Admin Helper
Making a network service active or inactive needs administrator rights. Network Status Menu runs without them, so this optional helper does that one job on its behalf.
The installer is signed and notarized by Apple.
If you downloaded Network Status Menu from this site, you don't need this page: the app carries the helper. Open Settings › Admin Helper and click Install Admin Helper…; it fetches a newer helper first if one has been published.
What it installs
- A small background service at
/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.deadcrew.NetworkStatusMenu.admin, started by launchd. - Network Status Menu Admin in
/Applications/Utilities, where you approve pairing, revoke it, update or uninstall.
It shows up in System Settings › General › Login Items. If you switch it off there, Network Status Menu falls back to opening System Settings.
Pairing
- In Network Status Menu, open Settings › Admin Helper and click Pair….
- Network Status Menu Admin opens with the request. Click Authorize… and enter an administrator's name and password.
- The helper gives Network Status Menu a pairing key, stored in your keychain. The Enable toggle on each interface now works.
What it can and can't do
- It does one thing: make an existing network service active or inactive, the same change as Make Inactive in System Settings › Network.
- It only accepts requests from Network Status Menu and Network Status Menu Admin, checked by their Apple code signatures, and only from the user who paired.
- It runs no commands and touches no files beyond its own pairing list, which keeps only fingerprints of the keys it issued.
Updates
Network Status Menu tells you when a newer helper is available. Network Status Menu Admin downloads and installs it, asking for an administrator password as any installer does. The helper only updates when the helper itself changed, not with every app release.
Uninstall
Open Network Status Menu Admin and click Uninstall Helper…, or run:
sudo /bin/sh "/Library/Application Support/NetworkStatusMenuAdmin/uninstall.sh"
This stops the service, removes its files and its authorization rule, and forgets the installer receipt.