Updated Many Mac users today found, to their surprise, they are unable to print to their HP Inc printers.

Print, scan, and share files by using HP Smart with your HP Printer. HP Smart makes it easy to get started and keeps you going with features like Print Anywhere or Mobile Fax! Start with a hassle-free set up, then print, scan, copy, and share files directly from your mobile device to your friends, co-workers, or a linked cloud account. Restrictions in Android 7.0 (Nougat) and later might prevent HP printer setup using the HP Smart app. To complete the setup, connect the printer to your local network from the printer control panel, using Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), or with a computer. Once connected, HP Smart can discover the printer.

This is due to a code-signing snafu affecting macOS Catalina (version 10.15) and Mojave (10.14), specifically. HP's printer driver software is cryptographically signed with a certificate that macOS uses to determine whether the application is legit and can be trusted. However, that certificate was today revoked through an XProtect update, causing the software to be rejected by Macs.

XProtect is the mechanism Apple uses to inform Macs to no longer trust and run certain programs, and it does this by revoking their code-signing certificates. There is no central database of certs cancelled by XProtect, there's one for each OS version it seems, and Catalina and Mojave were selected in particular. Apple chose to revoke the HP driver cert, or perhaps was asked to do so by HP.

'No questions asked' Windows code cert slingers 'fuel trade' in digitally signed malware

In any case, HP's driver software no longer works on those two particular operating system flavors. Users are told when trying to print, for instance, that HP's application 'will damage your computer,' and are given the option to run it anyway or send it to the trash. Trying to continue just loops you back round to the error message, with no work done. Punters are also encouraged to report this 'malware' to Apple.

Unofficial workarounds for now include using AirPrint to an HP printer, or uninstalling the HP software and using a generic PostScript driver.

A Reg reader who tipped us off about the blunder told us he was able to jerry rig some IPP connectivity to get an older device to print: 'We had a handful of printers where macOS would print into the ether. Windows had no problem. I found some IPP trickery on macOS Catalina worked on an older HP4650.'

We had a handful of printers where macOS would print into the ether. Windows had no problem

Complaints from punters are building up on the Apple and HP support forums.

'Trying to open Printer Utility on MacOS 10.15.7 and I get a crash dump every time saying 'Code Signature Invalid' for the binary /Library/Printers/hp/Utilities/HP Utility.app/Contents/MacOS/HP Utility,' said one netizen.

'Yes, my Deskjet F4140 abruptly stopped working with both my Mac mini desktop AND my partner's AirBook,' complained another. 'The AirBook keeps insisting it's malware (it's not), while my desktop says the certificate has expired. Suddenly, HP and Apple are NOT playing well together! I've redownloaded and reinstalled the printer software TWICE now but nothing has changed, just the same message about HP Utility now missing. Our jobs depend on this printer, HP.'

Thomas Reed, director of Mac and mobile at Malwarebytes, tweeted to say his users were up in arms at the tech breakdown: 'We're seeing a significant influx of support cases where users are seeing macOS identify what appear to be legit processes as malware.'

Mac blogger Howard Oakley has some more background, here. 'You’re seeing that [error] message because macOS is checking the signature on your HP printer software, and being told that its signing certificate has been revoked,' he observed.

Amazon's Music desktop app is also, weirdly enough, no longer working, either, it's reported.

Spokespeople for HP and Amazon were not available for immediate comment. Apple declined to comment. ®

Updated to add

The Register understands from sources familiar with the matter that HP Inc asked Apple to revoke its printer driver code-signing certificates. It appears this request backfired as it left users unable to print. A HP Inc spokesperson told us on Friday night:

We unintentionally revoked credentials on some older versions of Mac drivers. This caused a temporary disruption for those customers and we are working with Apple to restore the drivers. In the meantime, we recommend users experiencing this problem to uninstall the HP driver and use the native AirPrint driver to print to their printer.

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As Mac users, we have something to be happy about when it comes to app crashes and freezes: rarity. Typically you can work on your Mac for hours at a time without a single issue. However, a crashing app certainly can happen, leading to lost productivity, time, and, worst of all, lost work. Mocha tn5250 serial. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to recover from a crashed app, as well as prevent the issue in the first place.

How to fix a crashing app after the macOS upgrade

App crashes after the macOS update is more than a common problem. Some apps freeze or malfunction, some won’t launch, some show no signs of life whatsoever. Why does it happen? The most probable reason is that the app is simply not ready for the latest macOS Big Sur. Something in its depth turned out to be incompatible with the new macOS.

Now, what can you do to fix an app crashing? Three things.

First, see if you have the latest version of the app by clicking on its name it the top menu and choosing Check for updates.
Second, visit the developer’s website (or App Store page) and see if they’ve issued a statement about Big Sur compatibility.
Finally, some crashed apps on macOS Big Sur can sometimes be fixed by running maintenance scripts. Download the Mac troubleshooting app, CleanMyMac X, launch it, find the Maintenance tab and run the scripts (see details at the end of the article).

What happens when an app crashes: under the hood

Now let's go deeper into the nature of crashed apps, but first, let’s identify the difference between a crashed macOS app and a frozen one. While these terms are often used interchangeably, there is a notable difference.

Crash

A crash happens when a piece of software stops working altogether and then closes on its own. In other words, the app quits when you did not tell it to. When this happens, you'll typically see a message noting that the application has 'unexpectedly quit” just as its windows disappear. It’s pretty frustrating — especially if you end up losing all your work.

Freeze Greeting card template microsoft word 2008 mac.

A freeze is when the software stops functioning but continues to run. You can still see its windows, and its Dock icon still indicates that it’s running. However, no amount of clicking or tabbing around will do anything. A frozen app doesn’t quit like a crashed app does, it simply becomes unresponsive. Often no error messages accompany the freeze. Again, it’s a frustrating experience (if you want to know how to deal with it, check out this post on how to fix frozen apps).

When software freezes, you force it to quit, so that you can re-launch and hopefully get on with your work. With crashes, meanwhile, the problem is the app quitting on its own. In this article, I’ll discuss recovering from app crashes, as well as steps that help prevent them in the first place. Let’s get started.

What to do when a Mac app crashes

The good news here is that a crashed app rarely brings down your entire Mac, as the trouble is restricted to that particular piece of software. That means we have a chance to recover. Let’s start with the simplest solutions.

First, just relaunch the app. When an app crashes, you’ll typically see a dialog box that says the software “unexpectedly quit” and you’ll have several options to deal with it, including “Relaunch”. Give that a click and cross your fingers that the crash doesn’t happen again. Oftentimes, you’re good from there. If not…

Try restarting your Mac. “Turn it off and back on again” is almost a punchline at this point, but it usually works. Shut down, restart, and try again. Very often this simple task will set things right. If not, it’s time to try something just a little more involved.

Reinstall the app. Deleting the misbehaving app and grabbing a new copy gives you a fresh version to work with. That i

Hp Smart App Crashing Mac