Ensure Protect Mail Activity in Mail Is Enabled

MediumLevel 2Manual reviewmacos

Description

Apple provides privacy protection that should be enabled for the mail app on macOS to reduce information collection from a user that receives email. Email is routinely abused by attackers, spammers and marketers. The "Protect Mail Activity" control reduces risk by hiding the current IP address of your Mac and privately downloading remote content. The Protect Mail Activity function of privately downloading remote content is not applicable for those users that do not download any remote content. Typical Internet email is no longer plain text and will not render properly without remote content. Personal email or mailing list email may function without complaint by blocking remote content.

How it is checked

Audit method: Manual review

This recommendation cannot be checked automatically. A scan lists it with these instructions when you pass --include-manual.

Graphical Method: Perform the following steps to verify that protect mail activity is enabled: 1. Open Mail 2. Select Mail in the menu bar 3. Select Settings... 4. Select Privacy 5. Verify that Protect Mail Activity is enabled

How it is fixed

Fix method: Guidance or infrastructure patch

Graphical Method: Perform the following steps to enabled protect mail activity: 1. Open Mail 2. Select Mail in the menu bar 3. Select Settings... 4. Select Privacy 5. Set Protect Mail Activity to enabled

Properties

Operating systems: macos-14
Tags: macossonoma
Reference: CIS Apple macOS 14.0 Sonoma Benchmark v3.1.0 - 6.2.1 Ensure Protect Mail Activity in Mail Is Enabled