Disable Siri

What the Siri Disabler does

This Automox Worklet™ disables Siri and all associated voice assistant features on macOS endpoints. The Worklet targets the primary Siri functionality through the com.apple.assistant.support preference domain and then disables related features including Hey Siri voice activation, lock screen access, and status menu visibility through the com.apple.Siri preference domain.

The Worklet processes every user account on the endpoint by iterating through the /Users directory and modifying preference files for each user. This system-wide approach prevents any user from activating Siri regardless of their account privileges.

When settings are updated for the currently logged-in user, the Worklet restarts the cfprefsd and SystemUIServer processes to immediately apply changes without requiring a system restart.

Why disable Siri in enterprise environments

Voice-activated assistants introduce data exfiltration risks in environments handling sensitive information. Siri transmits voice queries and contextual data to Apple servers for processing, creating potential exposure of confidential business information, customer data, or protected health information.

Organizations subject to compliance frameworks like HIPAA, PCI-DSS, or SOC 2 often prohibit voice-activated assistants in workspaces where regulated data is discussed or displayed. Accidental activation during meetings, phone calls, or screen sharing sessions can capture and transmit information that violates data handling requirements.

Disabling Siri reduces the attack surface on managed endpoints by eliminating a network-connected service that continuously monitors audio input. This prevents unauthorized users from accessing Siri from the lock screen to query endpoint information, send messages, or interact with other services without authentication.

How Siri disabling works

1. Evaluation phase: The Worklet scans all user home directories in /Users and checks the Assistant Enabled key in each user's com.apple.assistant.support.plist file. If any user account has this value set to 1 (enabled), the Worklet triggers remediation.

2. Remediation phase: The Worklet sets Assistant Enabled to false in the com.apple.assistant.support.plist file for each affected user. It then disables three additional Siri features by setting LockscreenEnabled, StatusMenuVisible, and VoiceTriggerUserEnabled to false in the com.apple.Siri.plist file. For the currently logged-in user, the Worklet sends a HUP signal to cfprefsd and terminates SystemUIServer to apply changes immediately.

Siri disabling requirements

• macOS endpoints with Siri support (macOS 10.12 Sierra or later)

• Automox agent with sufficient privileges to modify user preference files

• Root or administrator access to execute sudo commands as each user

• Write access to /Users/[username]/Library/Preferences/ directories

• FixNow compatible for immediate deployment

Expected endpoint state after Siri disabling

After remediation completes, Siri becomes completely disabled for all user accounts on the endpoint. Users cannot activate Siri through keyboard shortcuts, menubar icons, or voice commands. The Hey Siri voice trigger stops listening for activation phrases.

The Siri icon disappears from the macOS menu bar and the lock screen no longer displays a Siri access button. Users attempting to enable Siri through System Preferences find the Assistant Enabled setting remains disabled. The changes persist across user logouts and system restarts until administratively re-enabled.

How to validate disable siri changes

1. Run this Worklet on a pilot macOS endpoint and review evaluation output for disable siri.

2. Confirm Automox activity logs show successful completion and exit code 0.

3. Verify endpoint state using checks aligned to evaluation script logic, such as exit, else.

4. Validate remediation effects from script operations such as sudo, killall, else, then rerun evaluation for compliance.