MacOS Sierra - Gatekeeper Security & Downloaded Apps

MacOS Sierra has been out for a while and most of you have probably downloaded and installed it. One of the focus areas of Sierra is security. Apple has plugged some security holes and added new features to protect the user from security threats as well as self inflicted damage. 

In the past Mac users touted the innate security of the UNIX undermining of MacOS vs. the sieve that was Windows. Five or ten years ago that was true. Not so today. Today the Mac is targeted just as much as Windows but thanks to the UNIX base of MacOS it is still harder to crack, but not impossible. Especially if the user is the one installing the Malware. 

Every time you download and run an application you are trusting that the creator of that app doesn't have any ill intent. Most of the time you are right and everything is OK. But recently there have been some applications that have been loaded with software that isn't so friendly. To prevent that, Sierra has a built in Gatekeeper that prevents the user from running unsigned applications. That's a good thing but it can sometimes be a pain. If you have ever downloaded an update or application from the Internet and were unable to open it then this tip is for you.

The first thing to know is that you can still open any app you want with a minimum of hassle. After you try to open an app and it fails, go to the System Preferences and open the "Security" Tab. It should show the last application you tried to open and a button saying "Open Anyway" Just click that and try again. 

If you want to have the ability to bypass this step and open any application, regardless of where it came from then you need to use the terminal to disable the Gatekeeper default settings. 

If it is open close System Preferences and open the Terminal application (usually located in the Utilities folder). Type the following command: "sudo spctl --master-disable" without the quotes. 

After you hit return you will be asked to enter your password. Once you do that reopen System Preferences and you should see the a third pick under the security tab allowing you to open downloaded apps from anywhere. 

Just remember that just like Uncle Ben said "With great power comes great responsibility"  Know where you are getting your applications and make sure that you don't inadvertently give some Phishing scam access to your computer. 

If you want to go back to default setting you can open the terminal again and just type "sudo spctl --master-enable"

I hope this tip is helpful but remember to keep safe out there. 

App-Specific Passwords

Ok all you Mac users out there, it looks like Apple is upgrading security and will start using app-specific passwords for all iCloud Data. 

They aren't the first company to require this but as everyone becomes security conscious they won't be the last either. The move to app-specific passwords is both a good and bad thing. It means that your Apple ID will be more secure but it also means that if you use a 3rd party app to access your iCloud data (like your mail or calendar) you will need to generate a password that only works with that specific application rather than using your Apple ID password. 

If you are a Mac user you probably already got the Apple email but here’s part of it:

If you are currently signed in to a third party app using your primary Apple ID password, you will be signed out automatically when this change takes effect. You will need to generate an app-specific password and sign in again.

To generate an app-specific password: Sign in to My Apple ID (https://appleid.apple.com) Go to Password & Security Click Generate App-Specific Password

For complete instructions, read Using App-Specific Passwords. If you need additional help, visit Apple Support. This requirement will start on 10/9/2014.  It sounds like this only applies to non-Apple software so if you use Apple mail as your main mail client you shouldn’t have an issue. If you do use some other application for mail, calendar or other iCloud data you will need to set an application specific password for it. Here’s a quick step-by-step. 1) First step is to log into your iCloud account from a web browser. https://appleid.apple.com 2) Once you log on you will be required to enter your two-step verification code. You can get this sent to your iPhone or other Apple device. 3) Go to “Password and Security” and select Generate an App-Specific Password 4) Label your password for the app you are using and click “Generate” 5) Enter the password that was generated into your application and make sure it works!!! 6) It looks like you are limited to 25 App-Specific passwords but you can revoke one or all of them if you need to. You can find out more about things here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6186 Good luck and I hope this helps!