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macOS gatekeeper and file quarantine bypass

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Re: macOS gatekeeper and file quarantine bypass

#31

Post by boomboomsubban »

bobbylarrybobby wrote: post #28
boomboomsubban wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Genuine question, does MacOS actually care about file extensions? I would guess not, though there are probably some compatibility features that will do things if they are there.

I was under the impression that unless a file contains some other metadata (most don't), that the extension is the way the OS chooses which app to use to open it.

Unix-based has almost always used internal metadata, and the "dot" is just another character. I thought Windows was unique in relying on the suffixes, but Wikipedia suggests MacOS inherited some form from NextSTEP.

Re: macOS gatekeeper and file quarantine bypass

#32

Post by mschuster91 »

Isthatablackgsd wrote: post #5
kstrauser wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What frustrates you about it? I rarely bump into Gatekeeper and I'm doing the normal dev things.

I'm assuming you don't use the package manager like Homebrew or MacPorts? this is where the gatekeeper will annoy the hell out of me. Apps installed via Homebrew often will encounter Gatekeeper alerts. Half of them will give the option to open it and the other half, the gatekeeper --demands-- gently ask me to put it in the Trash without the option to open it.

Macports doesn't give you any headaches, it follows Unix principles.

Homebrew is a keg of worms, if you excuse the bad pun. Sadly (because it seems to be easier to get started?) many developers prefer it over Macports...

Re: macOS gatekeeper and file quarantine bypass

#33

Post by djxfade »

setr wrote: post #24
Closi wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's also unchecked in Windows by default - I suspect that in reality the concept of extensions probably confuses some users, who end up changing the extension and then struggle to work out how to open their saved files. ( I always prefer to see the extensions too though :) )

Windows gives you a big warning when you change the extension, which seems to me both sufficient and better than hiding the extension altogether (which, like URL hiding, is a fairly dangerous and largely unnecessary convenience)

It works exactly the same way in macOS Finder as in Windows Explorer. Extensions are hidden by default. You can enable to show extensions (either by individual file, or globally). If a file has it's extension shown, you will get a confirmation prompt warning you of the consequences by changing the file extension.

Re: macOS gatekeeper and file quarantine bypass

#35

Post by floatingatoll »

elliekelly wrote: post #25
pehtis wrote: post #17

I will never understand why "Show all filename extensions" is unchecked by default in Finder.

Is there any way to turn this off only for applications? Or even just in the applications directory? I find it irrationally annoying that everything in the applications folder shows the ".app" extension.

If you use the dashboard app switcher (iirc the F3 or F4 key), it hides .app in that list, it has a search field and I believe it accepts drag-and-drops.

That’s not exactly an answer to your question, but there’s a chance it’s an acceptable solution, so duly noted.

Re: macOS gatekeeper and file quarantine bypass

#36

Post by kstrauser »

Isthatablackgsd wrote: post #22
kstrauser wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use Homebrew daily. In System Preferences, I have Security & Privacy > General > Allow apps downloaded from: App Store and identified developers, and I don't remember the last time I got a Gatekeeper alert.

I have that option enabled since the first booting of my Macbook Air M1 and gatekeeper alert is still showing. And I am sure we are not using the same apps that ran into those alerts. I have Vivaldi, Alfred, AppCleaner, EasyFind, iTerm2, KeepassXC, MacPass, Keka, MediaInfo, NoMachine, Numi, OBS, odrive, Signal, Slack, TexStudio and VLC ran into those alert. I am genuinely curious why people are singing that "I don't…

You're hugely misreading my intentions. I'm an engineer: I see something unexpected, I want to figure out what's happening. You and I are both using the same software and you're seeing problems that I didn't even know affected some people. I'm not saying "this works for me so I don't know what you're complaining about". I'm saying "huh, this works for me. I wonder what's different between our systems? Is this something that's going to spontaneously start affecting me if I click the wrong toggle somewhere?"

Obviously the problem is possible. It's happening to you. I'd like to find out why so that I can troubleshoot and fix the problem if it starts happening to me or my friends or coworkers. And really, I'd like to help you fix it, too, if I could figure out what's causing it.

Re: macOS gatekeeper and file quarantine bypass

#37

Post by cloogshicer »

smoldesu wrote: post #2

Gatekeeper is one of the most frustrating things I have to fight whenever I try using MacOS. It feels like DRM for my applications, which in turn makes everything feel clunkier, and less integrated. I would genuinely pay Apple extra for a version of MacOS that just trusts me and lets me install what I want without the some esoteric mechanism stopping me at every step of the way...

Agreed. It's ridiculous that we can't even fully disable it in the latest macOS releases (the commands others posted below don't work in Big Sur to completely disable quarantine).

Thankfully there is a simple workaround: https://hiringengineersbook.com/post/disable-quarantine/

Re: macOS gatekeeper and file quarantine bypass

#38

Post by nomel »

Isthatablackgsd wrote: post #22
kstrauser wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use Homebrew daily. In System Preferences, I have Security & Privacy > General > Allow apps downloaded from: App Store and identified developers, and I don't remember the last time I got a Gatekeeper alert.

I have that option enabled since the first booting of my Macbook Air M1 and gatekeeper alert is still showing. And I am sure we are not using the same apps that ran into those alerts. I have Vivaldi, Alfred, AppCleaner, EasyFind, iTerm2, KeepassXC, MacPass, Keka, MediaInfo, NoMachine, Numi, OBS, odrive, Signal, Slack, TexStudio and VLC ran into those alert. I am genuinely curious why people are singing that "I don't…

The latest time I had a Homebrew package fail to install, due to security restrictions that work just fine for the other thousands of packages there, it was the package trying to do something it shouldn’t have, and was promptly fixed. You may have run into a similar scenario.

Re: macOS gatekeeper and file quarantine bypass

#39

Post by xrisk »

kstrauser wrote: post #15
Isthatablackgsd wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm assuming you don't use the package manager like Homebrew or MacPorts? this is where the gatekeeper will annoy the hell out of me. Apps installed via Homebrew often will encounter Gatekeeper alerts. Half of them will give the option to open it and the other half, the gatekeeper --demands-- gently ask me to put it in the Trash without the option to open it.

I use Homebrew daily. In System Preferences, I have Security & Privacy > General > Allow apps downloaded from: App Store and identified developers, and I don't remember the last time I got a Gatekeeper alert.

He’s talking about Homebrew Cask.

Re: macOS gatekeeper and file quarantine bypass

#40

Post by oivey »

xrisk wrote: post #39
kstrauser wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use Homebrew daily. In System Preferences, I have Security & Privacy > General > Allow apps downloaded from: App Store and identified developers, and I don't remember the last time I got a Gatekeeper alert.

He’s talking about Homebrew Cask.

Even more specifically, the only time I’ve ran into Gatekeeper is with apps that install into /Applications and have a GUI. I’ve never had this issue with stuff I only access via CLI.
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