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About This Book

Secure Bash for macOS is a practical, hands-on scripting guide for administrators, security engineers, and power users who want to master Bash in a modern macOS environment.

This book teaches you how to write secure, efficient scripts, from basic shell syntax to advanced security automation, with real-world examples and macOS-specific tips throughout.

About the Author

Sammy Farida is a security architect and lifelong technologist with over a decade of experience in enterprise cybersecurity. He currently serves as a Global Solution Security Architect at PwC, where he focuses on endpoint security, automation, and secure architecture at scale. Learn more about Sammy.

Sammy is passionate about Bash scripting, macOS internals, and open-source tooling. He is known for making complex topics approachable and actionable, whether building internal tools, designing enterprise security strategies, or automating tasks across thousands of devices.

This ebook is the result of years spent writing, testing, and refining secure Bash scripts in real-world macOS environments, from personal workflows to global-scale infrastructure.

Preface

Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of securing some of the largest macOS fleets in the enterprise world. As a security engineer, I started as the macOS SME on a global security engineering team, building practical tools and processes to keep endpoints secure and users productive. I wrote countless Bash scripts to automate tasks, enforce security controls, and collect the data we needed to stay ahead of threats.

Through this work, I became a security architect, designing and delivering secure-by-default solutions at scale, but my Bash scripts were always there, saving time, reducing risk, and bridging the gap between complex security tools and the real world of end users.

With over a decade of experience in IT and extensive focus on cybersecurity, I bring deep experience securing cloud platforms, identity systems, and large-scale infrastructure. At PwC, I've led efforts to deploy and architect security controls across Azure, AWS, and macOS environments. I've implemented tools like DLP, EDR, DSPM, and PAM; enforced identity and access policies; and worked closely with engineering teams to secure both cloud and on-prem environments. I've also supported hardening of firewalls, hypervisors, and vendor-supplied systems during global rollouts.

This book is my way of sharing what I’ve learned with administrators, security engineers, and power users like you. My hope is that you’ll use these lessons and examples not just to automate tasks, but to build a security mindset into every script you write.

Let’s secure Bash together, one script at a time.

Dedication

To my wife Lisa, our children Dimitri, Lincoln, and Celine, and my godson Theodor, thank you for your love, patience, and support. This ebook would not exist without you.

How to Use This Book

This book is designed as a practical, hands-on guide. You can read it cover to cover if you are new to Bash scripting on macOS, or jump to specific chapters when you need to solve a problem or expand your skills.
Examples, exercises, and real-world use cases are included throughout to reinforce your learning.
Keep your Terminal open as you read, experimenting with the scripts is the best way to learn.

Conventions Used in This Book

To make commands, code, and examples clear and consistent, this book uses the following typographic conventions:

  • Code blocks: Fenced sections with $ to show commands you run in your Terminal.
  • Inline code: like_this to highlight commands, filenames, or paths.
  • Variables: UPPERCASE to indicate placeholders you should replace, such as $FILENAME.
  • Notes and Warnings: Important security tips, cautions, or best practices appear in callouts.

System Requirements

To follow along and run the examples in this book, you will need:

  • A Mac running a recent version of macOS (tested on macOS Sequoia v15.4)
  • Access to the Terminal app and basic command line familiarity
  • A text editor (such as nano, vim, or Visual Studio Code)
  • Administrative privileges for certain system-level scripts (optional, many examples work as standard users)
  • An MDM system like Jamf Pro, Intune, Mosyle, or Addigy (optional, for Part III enterprise automation chapters)
  • Internet connection for downloading tools, packages, and updates

Before starting, make sure your macOS is up to date and you have a safe test environment for experimenting with scripts. For enterprise automation chapters (14-22), an MDM test environment is recommended to follow along with examples.

License

This ebook is released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

This project uses a dual-license model:

Disclaimer

The opinions, examples, and recommendations in this book are my own and do not reflect the views of my current employer or any past employers. Likewise, any feedback, peer review, or contributions provided by individuals named in the Acknowledgments or Contributions sections represent their personal views and do not reflect the official positions of their respective employers. This content is provided for educational purposes only and comes with no warranty or guarantee of fitness for any specific use case.

Acknowledgments

I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who provided valuable feedback, peer review, and encouragement during the creation of this ebook. Your insights and constructive criticism made this project stronger.

Special thanks to all the reviewers who took the time to test scripts, proofread chapters, and share practical suggestions. Your names will be proudly listed in each release to recognize your contributions.

Contributions

This project is open source and thrives on community involvement.
If you find this book helpful, please consider starring the GitHub repository and sharing it with others.

I welcome contributions of all kinds such as fixes, examples, or new ideas.

To contribute, fork the repository, make your changes, and submit a pull request (PR).

I plan to automate contributor acknowledgments in the release process, so your name will be recognized in future versions.