How to Disable System Integrity Protection (SIP) on macOS

Important Warning First:

Disabling SIP removes critical security protections that guard against malware and system tampering. Only disable it temporarily for specific administrative tasks, and re-enable it immediately afterward.

**Steps to Disable SIP:

1. Boot into Recovery Mode:

Intel Macs: Restart and hold Command + R until you see the Apple logo
Apple Silicon Macs: Shut down, then press and hold the power button until you see startup options, then select "Options"

2. Open Terminal in Recovery:

From the Recovery menu bar, go to Utilities > Terminal

3. Disable SIP:

csrutil disable

4. Restart:

Exit Terminal and restart your Mac normally
SIP is now disabled

**To Re-enable SIP (Recommended):

Boot back into Recovery Mode
Open Terminal
Run: csrutil enable
Restart

Check SIP Status:

When booted normally, you can check SIP status with:

csrutil status

Partial Disabling Options:

You can also disable specific SIP protections:

csrutil enable --without fs    # Disable filesystem protection only
csrutil enable --without debug # Disable debugging restrictions only

Security Considerations:

SIP protects system files, kernel extensions, and critical processes
With SIP disabled, malware has easier access to system-level changes
Always re-enable SIP once you've completed your administrative tasks
Consider if there are alternative approaches that don't require disabling SIP

For Sophos removal specifically, their official removal tool should work without disabling SIP. Have you tried that approach first?