Binarynights
We have learned that ForkLift 3 has a local security vulnerability in its helper tool which affects all previous versions. We kindly ask all users of ForkLift 3 to upgrade to version 3.4 and update the helper tool too if needed.
ForkLift version 3.4 fixes the vulnerability issue in the helper tool but updating to ForkLift version 3.4 doesn’t update the helper tool itself. After updating to version 3.4, ForkLift will ask you to update the helper tool if you had already installed it before. To allow ForkLift to install the new helper tool, enter the password of an administrator of your computer. We highly recommend updating the helper tool if you are prompted to do so.
If you don’t update the helper tool when ForkLift asks you to do it, ForkLift will keep reminding you to update the tool every time you start it. If you accidentally cancel the update, then just restart ForkLift and it will prompt you again to update the helper tool. Please don’t postpone the update of the helper tool if you are asked to update it.
If you are not prompted to update the helper tool after you have updated to ForkLift version 3.4 or later, then it means that you hadn’t installed the old version in the past and don’t need to update it. Should you allow ForkLift to install the helper tool in the future when you want to execute an action which needs elevated user privileges, ForkLift will install the new, updated helper tool.
How to update ForkLift?
If you have enabled the Check for updates automatically option in the Preferences of ForkLift, then ForkLift will automatically notify you about the latest update which you can easily install.
If you don’t want to wait until ForkLift sees the new update or you haven’t enabled automatic updates, then go to ForkLift > Check for Updates in the menu of ForkLift and install the latest version that way.
The ForkLift app can only be updated if it is running from the Applications folder. If you can’t update ForkLift because it is not in the Application folder, then quit ForkLift and move it into the Applications folder before trying to update it again.
If you can’t update ForkLift with the methods listed above, then quit it and move it into the Trash and download the latest version from our site by clicking on the Try for Free button on the top of the page. Make sure to move the app into the Applications folder before opening it.
Don’t forget to update the helper tool if you are prompted to do so.
What to do if ForkLift doesn’t start after updating to version 3.4?
In some cases, the old helper tool installed on your Mac can prevent ForkLift 3.4 from opening. If ForkLift 3.4 hangs after you have tried to open it, do the following:
- (Force) quit Forklift and make sure that no older version of ForkLift is open
- Open the Terminal app and paste these 3 commands into it. Press Enter after pasting each line. After the first command, Terminal will ask you for an administrative password, enter this password and press Enter:
- Open ForkLift 3.4
sudo launchctl unload /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.binarynights.ForkLiftHelper.plist;
sudo rm /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.binarynights.ForkLiftHelper.plist;
sudo rm /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.binarynights.ForkLiftHelper;
What to do if you have deleted ForkLift from your Mac?
If you had been using ForkLift in the past and had installed the helper tool while using it but have deleted ForkLift since then, then the helper tool might still be on your Mac. We recommend deleting the helper tool to eliminate the vulnerability in this case too.
To delete the helper tool from your Mac, open the Terminal app, and run these 3 commands:
sudo launchctl unload /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.binarynights.ForkLiftHelper.plist;
sudo rm /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.binarynights.ForkLiftHelper.plist;
sudo rm /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.binarynights.ForkLiftHelper;
You can run these commands even if you are not sure if you had installed the helper tool in the past.
It is important to mention that after deleting the old helper tool, ForkLift versions older than 3.4 will install and run the old helper tool again if you install the helper tool while using these older versions of ForkLift. To avoid possible vulnerabilities, install ForkLift version 3.4 or later if you wish to use ForkLift again.
Why does ForkLift ask me to install the helper tool in the first place?
By default, applications run as the currently logged in user. Even if you are an administrator, some tasks require additional, elevated privileges. This means that to protect your system, ForkLift doesn’t have the rights to execute some tasks such as creating an item into the root on older OS versions or creating an item into the Users directory without permission of an administrator. Apple requires to only grant these elevated privileges to an application when and as long as these elevated privileges are needed. To make this possible, developers are required to create helper tools which manage these elevated privileges. The first time you want to execute an action which needs elevated privileges, ForkLift asks you to install the helper tool and later on, the helper tool asks for an administrative password every time you want to execute actions which require elevated privileges.