Mac OS X Gatekeeper and the Apple Developer ID

Apple has introduced Gatekeeper to a select handful of developers recently, and given I like research I couldn’t help but notice that over 20 years ago the Mac had an antivirus software called, yes you’ve guessed it – Gatekeeper. It’s moved on a bit since then though – Macs don’t really need AV at the system/kernel level, but it’s still useful to have an added layer of protection at the application and user levels – which is where this new rendition of Gatekeeper will sit.

Apple is pushing it’s Developer ID programme which aims to provide a unique Developer ID for digitally signing Mac OS X apps. This digital signature allows the Gatekeeper software to verify that their app isn’t malicious or hasn’t been tampered with. If the app has no Developer ID then Gatekeeper will let you know with a user prompt before the app is installed. Read more...