AuthorizationExecuteWithPrivileges | Apple Developer
Documentation
Archived: 2026-04-05 13:51:32 UTC
Discussion
This function enables you to execute the tool you specify in the pathToTool parameter as a separate, privileged
process. The new process will run with root privileges regardless of the privileges of the invoking process. The
new process can retrieve the authorization reference by calling the function AuthorizationCopyPrivileged
Reference . The arguments you pass in the arguments parameter are relayed to the new process’s argv
parameter. A set of file descriptors is linked to the new process’s standard input and output so that your process
may communicate with the new process.
To check if the user is authorized to perform this operation, you should preauthorize the kAuthorizationRight
Execute right. See AuthorizationItem for a description of what information is included in the authorization
item for this right.
Special Considerations
You should use this function only to allow installers to run as root and to allow a setuid tool to repair its
setuid bit if lost. This function works only if the Security Server establishes proper authorization.
This function poses a security concern because it will indiscriminately run any tool or application, severely
increasing the security risk. You should avoid the use of this function if possible. One alternative is to split your
code into two parts—the application and a setuid tool. The application invokes the setuid tool using standard
methods. The setuid tool can then perform the privileged operations. If the tool loses its setuid bit, use the
AuthorizationExecuteWithPrivileges function to repair it. Factoring your program minimizes the use of this
function and reduces the risk of harm. Read Inside macOS: Performing Privileged Operations With Authorization
Services.
Note that this function respects the setuid bit, if it is set. That is, if the tool you are executing has its setuid bit set
and its owner set to foo, the tool will be executed with the user foo’s privileges, not root privileges. To ensure that
your call to the AuthorizationExecuteWithPrivileges function works as intended, make sure the setuid bit of
the tool you wish to execute is cleared before calling AuthorizationExecuteWithPrivileges to execute the tool.
Source: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/1540038-authorizationexecutewithprivileg
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/security/1540038-authorizationexecutewithprivileg
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