Authentication and Security

To provide security and prevent accidental or malicious damage to the operating system, Mac OS X restricts the use of certain system files and applications. Individual users can restrict the uses of their own files; however, some applications might need to modify restricted files or run restricted applications. Examples of such applications include software installation programs, network administration programs, and many standard Unix command-line programs. An installer that needs to write files in the /Applications folder must overcome the restriction that prevents the /Applications folder from being modified.

The capability to overcome a security restriction is called a privilege. Applications normally have the ...

Get Cocoa® Programming now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.