Why macOS Monterey needs my permission to open system preferences?

Your title seeemed to suggest that you got that when launching System Preferences directly - that would be strange.

But now we see that you are clicking a link on a website, and getting a confirmation dialog. That is a security feature.

And it's not like you would need to do this often.

AFAICT, everything is working as designed.

If the user has Navigated to this web address How to upgrade to macOS Monterey - Apple Support (CA) there are 5 Listed Steps.

Step 3 in that list is as per below

Download macOS Monterey

If you're using macOS Mojave or later, you can get macOS Monterey via Software Update: Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Software Update.

Or use this link to open the macOS Monterey page on the App Store: Get macOS Monterey. Then click the Get button or iCloud download button.

What is being presented in a Web Browser image from Safari ( Native Apple Browser ) and you appear to have clicked on " UpGrade Now " which has prompted the Pop Up " Do you want to allow this page to Open " System Preference"

If you what to upGrade from macOS ?? to Monterey - Yes allow it to Open System Preferences and follow the prompts

🇨🇦

Thanks for your prompted reply. My concern is why Apple OS started acting the same way as MS Windows, non sense questions or pretending doing a lot non sense securities etc.... ?

Why would you want any random website to be able to open anything on your Mac?

There is no way for it to know that request came from a "legitimate" website.

Does its require your password to just launch the System preferences app?

Do all of the preference panes require your password?

Are you in an administrative user account?

Sorry we are talking about System Preferences which is Part of the Operating System

I've never got to that point via a browser. I always go thru System/Software Update preference pane or via the App Store.

when we click on upgrade, it is means we want to upgrade right?

Not necessarily. Sometimes folks mis-click and this is a simple confirmation... takes a second.