The Auto Update feature must be disabled.

From MAC OSX 10.6 Workstation Security Technical Implementation Guide

Associated with IA controls: ECSC-1

SV-38531r1_rule The Auto Update feature must be disabled.

Vulnerability discussion

By disabling automatic updates, updates can be downloaded and tested in a non production environment before they are distributed to the production workstations. This reduces the risk of accidental or malicious software updates being applied before they are properly tested.

Check content

Open a terminal session and enter the following command. softwareupdate --schedule Verify "Automatic check" is off. If the option is not off, this is a finding.

Fix text

Open a terminal session and enter the following command to disable the auto update feature. softwareupdate --schedule off

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