DEX policies for macOS

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of DEX Policies for macOS

    DEX policies for macOS establish guidelines to ensure consistent, secure application usage, reducing the risk of data breaches and enhancing data quality and application performance. These policies facilitate the collection of metrics from macOS devices and applications, promoting efficient data handling within ServiceNow.

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    Key Features

    • Sudoers Configuration: Defines commands that the servicenow user can execute with sudo privileges, allowing automated scripts to run without a password prompt. This includes various system commands and scripts essential for data collection.
    • Application Metrics Collection: Policies like DEX Mac Apps Metrics gather application-related data, such as CPU usage, memory usage, and crash reports, at a specified frequency.
    • Device Metrics Collection: DEX Mac Device Metrics policies collect comprehensive system metrics, including uptime and network details, ensuring data is sent to ServiceNow at regular intervals for analysis.
    • Change Detection: Features that monitor changes in user login status or device configurations, allowing for real-time data updates.

    Key Outcomes

    Implementing these DEX policies enables organizations to maintain a secure and compliant environment for macOS applications. Customers can expect improved visibility into application and device performance, helping to identify potential issues before they impact operations. Additionally, ensuring timely data collection supports informed decision-making and enhances overall IT efficiency.

    Policies for macOS are guidelines and rules to promote that the application is used in a consistent, secure, and conforming manner. DEX policies your organization to reduce the risk of data breaches, improve data quality and accuracy, and optimize application performance and availability.

    For macOS systems, to retrieve the entire data, include the subsequent content to /private/etc/sudoers.d/_servicenow.

    # ServiceNow Agent Collector - Sudoers Configuration for macOS
    
    # Command alias for ServiceNow allowed commands
    # These commands can be executed by the _servicenow user with sudo privileges
    Cmnd_Alias SN_ALLOWED = /usr/bin/powermetrics, \
                            /usr/bin/mdls, \
                            /usr/bin/log, \
                            /usr/bin/log show *, \
                            /bin/kill, \
                            /usr/bin/defaults, \
                            /usr/local/bin/jamf, \
                            /bin/rm, \
                            /bin/ls, \
                            /usr/bin/pgrep, \
                            /usr/bin/find, \
                            /usr/bin/pmset, \
                            /usr/bin/open, \
                            /Library/Application\ Support/servicenow/agent-client-collector/cache/acc-dex-modules/bin/scripts/sudo/app_freeze.sh, \
                            /Library/Application\ Support/servicenow/agent-client-collector/cache/acc-dex-modules/bin/scripts/sudo/zscaler_zpa_reconnect.sh, \
                            /Library/Application\ Support/servicenow/agent-client-collector/cache/acc-dex-modules/bin/scripts/sudo/clear_google_chrome_browsing_data.sh, \
                            /Library/Application\ Support/servicenow/agent-client-collector/cache/acc-dex-modules/bin/scripts/sudo/services.sh, \
                            /Library/Application\ Support/servicenow/agent-client-collector/cache/acc-dex-modules/bin/scripts/sudo/restart_service.sh *, \
                            /Applications/Zscaler/Zscaler.app/Contents/PlugIns/zscli, \
                            /Library/Application\ Support/servicenow/agent-client-collector/cache/acc-dex-modules/bin/scripts/sudo/elevate_temporary_admin.sh
    
    # ServiceNow user permissions
    # _servicenow user can run osqueryi and all SN_ALLOWED commands without password
    # SETENV allows environment variables to be preserved
    _servicenow ALL=NOPASSWD: SETENV: /Library/Application\ Support/servicenow/agent-client-collector/cache/osquery/bin/osqueryi *, SN_ALLOWED
    
    # Defaults for _servicenow user
    # !requiretty: Allow sudo without a TTY (required for automated scripts)
    Defaults:_servicenow !requiretty
    Cmnd_Alias SN_ALLOWED = /usr/bin/powermetrics, /usr/bin/mdls, /usr/bin/log, /bin/kill, /usr/bin/defaults, /usr/local/bin/jamf, /bin/rm, /bin/ls, /usr/bin/pgrep, /usr/bin/find, /usr/bin/pmset, /usr/bin/open, /Library/Application\ Support/servicenow/agent-client-collector/cache/acc-dex-modules/bin/scripts/sudo/app_freeze.sh, /Library/Application\ Support/servicenow/agent-client-collector/cache/acc-dex-modules/bin/scripts/sudo/zscaler_zpa_reconnect.sh, /Library/Application\ Support/servicenow/agent-client-collector/cache/acc-dex-modules/bin/scripts/sudo/clear_google_chrome_browsing_data.sh, /bin/sh /Library/Application\ Support/servicenow/agent-client-collector/cache/acc-dex-modules/bin/scripts/sudo/services.sh, /bin/sh /Library/Application\ Support/servicenow/agent-client-collector/cache/acc-dex-modules/bin/scripts/sudo/restart_service.sh *, /Applications/Zscaler/Zscaler.app/Contents/PlugIns/zscli, /Library/Application\ Support/servicenow/agent-client-collector/cache/acc-dex-modules/bin/scripts/sudo/elevate_temporary_admin.sh
    _servicenow ALL=NOPASSWD: SETENV: /Library/Application\ Support/servicenow/agent-client-collector/cache/osquery/bin/osqueryi *, SN_ALLOWED
    
    Defaults:_servicenow !requiretty
    Defaults timestamp_timeout=0
    Defaults log_allowed
    Note:
    The historical data for an application or device is the information that is kept in the MetricBase database for the past 7 days, while the latest data pertains to the most recent information available.

    Policies for Mac — Application

    DEX provides the following policies for applications.
    Policy name Description Check instances Frequency Historical or latest Check instance parameters
    DEX Mac Apps Metrics Collects the application metrics in the Mac device and sends metric data to Metric Base. os.mac.check-app-historical 5 mins Historical cpu_usage, memory_usage, uptime, io_usage_read, io_usage_write, is_running, last_access_time, crashes

    Policies for Mac — Device

    DEX provides the following policies for devices.
    Policy name Description Check instances Frequency Historical or latest Check instance parameters
    DEX Mac Device Metrics Collects macOS device metrics and sends the metric data to the ServiceNow instance. os.mac.check-system-metrics-latest 24 hours Latest uptime, logged_in, firewall_enabled, session_details, disk_details, os_details, cpu_details, battery_details, device_details, network_details, pending_updates, device_events, cpu_usage, memory_details, os_setup_details, last_access_time, reboot_details
    DEX Mac Device Metrics Collects macOS device metrics and sends the metric data to MetricBase. os.mac.check-system-metrics-historical 5 mins Historical disk_usage, io_usage_write, io_usage_read, power_consumption, cpu_usage, memory_details, uptime, crashes, battery_charge_percentage, wifi_transmit_rate, wifi_rssi
    DEX Mac Device Metrics Collects data for running macOS processes and sends the data to the ServiceNow instance. os.mac.check-process-data 24 hours N/A N/A
    DEX Mac Device Metrics Collects macOS device metrics and sends the metric data to the ServiceNow instance.

    os.mac.check-sys-compliance-historical

    5 minutes Historical N/A
    DEX Mac Device Metrics Collects macOS device metrics and sends the metric data to the ServiceNow instance.

    os.mac.check-sys-compliance-latest

    24 Hours Latest N/A
    DEX Mac Device Metrics
    Collects macOS device metrics and sends the metric data to the ServiceNow instance.
    Note:
    If the previous check runs for more than five minutes, the current check gets skipped.

    os.mac.check-energy-consum-historical

    5 minutes Historical N/A
    DEX Mac Device Metrics

    Collects macOS device metrics and sends the metric data to the ServiceNow instance.

    os.mac.check-system-metrics-historical 30 minutes Historical vpn_details
    DEX Get online macOS user on change Gets a logged-in user's data on a macOS device whenever there’s a change. os.mac.check-system-custom-query-on-chan 60 secs Latest query,query_sys_id, query_type
    DEX Get device configuration on change Gets a logged-in user's device configuration whenever there’s a change. os.all.check.internal.get-device-configu 60 secs Latest N/A
    Note:
    If you upgrade the Content Playbook plugin on an instance and encounter unexpected policy update issues, see the Troubleshooting: Policy update issues post DEX plugin upgrade [KB1586917] article in the Now Support knowledge base.