• Mac OS X,  Mac Security,  Mass Deployment

    Restoring the Default Gatekeeper Database

    As I’ve mentioned previously, spctl is the command line tool to manage signing for Gatekeeper. This file edits the information stored in /var/db/SystemPolicy. Regrettably, this information can become corrupted (like all information in a database. And when it does, Apple has done us a favor by making a hidden default database with this information in the same directory, called .SystemPolicy-default. To restore the default database, we just copy it over the top of the old one. Here, we’ll rename the old one first: mv /var/db/SystemPolicy /var/db/SystemPolicyOLD And then we’ll copy the defaults to make it the production database: cp /var/db/.SystemPolicy-default /var/db/SystemPolicy Then reboot and you should be good to go.

  • Mac OS X,  Mac Security,  Mass Deployment

    Manage Gatekeeper from the Command Line in Mountain Lion

    Gatekeeper is the new feature of OS X that controls what types of apps can be opened. To configure Gatekeeper, open the Security & Privacy System Preference pane. Click on the General tab and unlock to make changes. Here, you’ll see “Allow applications downloaded from:” along with the following 3 options: Mac App Store: Only apps downloaded from the App Store can be opened. “Mac App Store and identified developers”: Only apps downloaded from the App Store and those signed can be opened. Anywhere: Any app can be opened. Configuring Gatekeeper is as easy as selecting one of these options. Now, under the hood, the state of Gatekeeper is kept…