Apple’s process for issuing special app authorizations has come under fire: The group already has two providers of disreputable Mac software (“Potentially Unwanted Program” – PUP) special authorization to use its macOS 10. 15 integrated “Endpoint Security” interface, reports AV manufacturer Malwarebytes. This makes it impossible for your own tool to remove such software.

Apple Entitlements for special functions One of the providers sold, among other things, a “garbage antivirus program”, in the other case it was a tool that “Mac admins hated”, which has already been accused of fraudulent behavior in class actions, writes the Security researcher – apparently this is MacKeeper.

Endpoint Security is part of Apple’s new system extensions, which are intended to replace the previous kernel extensions from third-party manufacturers in macOS. Security software from macOS 11 must use the Endpoint Security API, software manufacturers must apply for the required special authorization (a so-called “Entitlement”) from Apple . Apps that have the entitlement are protected by the operating system so that they can no longer be removed by other software, explains Malwarebytes.

This is an advantage for AV tools as they are no longer targeted by Malware can be deleted. However, if Apple also grants the entitlement to providers of potentially unwanted software, then these could no longer be removed even by tried and tested security software.

Opaque award process Apple’s award process for entitlements, which are also used in many other areas of iOS and macOS, has long been considered to be very slow and opaque: developers sometimes wait weeks and months for a request to be issued Authorization and finally receive a rejection, sometimes without a reason. Malwarebytes now fears that Apple could seal off macOS in the style of iOS against the use of security tools from third-party developers – they are no longer able to protect their own users from certain things.

(lbe)