account by terminal typing: sudo dscl . delete /users/hidden
hidden is what i named the new account by the way. now o restarted the computer and when the login screen came up it no longer showed the new account (named hidden) so i logged onto my original account but upon logging on the problems are back.
someone please help. i dont want to but if i have to i will restore my mac but i need someone to tell me how and how to back up everything
if you dont want to go to the link this is the terminal code i originally typed to create the user account
sudo dscl . create /Users/$USERNAME
sudo dscl . create /Users/$USERNAME PrimaryGroupID 0
sudo dscl . create /Users/$USERNAME UniqueID 0
sudo dscl . create /Users/$USERNAME UserShell /bin/bash
sudo dscl . passwd /Users/$USERNAME $PASSWORD
sudo dscl . append /Groups/admin GroupMembership $USERNAME
--i replaced '$username' with hidden (the username i chode)
and i replaced '$password' with the password i chose
please through in any idea you have i am desperit!

also i downloaded the thing on that page that says "i wrote a small script to automate the process, which you can get here" (here is a link)
the download did nothing
(that i know of)
again any help would be greatly appricated

How to delete a hidden user account?

I recently installed livescribe desktop on my computer and the "other" option at the login appeared. The account is hidden, how do I delete it? Is there a way to delete it through terminal?

I found a solution to remove the "other" account that Livescribe creates. It is on their forum
http://www.livescribe.com/int/faq/support_forum.html#/forums/showthread.php?t=11 253&page=2
Under the section
To delete the hidden user account I opened Finder and looked for the following file under the following path: Macintosh HD /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow
I deleted the file and rebooted. Mac rebuilt the login users list, which will reveal the Livescribe hidden account. Login using your admin account (not the Livescribe one) and then go to System Preferences, then Accounts. You will then see the Livescribe account. Delete it like you'd delete any normal account.
This is not a very friendly install. It opens all kinds of security concerns. Livescribe should be warned, scolded, or something for doing this. They also install an adobe app (adobe air) in the process making it look like an update. this seems really sneaky and is not appreciated.
I lost many hours searching, disconnecting my mac from the net and contemplating a full reformat and reinstallation until I found this.
NOT NICE AT ALL.
At least I have gotten rid of the account now.

Strange hidden user discovered with Disk Utility

Hi Peeps
I just ran repair permisions, which I always do before installing an update, and Disk Utility showed this:
Repairing permissions for “MacProBeast”
Permissions differ on "usr/share/derby", should be drwxr-xr-x , they are lrwxr-xr-x .
Repaired "usr/share/derby".
Warning: SUID file "System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/MacOS/ARDAg ent" has been modified and will not be repaired.
Permissions repair complete
the "ARDAgent" has always been there, it's the "usr/share/derby" that concerns me, anyone else have anything like this show up in their 10.6.3?
Bobs

It's an innocuous message as are the others. Nothing to be worried about and you haven't discovered a hidden user.

Questions concerning Hidden User Accounts

Hi All,
I am considering making a hidden admin on my computer and using a standard account for daily use. This way I am less susceptible to exploits during day to day use, and if someone gets hold of my computer, they would have a harder time getting admin privileges as the admin account would be hidden.
I would also like to use Undercover to track my computer if it is stolen and I require a dummy or guest account for this. I recently set up a hidden admin account but the guest account was unable to be enabled after doing so. I suspect this is because the User ID of the Guest account is below 500 and I had set the computer to hide users with IDs below 500.
Is there are way around this? I know there is another method of hiding users, which I have not tried yet, where you add the user to the "HiddenUsersList". Perhaps it is possible to set the Guest User ID above 500?
I would like some advice before messing around with system settings, thanks

I would really suggest you don't bother with hidden admin accounts and definitely not with Undercover or any other antitheft software. despite any claims such software makers make, it VERY easy to override and most professional computer thieves know this. first, if you don't have a firmware password set then it's easy to set up a new admin account from single user mode or while booted from an install DVD. one can also erase the hard drive while booted from the install DVD or from another computer by booting yours in target mode. that will wipe any software protection you may have installed. Undercover and similar outfits will tell you that a firmware password will prevent any of that. But what they *won't tell you* is that a firmware password is easy to override given unrestricted physical access to a computer. just google it up and you'll see how. it's really not a big secret. Most stolen computers are wiped and resold within hours of theft.
as for changing UID of Guest you can try changing it to something above 500 and see what happens. I just tried it and set it to 601. seems to work ok but I wouldn't swear by it. you can experiment and see what happens. I'm changing mine back to 201.

How to view hidden user files and reset permissions

I am having difficulties getting the hidden files to appear first of all. I have tried a couple of different things that have been suggested in other posts. And I would really like a point in the right direction to find information on resetting permissions. Thanks in advance for any help.

To view hidden files, I use a third party program called Desktop Utility, takes only a few seconds to activate and have them shown. Quick and easy.
http://sweetpproductions.com/
Resetting Permissions info and How TO;
http://osxdaily.com/2011/11/15/repair-user-permissions-in-mac-os-x-lion/
When you use the Disk Utility app and Repair Permissions — it doesn’t actually repair the permission settings on folders and files in your Home folder where your documents and personal applications reside.
There is an additional Repair Permissions application utility hidden away. This tool is located inside boot Repair Utilities. Here’s how to access it.
Restart Lion and hold down the Command and R keys.
You will boot into the Repair Utilities screen. On top, in the Menu Bar click the Utilities item then select Terminal.
In the Terminal window, type resetpassword and hit Return.
The Password reset utility launches, but you’re not going to reset the password. Instead, click on the icon for your Mac’s hard drive at the top. From the drop-down below it, select the user account where you are having issues.
At the bottom of the window, you’ll see an area labeled ‘Reset Home Directory Permissions and ACLs’. Click the Reset button there.

Dscl and hidden users, how to

hi all!
could you pls help me with dscl?
I've created new user names pgsql (for postgres) with these commands:
dscl . create /Users/_pgsql
dscl . append /Users/_pgsql UserShell /bin/bash
dscl . append /Users/_pgsql UniqueID 113
dscl . append /Users/_pgsql PrimaryGroupID 113
dscl . append /Users/_pgsql NFSHomeDirectory /usr/local/pgsql/
dscl . append /Users/_pgsql RealName "PostgreSQL Server"
dscl . append /Users/_pgsql RecordName pgsql
how i can make this account hidden (like _www for instance)? I've added it to hidden list to hide from login window, but it is not the same as for _www you know.

Many people using the Shared Folder find that they have permissions issues which mean that they 'other' user can't see some part of the Library. Therefore, if you want to share the Library in that way it's best moved to an external disk formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and set to ignore ownership and permissions.
can both users add photos from their iPhones via iPhoto on their respective accounts and have the new photos show up on the other users iPhoto app?
Yes.
would the newly added photos sharing be automaticall be set to the folder sharing settings? ie, view and edit for both users?
Yes.
if i edit the photos with say photoshop, will the changes show up in iphoto?
If you set this up corrrectly - You can set Photoshop (or any image editor) as an external editor in iPhoto. (Preferences -> General -> Edit Photo: Choose from the Drop Down Menu.) This way, when you double click a pic to edit in iPhoto it will open automatically in Photoshop or your Image Editor, and when you save it it's sent back to iPhoto automatically. This is the only way that edits made in another application will be displayed in iPhoto.
You will need to do this in both accounts.
would timemachine back the data up automatically?
TM can be set to back up externals. There are other options too, of course.
when I upgrade to a new computer will everything work the same.
Yes. Just plug in the extenal and point iPhoto at the external from the new machine.
Regards
TD

Hidden users

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