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gladio

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 5, 2020
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hi, I would like to install Catalina on my MacBook pro mid-2010 through Catalina patcher. I would like to know your opinion about the security of this patch. do you consider it safe or is there a risk of malware?
Thank you
 
You mean DOSDude1 Catalina Patcher. Yes, lots of people here use it for old Macs.

Just be aware you won't want to perform interim OS updates without checking for known problems or patch updates. Although security updates and other miscellaneous updates are generally safe. You just down't want to go willy-nilly and update the OS without checking first.
 
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You mean DOSDude1 Catalina Patcher. Yes, lots of people here use it for old Macs.

Just be aware you won't want to perform interim OS updates without checking for known problems or patch updates. Although security updates and other miscellaneous updates are generally safe. You just down't want to go willy-nilly and update the OS without checking first.

My concern is that the patch may contain malware inside.
I'm sorry but I didn't understand the issue of updates. Could you explain it to me again? I didn't understand if I could run the apple security updates.
thank you
 
My concern is that the patch may contain malware inside.
I'm sorry but I didn't understand the issue of updates. Could you explain it to me again? I didn't understand if I could run the apple security updates.
thank you
I've used Dosdude's software on a number of machine. It is perfectly safe. So far as updates go, you'd be running an unsupported version of OS X, which may result in issues installing major software updates. It's generally good to wait a couple of weeks after a major update comes out for any little patches that may be needed to ensure that it works properly.

If you're curious, you can always just message @dosdude1 here on MacRumors, he's quite active and a lovely fellow :)
 
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So I understand that the Dosdude patch is considered reliable and safe by forum users but does the patch increase any risk of external security issues or is it on par with a standard install minus SIP?

Obviously SIP had to be switched off but my understanding is this only leads to security risk when you are installing software which requires an admin password... or perhaps I am over simplifying this aspect?

My questions are more out of curiosity than concern.
Thanks!
 
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The real answer is for someone qualified to take their time and audit all the source code of the patcher. Fluffy feelings towards the author does not mean anything regarding whether it is perfectly safe or not.
 
Obviously SIP had to be switched off but my understanding is this only leads to security risk when you are installing software which requires an admin password... or perhaps I am over simplifying this aspect?

SIP encompasses read-only access to system components (especially binaries) and run-time protections against debugging of and code injection into system processes as well unsigned kernel extensions. I have not been able to test it yet, but in Mojave and Catalina disabling SIP may also affect the Hardened Runtime that adds a whole range of run-time protections to third-party apps, including the same run-time protections and code-signing enforcements.

The Catalina patchers are partially closed-sourced in as far they do not use shell scripts. They are maintained by a few persons (who may or may not have sufficient expertise, I do not know) and are probably not verified by many others with expertise. It is not exactly clear whether the methods used to force macOS to boot have no consequences at all on system and data integrity, given that macOS itself consists of many closed-sourced parts and that Apple may make changes that could add unknown behaviour to hardware they do not support.

Direct security implications are unknown as frou already pointed out, mostly due to the fact that this method of installing macOS will unlikely get the attention of security researchers (or hackers).

Obviously, you should not use this in a trusted environment, e.g. to run business-critical apps. I would also not use this if this is your only computer and you do not have a robust backup strategy in place.
 
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hi, I would like to install Catalina on my MacBook pro mid-2010 through Catalina patcher. I would like to know your opinion about the security of this patch. do you consider it safe or is there a risk of malware?
Thank you

The short answer is: it depends. The patcher itself is safe but it is the user himself/herself who is usually a point of weakness.
 
NO "patcher" is completely "safe".
There's always some risk involved in relying on one.

That's why the user has to resort to "a patcher" to get things working, in the first place...
 
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NO "patcher" is completely "safe".
There's always some risk involved in relying on one.

That's why the user has to resort to "a patcher" to get things working, in the first place...

Sure, nothing is safe, it is a balance of things that allows to describe something as safe in practical therms.
 
Hi, I’m new to this forum. I used the Catalina patcher on my 2012 iMac and I’m so happy I was able to get Catalina working. However, I’m wondering if I did something wrong. I keep getting pop up boxes telling me to report this malaware to Apple? Is this normal? I’m very inexperienced and appreciate any help. Thanks dosdude for the patcher . Cheers
 
Hi, I’m new to this forum. I used the Catalina patcher on my 2012 iMac and I’m so happy I was able to get Catalina working. However, I’m wondering if I did something wrong. I keep getting pop up boxes telling me to report this malaware to Apple? Is this normal? I’m very inexperienced and appreciate any help. Thanks dosdude for the patcher . Cheers

You will get a better response posting your question to the thread macOS 10.15 Catalina on Unsupported Macs
 
Hi, I’m new to this forum. I used the Catalina patcher on my 2012 iMac and I’m so happy I was able to get Catalina working. However, I’m wondering if I did something wrong. I keep getting pop up boxes telling me to report this malaware to Apple? Is this normal? I’m very inexperienced and appreciate any help. Thanks dosdude for the patcher . Cheers
2012 iMac doesn't need patcher of any kind to run Catalina. Please learn about your machine
 
Maybe I wasn’t clear. I had a very old OS and was unable to update anything. I actually do know a lot about my machine, thanks.
 
I've used Dosdude's software on a number of machine. It is perfectly safe. So far as updates go, you'd be running an unsupported version of OS X, which may result in issues installing major software updates. It's generally good to wait a couple of weeks after a major update comes out for any little patches that may be needed to ensure that it works properly.

If you're curious, you can always just message @dosdude1 here on MacRumors, he's quite active and a lovely fellow :)
How do can I message Dosdude1 on here? I go to his homepage but cant figure out how to send a message.
 
How do can I message Dosdude1 on here? I go to his homepage but cant figure out how to send a message.

Use the message communications from the macrumors website.

Screen Shot 2020-09-15 at 8.51.33 AM.png
 
hi, I would like to install Catalina on my MacBook pro mid-2010 through Catalina patcher. I would like to know your opinion about the security of this patch. do you consider it safe or is there a risk of malware?
Thank you
yes catalina patcher is safe. It is a little bit long, but dosdude 1 has a tutorial video about it. The version of Catalina is genuine not a skin or anything. Apple might think its unsafe but it 100% safe
 
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dosdude really does not respond to emails unless.....who knows?
i sent him a few with tips and work arounds with Mojave
 
People generally seem to forget that their unsupported machines are not getting any firmware updates. Intel also does not provide security patches for the older CPU's.
All of these vulnerabilities have nothing to do with the patcher.
 
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Is it possible to install an older OS on a newer Mac with a patcher? For example installing OS 10.6 on a 2014 or 2018 Mac.
No. For that I use a virtual machine - in my case using VMware Fusion (free for personal use) and a Mac with more than base memory.
 
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No. For that I use a virtual machine - in my case using VMware Fusion (free for personal use) and a Mac with more than base memory.
How does VMware Fusion work? Does it get installed and then the Mac OS get's installed on it? I'd be able to run an older OS with the older programs on it on a newer Mac?

Does the OS run slower on it?

Can I run Mac OS 10.6 on VMware on a newer Mac?

Here's the link for the free for personal use version. With this I can download VMware and use it for free?

https://customerconnect.vmware.com/evalcenter?p=fusion-player-personal
 
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Yes, that is how to get VMware Fusion for free - the process can be a bit convoluted. You still need a license, but it doesn't cost money.

VMware Fusion runs on a macOS system (the host) and creates and controls client virtual machine running other operating systems (e.g. old macOS, Windows or Linux) which use the same CPU architecture - typically Intel virtual machines on an Intel host.

Yes, the virtual machine macOS will run a bit slower than you might hope - mostly due to graphics being slower. If graphics speed (games) is important, you might do better with Parallels (which doesn't have a free license).

I frequently run High Sierra as a virtual machine on my Ventura 2019 iMac as High Sierra is the lastest macOS with reliable drivers for my Canon scanner. It is also able to run older 32-bit Intel Mac apps which can't run on more recent macOS.

You mention macOS (OS X) 10.6. I have virtual machines back to 10.6.8 Snow Leopard. But installing 10.6.8 is decidedly tricky because non-server macOS 10.6 is NOT licensed by Apple to run in a virtual machine (even on Apple hardware) and VMware attempts to enforce that. You also need the 10.6.8 installation media for which Apple charged. Anything more recent is fairly easy.

The virtual machine will need RAM for its exclusive use when running - hence problems for a host Mac with base level RAM.
 
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