Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Welcome to Gatekeeper, a new security feature in OS X Mountain Lion that aims to prevent rogue applications
from installing on MacBook Air. By default, Gatekeeper does this by allowing apps from only two sources to be
installed:
Mac App Store. All apps in the Mac App Store have been tested and verified by Apple, so they're safe to
download and install. Gatekeeper automatically allows all Mac App Store apps onto your MacBook Air.
Identified developers. Apple has a new system whereby developers can register with Apple to receive a
Developer ID. This ID includes a security certificate that the developer can use to digitally sign its apps, thus
certifying where the apps came from. If Gatekeeper detects that a downloaded app has a security certificate
from a registered developer, it allows the app to install.
The reason for all this heightened security is that malware developers are starting to target OS X now that Macs
have become so popular. Gatekeeper is a response to that and is designed to prevent users from accidentally in-
stalling malware.
So what do you do if you're sure your app is legit? Besides sending a friendly note to the developers encour-
aging them to register with Apple, there is a workaround you can use to launch your installer:
1. Use Finder to locate the installer file, or right-click the downloaded file in Safari's Downloads
folder and then click Open to display the install icon.
2. Right-click the installer file or the install icon, and then click Open. This time you see the dialog
shown in Figure 12.3. Gatekeeper still warns you about the developer being unidentified, but you now have
an option to proceed with the install.
12.3 Right-click the app's installer and then click Open to see this dialog.
3. If you're absolutely certain the app came from a legitimate developer, click Open to start the in-
stall.
Allowing apps from the Mac App Store and identified developers while giving one-time install permission to
apps you're sure are above board is probably the wisest and safest course to take. However, Gatekeeper is con-
figurable, so let's take a look at the options available:
1. In the Dock, click System Preferences. The System Preferences window appears.
2. Click Security & Privacy. The Security & Privacy preferences appear.
3. Unlock the Security & Privacy preferences, as described in the previous section.
4. In the Allow Applications Downloaded From section, select the Gatekeeper setting you prefer:
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