macOS thinks a Mac App Store app was downloaded via Chrome

[Tezcatlipoca]

This week, I set up a new "Apple Silicon" Apple MacBook Air (M2, 2022), which is running the latest macOS Monterey 12.6.

I downloaded & installed the Yubico Authenticator via the Mac App Store on my new MacBook Air, rather than download it from yubico.com using a web browser.

The Mac App Store version of the app is 5.1.0, and its last update was one year ago according to the version history.

‎Yubico Authenticator

‎Manage your YubiKey and access one-time passwords with this full-featured companion app to the YubiKey. Features include: Display information about your YubiKey such as serial number, firmware version, and supported capabilities Manage and access OATH one-time passwords stored securely on your...

apps.apple.com

The first time I tried to run the app, my Mac told me that because it's an Intel app instead of "Apple Silicon" or "Universal", I would have to first install Apple's "Rosetta". The Rosetta 2 installation was direct from Apple, not unexpected, and not a problem.

However, when I then tried to run the Yubico Authenticator app again after installing Rosetta, my Mac gave me a different and very strange warning:

"Yubico Authenticator is an app downloaded from the Internet. Are you sure you want to open it? Chrome downloaded this file on 27 September 2021".

This message makes no sense, as I did *not* download the app via Chrome a year ago; I downloaded it directly from the Mac App Store *this week*. I don't even have Chrome installed on my MacBook Air!

I deleted the app, downloaded it again from the Mac App Store, and tried opening it once more. This time it ran fine without any strange messages.

Why would the copy of the app downloaded from the Mac App Store before the Rosetta installation make my MacBook Air think it was downloaded via Chrome a year earlier?

 

[chabig]

1. You might have two copies of this app installed. Do a quick search to find out and if you find the non App Store version, delete it. If not, skip to step 2.
2. Use the machine normally.

 

[Tezcatlipoca]

It's a brand new machine, which only had one copy of the app installed, and that copy was installed via the Mac App Store. The app was not downloaded from elsewhere via Chrome (which isn't installed) or any other browser.

 

[chabig]

Then I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Tezcatlipoca]

But why would my Mac be saying it came from Chrome in September 2021?

 

[chabig]

I don’t know, but like I said, I would move on without concern.

 

[technofunky]

But why would my Mac be saying it came from Chrome in September 2021?

Just a shot in the dark but the mac could be picking up the date from the app, I see its last updated in October 2021 though while your pop up says September 2021.

 

[bogdanw]

However, when I then tried to run the Yubico Authenticator app again after installing Rosetta, my Mac gave me a different and very strange warning: "Yubico Authenticator is an app downloaded from the Internet. Are you sure you want to open it? Chrome downloaded this file on 27 September 2021".

Maybe Rosetta uses “Chrome” as user agent when “It translates the app for use with Apple silicon.”
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211861

 

[prime17569]

Is it an Electron app? Electron uses the Chrome rendering engine, and Gatekeeper might be getting confused because of this.