As days go by new and new information about OS X Mountain Lion features surface. The latest is that Apple will only Apps to be downloaded from Identified Developers by default as reported by MacWorld.
The feature is a part of GateKeeper which is debuting on Mountain Lion. The basic feature of GateKeeper is to protect users from downloading and running Malware on their computers. With OS X Lion, Apple has been speaking about iOSification of Mac OS and this seems like another step in that direction. We believe Gatekeeper would raise concerns about Apple’s Wall-gardened approach, but we must note here that it is a crucial security feature and while Mac has been largely Virus free, this might well help keep it so.
Looking at the number of malware incidents on Android, we see that Windows Phone and iOS supporters talk about curation of apps. While mobile platforms have some checks and balances available, traditional computers have no such security against malware. An application that we download from the web might well be exporting your data back to their servers, on iOS either Apple releases updates or we rely on hacks to secure our data. Gatekeeper might well be a defining step towards computer security and data protection in the future.
Developers can sign up for free-of-charge Apple developer IDs which they can then use to cryptographically sign their applications. If an app is found to be malware, Apple can revoke that developer’s certificate, rendering the app (along with any others from the same developer) inert on any Mac where it’s been installed.
We will keep you updated with any and every news about Mountain Lion as and when they come out. For the time being let us know your views about GateKeeper in the comments.