Hey. I wanna download an app for my MacBook air but it is not from apple store. I would prefer to check the downloaded file if it contains any virus, mallware or something bad like that first. Would you recommend me any software I would use for that to be sure the file is not infected?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
File antivirus check
- Thread starter cab62
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Ever since Catalina, developers have to "notarize" their apps via Apple notary service which checks the app for "malicious components". I'm talking about apps that are distributed outside of App Store.
If the app is not "notarized", you won't be able to open it by double-click the first time. There'll be an alert informing you that the software wasn't checked by Apple for malicious whatever. You'll have to open such app via the Open contextual menu (only first time, after that you can open such app normally).
Regardless, all Mac developers who actually care about their apps being open by the users, do notarize their software. So if you're able to open the app on your Mac then it's been already checked by Apple. (Otherwise you'll get the aforementioned alert.)
I don't know if Apple specifically checks for viruses during notarization, all they disclose about the process is "malicious content". Here's some developer docs regarding notarization (I couldn't find any consumer-oriented info):
Notarizing macOS software before distribution | Apple Developer Documentation
Give users even more confidence in your macOS software by submitting it to Apple for notarization.
Apple notarized a North Korean trojan for macOS https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ized-a-north-korean-trojan-for-macos.2385323/Ever since Catalina, developers have to "notarize" their apps via Apple notary service which checks the app for "malicious components". I'm talking about apps that are distributed outside of App Store.
If the app is not "notarized", you won't be able to open it by double-click the first time. There'll be an alert informing you that the software wasn't checked by Apple for malicious whatever. You'll have to open such app via the Open contextual menu (only first time, after that you can open such app normally).
Regardless, all Mac developers who actually care about their apps being open by the users, do notarize their software. So if you're able to open the app on your Mac then it's been already checked by Apple. (Otherwise you'll get the aforementioned alert.)
I don't know if Apple specifically checks for viruses during notarization, all they disclose about the process is "malicious content". Here's some developer docs regarding notarization (I couldn't find any consumer-oriented info):
Notarizing macOS software before distribution | Apple Developer Documentation
Give users even more confidence in your macOS software by submitting it to Apple for notarization.developer.apple.com
For a one off scan, I usually use free Bitdefender Virus Scanner from the Mac App Store. Should catch Windows and Mac threats.
If your concern is just known Mac threats, you don't really need to do anything. Apple's XProtect is probably sufficient.
Not surprised (although it doesn't seem to be a prevalent issue).
As a developer, I dislike this "notarization" thing and don't have any respect to it. I think it's unnecessary and only causes extra hassles to both users and developers.
Mac developers lost countless days of work trying to implement this half-backed feature when Apple first introduced it. Apple only provided some kind of IKEA-style do-it-yourself bag of disjointed tools accompanied by barely coherent incomplete documentation.
Interesting. I actually didn't know about XProtect.
Looking it up brought me to a page that could be of interest to @cab62 (it's a user-oriented description of Apple security measures):
Protecting against malware in macOS
On devices with macOS, malware defenses are structured using the followingApp Store, or Gatekeeper combined with Notarization, and XProtect.
support.apple.com
Thank you all. I don't just want to download a software, open it and realize it was infected with any virus or mallware or whatever. I don't visit on my macbook any "bad" sites where I could infect the mac. But I wanna be sure when installing anything it will work well.