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Top-level
 3) It’s much easier for Apple to monitor and control signed software. Malware authors have to sign up for a developer account. Apps have to be uploaded to Apple for a malware scan before distribution to be notarized. Apple can revoke Developer ID certificates and notarization tickets at any time. … 3 comments
Malware authors and scammers have already been paying for Apple Developer accounts, and indeed putting their software in the crApp Store as well as distributing externally on the Mac. The price has never been a barrier, because crime does pay! Price is only a barrier for some honest developers. The very fact that Apple had to add notarization on top of the preexisting Developer ID certificates proves that the price of the certificates wasn’t a barrier for malware. The negative side effect of the price is that it incentivizes honest developers and users to practice riskier behavior, i.e., releasing and using software that it totally unsigned. |
Gregory's Server
That’s why it’s beneficial to give out free code signing certificates to all Mac developers, with lenient terms. Currently, not all non-malware is signed, because some developers can’t or won’t sign up for the Apple Developer Program, either because of the cost or because of the highly restricted terms associated with the App Store, which is inseparable from the Developer ID program.