Is there a way I can give Read & Write permissions to myself for System files on Mac OSX 10.11.2

Question

I changed Macintosh HD file so it has read and write permissions for myself. Inside the Macintosh HD file I want to change the System file so it also has read and write permissions for myself. When I try to do this I get an error saying

"The operation can’t be completed because you don’t have the necessary permission."

How do I get around this so I have permission?

I do have administrator access to the computer.

Solution

El Capitan has a new feature called System Integrity Protection, which restricts what you can do even with admin or root access (see this apple.se question. Among other things, it prevents you from modifying /System.

It is possible to turn it off (again, see that other question), but it's generally a bad idea. You shouldn't be modifying /System without really good reason. Local customizations should generally be made in /Library instead (that's more or less what it's there for).

Comments

[Daniel B]

That sounds like a terrible idea. What are you actually trying to do? Also, please restore a backup. Altering these permissions compromises security.

[blembo]

drwxr-xr-x@ 4 root wheel 136 Dec 16 10:17 System. When I do 'sudo chmod g+w System' it asks for my password and then says >chmod: Unable to change file mode on System: Operation not permitted

[Hastur]

For sure sudo /bin/bash is more safe than sudo bash (from the point of view of a trojan). BTW, if it works, why not directly sudo /bin/chmod -R g+w /System ?

[Ian Ellis]

You must work in security with max paranoia setting :) Doing direct sudo would achieve the same thing - testing whether user is an admin - sudo bash is quicker to type. Could have suggested running groups - looking for wheel and/or admin groups - but just adds complication.

[Robino]

User has admin rights but will still encounter this issue.

[Leon]

This doesn't answer the question. Why is the main admin account blocked from sharing the hard drive with itself?

[Gordon Davisson]

@Leon Are you asking why Apple added this restriction? If so, it's to prevent malware from modifying the system; there's no technical way to tell the difference between malware running as you doing things you don't intend vs. non-malicious software running as you making system changes you do intend, so it has to just block all system changes, no matter what user ID they're running uder.