Intro to app security for macOS
App security in macOS consists of a number of overlapping layers—the first of which is the option to run only signed and trusted apps from the App Store. In addition, macOS layers protections to help ensure that apps downloaded from the internet are free of known malware. macOS offers technologies to detect and remove malware, and offers additional protections designed to prevent untrusted apps from accessing user data. Apple services such as Notarization and XProtect updates are designed to help prevent malware installation. When necessary, these services locate malware that may have at first avoided detection and then quickly and efficiently remove it. Ultimately, macOS users are free to operate within the security model that makes sense for them—including running completely unsigned and untrusted code.