Disable USB C port of MacBook Air (M1, 2020)

[ajithprabha]

Dear Team,

I have a new MacBook Air (M1, 2020). MacOS BigSur, Version 11.4

I am looking help on disabling the USBC port only for External Storage like External Hard Disk/ Flsh Drive. The system doesn't allow me to disable port, I am suspecting because if I disable the port, the charging won't happen. So if anybody os having any idea, please help me to block that particular protocol of USB port.

Thank you

 

[chscag]

Welcome to our forums.

Why do you want to disable the USB-C port for external storage? Anyway, it can't be done for the reason you gave.

 

[pm-r]

Why do you want to disable the USB-C port for external storage?

I wonder if they will reply with an answer as I would love to know their reason as well...


- Patrick
=======

 

[ajithprabha]

Welcome to our forums.

Why do you want to disable the USB-C port for external storage? Anyway, it can't be done for the reason you gave.

Dear Chscag,

Mainly due to security reason. Its not for my personal laptop. This I want to implement in our company infra it is the requirement for data breach.

I have tried with the links provided in all google and one Apple support personal also tried but its not successful.I am suspecting this is having only two USB-C ports, for all external connections as well as charging.

If we can do anything at system level through protocol ? We can see in Windows USB port is disabled for external drives, but we can charge our mobile and use Keyboard and mouse. Same way.

 

[ajithprabha]

I wonder if they will reply with an answer as I would love to know their reason as well...


- Patrick
=======

Dear Patrick,
Reason is simple, we don't want people to copy the data from MAC to any external devices. Thanks

 

[chscag]

Reason is simple, we don't want people to copy the data from MAC to any external devices. Thanks

Then, you're going about it the wrong way. Password protect the MacBook Air M1 so that only authorized personnel have access. You can even use encryption. And there are other ways to provide internal security. Trying to do it the hardware way is simply not going to work.

 

[pm-r]

Dear Patrick,
Reason is simple, we don't want people to copy the data from MAC to any external devices. Thanks

chscag has already suggested a few recommended ways of protecting your data so I won't bother repeating them here.

But you could even keep your critical data in an invisible folder that a would-be thief couldn't even see or be able to find. Not exactly high-tech but it can work very well and be quite secure.

So lots of various alternative ways to keep all your data Safe and Secure without trying to mess about with disabling various connection ports etc. that just won't work anyway.

Good luck.


- Patrick
=======

 

[rman]

you may be able to achieve this by working in the unix environment. i don't have my system near at this time, so i can not do any checking. you will need to find the device and then disable it. not sure if there is more to it for the charging part of it. just a thought thou.

 

[ajithprabha]

chscag has already suggested a few recommended ways of protecting your data so I won't bother repeating them here.

But you could even keep your critical data in an invisible folder that a would-be thief couldn't even see or be able to find. Not exactly high-tech but it can work very well and be quite secure.

So lots of various alternative ways to keep all your data Safe and Secure without trying to mess about with disabling various connection ports etc. that just won't work anyway.

Good luck.


- Patrick
=======

Dear Patrick,

Here there is no point of invisible folder and all. In this MAC, the employees are working and those data (their data) we are restricting to copy to external drive.
Thanks
Ajith

 

[BobHas]

Then, you're going about it the wrong way. Password protect the MacBook Air M1 so that only authorized personnel have access. You can even use encryption. And there are other ways to provide internal security. Trying to do it the hardware way is simply not going to work.

Is the point to keep the authorized user from copying out (and maybe even in?)

 

[pm-r]

Is the point to keep the authorized user from copying out (and maybe even in?)

That seems to be the main reason according to their Post #5 where they stated:

Reason is simple, we don't want people to copy the data from MAC to any external devices. Thanks

I guess I was always Lucky in my employment days and I was always trusted to do the right thing by my employer, especially if I was told not to do something.

And it would not have mattered even if we didn't have or use portable computers back in my working life days.


- Patrick
=======

 

[BobHas]

That seems to be the main reason according to their Post #5 where they stated:



I guess I was always Lucky in my employment days and I was always trusted to do the right thing by my employer, especially if I was told not to do something.

And it would not have mattered even if we didn't have or use portable computers back in my working life days.


- Patrick
=======

And it isn't just copying out. Bringing in is also a concern of course. As I recall that was the path that got to the Iranian centrifuges.

 

[MacInWin]

I wonder if it could be done with a profile. Use a configuration profile editor maybe? Set it up to prevent any writing to the USB port? iMazing has an editor. Never used it but might be worth looking at: iMazing Profile Editor | Create, Edit, and Sign Apple Configuration Profiles

There are others out there.

 

[pm-r]

iMazing has an editor. Never used it but might be worth looking at: iMazing Profile Editor | Create, Edit, and Sign Apple Configuration Profiles

Quite interesting, and I never realized there was such a thing available or even possible to get working.

I thought apples OS's were locked down too much or well for such software to be able to work. Nice to earn something new every day...


- Patrick
=======

 

[tomg35]

Dear Chscag,

Mainly due to security reason. Its not for my personal laptop. This I want to implement in our company infra it is the requirement for data breach.

I have tried with the links provided in all google and one Apple support personal also tried but its not successful.I am suspecting this is having only two USB-C ports, for all external connections as well as charging.

If we can do anything at system level through protocol ? We can see in Windows USB port is disabled for external drives, but we can charge our mobile and use Keyboard and mouse. Same way.

This is quite a common feature in many industries today, whereby the majority of users are not able to use removable devices with their machines at all, not just the ability to write too.
Only selected staff have this capability.
Admittedly they were all in the Windows environment but as others have suggested maybe the user profile can be tweaked?

Sadly the days of trusting staff has gone, mainly by the lure of money for data.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

You are doing this entirely the wrong way, you do NOT restrict access on the specific device itself but rather you use an endpoint manager like InTune or any of the various other options that are out there.

Then you set up a profile which allows you to set up restrictions like what devices you want to allow access through USB like just flash drives, external drives or completely restrict access to any USB device like keyboard/mouse and so on.