Unleash the Power of macOS Terminal: Hidden Gems for Security and Efficiency (Part 2)

Security Bite: Down the Rabbit Hole of Neat, Lesser-Known Terminal Commands (Pt. 2)

This article dives deeper into lesser-known but useful Terminal commands for Mac users and enterprise environments. While not all commands are security-focused, they can enhance your efficiency and command line skills.

Key Features:

• Password-protect a compressed folder: Use hdiutil to create a password-protected .dmg file with AES-128 encryption, which is more secure than the outdated ZipCrypto standard used by zip -er.
• Quickly check and update software: Utilize softwareupdate commands to list available updates, install specific or all updates, and adjust the frequency of automatic checks. For example, set daily checks with defaults write com.apple.SoftwareUpdate ScheduleFrequency -int 1 and enable automatic installation of updates.
• Clear DNS cache: Manually flush the DNS cache using a series of commands to resolve connectivity issues: sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder, sudo killall mDNSResponderHelper, and sudo dscacheutil -flushcache.
• Create an ASCII art banner: Generate fun ASCII art banners with the banner -w 40 [text] command, where 40 is the width of the banner.

These commands can help you work more efficiently and securely on your Mac, whether you're a casual user or managing an enterprise fleet.