Certificate problems causing app authentication errors for some Mac App Store users
Many Mac owners have found themselves forced to delete and re-download Mac App Store apps after what appears to be a certificate expiration error caused the operating system to mistakenly identify the apps as damaged.
The errors variously range from "this app is damaged and can't be opened" to "this app was purchased on another computer." In some cases, users were able to rectify the problem by logging out of and back into the Mac App Store or simply restarting their computer.
In many instances, though, the apps had to be deleted and then re-downloaded. Tweetbot developer Paul Haddad was the first to diagnose the problem as an certificate issue.
Each of Apple's App Stores require apps to be signed with a valid certificate. This practice allows for increased security -- malicious apps can have their certificates revoked, for instance -- and helps to guard against piracy.
Apple has yet to comment on the problem, though it does not appear to have recurred for users who resolved it once.
The errors variously range from "this app is damaged and can't be opened" to "this app was purchased on another computer." In some cases, users were able to rectify the problem by logging out of and back into the Mac App Store or simply restarting their computer.
In many instances, though, the apps had to be deleted and then re-downloaded. Tweetbot developer Paul Haddad was the first to diagnose the problem as an certificate issue.
Well that would explain the MAS problem. pic.twitter.com/Nuqj9Uxxiz
-- Paul Haddad (@tapbot_paul)
Each of Apple's App Stores require apps to be signed with a valid certificate. This practice allows for increased security -- malicious apps can have their certificates revoked, for instance -- and helps to guard against piracy.
Apple has yet to comment on the problem, though it does not appear to have recurred for users who resolved it once.
Comments
So I reinstalled and now every time I attempt to reopen it goes through the "verifying" process and nothing else. The app still won't open in any form.
Annoying. Anyone else having the same problem running El Captian?
I have rebooted. I have reinstalled. Now, sometimes I get the verification window, sometimes not. Sometimes it just plainly doesn't launch or quit immediately, fast enough to not even see the icon appear in the dock.
What can I do now? I can't take a day off because of that stupid error... grr
I am running the latest software and still encountered the problem.
Rebooting has NOT fixed this issue. I've rebooted 6 times, deleted, re-downloaded and re-installed the apps and still no joy.
I am running the latest software and still encountered the problem.
I am running the latest software and have not encountered the problem.
Its criminal. I can't play COD 4. My only stress relief! I even installed virgin clean OS on external drive and just downloaded my COD. Didn't work. Sodding barstewards.
I got the "different computer" notification from the App Store when opening Photoshop Elements 9 yesterday. Following that the application simply would not open, but I didn't receive any "certificate expired" notifications.
So I reinstalled and now every time I attempt to reopen it goes through the "verifying" process and nothing else. The app still won't open in any form.
Elements 9 issues here too. iMac on Mavericks.
I had just changed my iTunes account location so thought there was a link there when it came up saying that the software was bought on a different computer.
Tried a restart, wifi off, PRAM reset, nothing worked.
Each subsequent time I ran it, it came up with the program was damaged and should be deleted and redownloaded.
So I did just that but upon running it still said it was damaged.
So I retrieved it from a Time Machine backup but again, still damaged.
That's when I started up my Macbook pro and the same error appeared, I knew that something odd was happening but also relieved that the HDD on my iMac wasn't failing.
Eventually I bought Elements 14 and it worked fine. Problem is that I burned 4 hours messing with these problems and then paid a lot of money for Elements 14 to do an urgent job, just because Apple screwed up and stopped a piece of software working that I bought previously.
Surprised something so bad got past test environments.
http://www.networkworld.com/article/3004922/security/lapsed-apple-certificate-triggers-massive-mac-app-fiasco.html
HI there,
From everything I have heard about El Capitain, dump it!! Not even tech support like it!! It apparently is still in beta.