New version of this GUI utility for inspecting and editing extended attributes, for High Sierra and later.
xattr
How an obscure ACL can prevent a quarantine flag from being attached to an internet download: demonstration and explanation.
How the new tracking extended attribute is attached to apps, how it’s recorded in a security database, and how it’s checked. But for what purpose?
Ventura introduces a new extended attribute com.apple.provenance, used to mark successful clearance of quarantine. It’s protected by SIP too.
ResEdit changed what was in the resource fork. With Mac OS X, Apple moved away from forks to extended attributes, now used for quarantine flags and more.
Provided in Archive Utility and three command tools, its LZFSE compression even supports APFS special files like clones and sparse files.
Tired of HFS+? Disenchanted by APFS? Why not copy or back up to a different file system? Here are crocodiles waiting to bite you.
Don’t clutter your backups with files you’d never want to restore. Here are five methods to exclude items from Time Machine backups to keep them leaner.
Details the contents of files which are built into Spotlight’s index, its reliance on keys, how apps can perform Spotlight searches, and the three bundled tools for users.
Thirty years ago, many Macs were hit by the Wdef virus, which exploited a vulnerability which remains today: it travelled in an extended attribute. Should we be worried now?
The Eclectic Light Company 