"Other" user login issue

[gillespiegaryjon]

Last night when my Mac iOS 10 was restarted I noticed that in addition to my name login, there was an "other" login.

In my Users and Groups only my name is selected. The guest user is disabled.

There is no "other" visible in my Users and groups.

This morning I closed and re-opened my Mac and only my login is visible. The "other" login is now gone.

That seems strange. Why was there Other user login last night but not today?

I do not have remote services permission that I know of.

What should I do?

I do not see any advanced options to change root users.

 

[Shirasaki]

First your issue is likely on Mac OS X not iOS.

Second, Apple retains that "other login" when you set up a root user password I remember. That was a security suggestion though.

 

[gillespiegaryjon]

You say that my issue is Max OS X. You say that Apple retains the "other login". I am not sure what you mean by saying that this comment is a "security suggestion". What are you suggesting?

It happened again just now. My Mac closed unexpectedly and my log on and ""Other login" appeared. I turned off guest login. Wonder why "other login" appears?

 

[KALLT]

That the menu is there usually indicates that there is another account you can log into. There are many reasons why that menu might be shown there and there is no quick way to find out why.

If this happens to be the root user, then it is a potential security risk. You can exclude this possibility by opening Directory Utility (just type this into Spotlight) and in the ‘Edit’ menu there should be an option that says ‘Enable root user’. It it states ‘Disable root user’, then you should disable it.

There may be another user account present on your system that you don’t see. This doesn’t have to be unusual, some programs create additional users to manage tasks. For example, MacPorts does this. However, there is also malware that creates accounts, so it is perhaps not a bad idea to find the cause of the problem.

You can get a list of users with the following Terminal command:

dscl . -list /Users

You can cross-reference it with this list: https://pastebin.com/raw/fTQm1qDA.

 

[gillespiegaryjon]

Thanks. I open Directory Utility but don't see edit anywhere. I am in Sierra.

I typed the code into the terminal. When I cross list it, what should I look for?

 

[gillespiegaryjon]

When I cross reference my terminal code with the list everything is the same except the last few entries.

Here is the end of my list:

_windowserver

_www

_wwwproxy

_xserverdocs

daemon

garygillespie

Guest


Here is the cross reference list from link above:
_windowserver 88
_www 70
_wwwproxy 252
_xcsbuildagent 237
_xcscredserver 238
_xserverdocs 251
daemon 1
nobody -2
root 0
my_user 501
________________________

Do this look like a problem or is it OK?
[doublepost=1496709481][/doublepost]Funny now my list is showing different users about three hours later.

Here is the end of my terminal list.

_xserverdocs

daemon

garygillespie

Guest

mfe

nobody

root

Garys-MacBook-Pro:~ garygillespie$
_______________________

Should I delete mfe?

 

[KALLT]

Thanks. I open Directory Utility but don't see edit anywhere. I am in Sierra.

It is this menu:

Funny now my list is showing different users about three hours later.

Here is the end of my terminal list.

_xserverdocs

daemon

garygillespie

Guest

mfe

nobody

root

Garys-MacBook-Pro:~ garygillespie$
_______________________

Should I delete mfe?

Do you recognise this user?

 

[gillespiegaryjon]

I wonder if mfe is my McAfee scanner? In other places it is listed as McAfee Agent.

OK, so I went into Directory Utility. In edit "Enable Root User" is not highlighted so I can't open it.

You say: "You can exclude this possibility by opening Directory Utility (just type this into Spotlight) and in the ‘Edit’ menu there should be an option that says ‘Enable root user’. It it states ‘Disable root user’, then you should disable it."

No where do I see "Disable root user".

So that means it is OK, correct?
[doublepost=1496772904][/doublepost]Looks like I am OK with the root user issue, correct?