OS X Mountain Lion Gatekeeper: Can it Really Keep Malware Out?
OS X Mountain Lion has extended the functionality of its predecessor viz. Mac OS X Lion by adding over 100 new features to it. Gatekeeper is one of those news features and it provides a whole new security mechanism for Mac users.
According to Apple, the purpose of Gatekeeper is to protect users by helping them avoid downloading malicious and unauthorized application. Gatekeeper is also seen as a virus-combating tool. Just like we have seen in Windows Defender. Previously, Windows OS was criticized for being vulnerable to malware and virus attacks. And now, Apple has also acknowledged that Mac OS X is no longer immune to malwares. Hence, the emergence of Gatekeeper.
There are three security settings in Gatekeeper. In the previous versions of Mac, users can download and install applications from any source. But Gatekeeper will now filter downloads, banning installation of any malicious program. With Gatekeeper, we have two more option. Primarily, we can choose to install apps from Mac Store only and while the second option allows application installation from both Apple Mac Store & certified developers sites.
