Individual skill

analyzing-macos-binaries

Reverse engineer and security-review macOS applications and Mach-O binaries — thinning universal binaries, recovering Objective-C/Swift structure, reading code-signing entitlements and the hardened runtime, and auditing XPC services, dylib load paths, and TCC privacy exposure. Use when analyzing a .app bundle or Mach-O on macOS, checking entitlements and notarization, hunting a dylib-hijack or XPC privilege bug, or reasoning about Gatekeeper and quarantine.

secskills-core/skills/analyzing-macos-binaries/SKILL.md

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Last checked: Nov 6, 2026

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Repository last updated: Sep 4, 2026
License: MIT

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security Repository topic
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# Analyzing macOS Binaries

macOS reverse engineering is Mach-O plus a specific security model: code
signing, entitlements, the sandbox, TCC privacy, and XPC between processes. The
binary tells you what the code does; the entitlements and load paths tell you
what it is *allowed* to do and where an attacker could get in. Read both — most
macOS findings live in the gap between the two.

## When to Use

- Analyzing a `.app` bundle or a Mach-O executable/dylib/framework on macOS
- Reading entitlements, hardened-runtime flags, notarization, and Gatekeeper
  quarantine state
- Auditing an XPC service or privileged helper for an authorization bug