Disk Utility - Permissions Repair

I have the same problem

This is NOT a permissions error. It will be fixed in a future update.

Do NOT delete this file either. It is important to the remote desktop features. Just ignore the error. If you delete it, you will get many more errors since it is a vital OS file.

Harris

(Everyone including clean install people have this problem)

Josue Rosado wrote:
Is there a solution?

The solution is to understand that a warning is not -- of & by itself -- a positive indication of an error or anything that needs fixing. (By definition, a warning just indicates a possible danger or problem.) Here, all it means is the database entry of default info about the file created during its installation doesn't agree with the file's actual information.

Since this same warning appears in Mac OS X 10.5: Disk Utility's Repair Disk Permissions messages that you can safely ignore, it is probably safe to assume you can ignore it for 10.6 as well.

After talking to tech support for over 3 & 1/2 hours about what is not working etal. I was told to ignore this reported error and it would probably not be fixed in the future. If I didn't know better I would have thought I was talking to Winblows support. I hope it is not a sign of things to come down the road!

Josue

I received this message after I installed the Remote Client. It is not problem.
Here is a support article Apple updated August 2009
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1448

Hope this eases your mind. RC is correct

-Larc

W3ATO wrote:
I was told to ignore this reported error...

It is not an error; it is a warning. (See my previous post, or just look up the definition of "warning" in your dictionary application.)

I did a complete wipe and install of 10.6 this weekend. After moving my personal files back and tweaking other things like Bookmarks, etc., I ran the Repair Disk Permissions routine and got this same message. I'm used to seeing innocuous errors here however, I did a quick Google search and found this article right off the bat: http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20080620052233168 ==> "+ARDAgent runs when you use Screen Sharing in 10.5, and if you've enabled Remote Management in the System Preferences panel, but this exploit actually works when ARDAgent isn't running.+"

Even though this article was written in June of 2008, it refers to a security hole associated with this file "ARDAgent.app" and seeing the Apple Support Article #TS1448 - then the words, messages that you can safely ignore... I'm not so sure. This article refers to release 10.5 and not 10.6 and while the previous article from June last year may be relating to yet an earlier 10.5 release, its still gives me pause for concern. I've seen many times when a previous bug recurs after a new release due to an oversight but I just don't know.

I'm not one that can simply dismiss an alert because Apple says "you can safely ignore" particularly when previously there was a security hole associated with this very file.

We all know that Mac's are very secure and reliable however, I'm concerned none the less.

JimN wrote:
Even though this article was written in June of 2008, it refers to a security hole associated with this file "ARDAgent.app" and seeing the Apple Support Article #TS1448 - then the words, messages that you can safely ignore... I'm not so sure.

The warning message doesn't indicate anything one way or the other about this potential security exploit. In fact, if it still exists & you used some of the methods mentioned in the Mac OSX Hints article to close it, you would either still get a warning message (because you changed the file's metadata) or if not, the repair might actually undo what you had done to close the threat.

R C-R wrote:
The warning message doesn't indicate anything one way or the other about this potential security exploit. In fact, if it still exists & you used some of the methods mentioned in the Mac OSX Hints article to close it, you would either still get a warning message (because you changed the file's metadata) or if not, the repair might actually undo what you had done to close the threat.

You're right. I didn't want to do anything to the file for repercussions down the road with other interdependencies of files. Its something thats just nagging at me and I'm sure we'll get a fix at some point (maybe 10.6.1) but that doesn't make me any less concerned.
Thanks

This particular Repair Disk Permissions warning surfaces only after one installs the Remote Desktop software update from System Preferences/Software Update. In other words, if you install Snow Leopard, run Software Update and choose to NOT run the Remote Desktop update listed under "Show Details", then you do not get this particular Repair Disk Permissions error.

Seems like the warning is a non-event anyway, so this is not to say you should not run the Remote Desktop update listed under System Preferences/Software Update. Just providing some color on when I noticed this particular Repair Disk Permissions warning had surfaced.

I just encountered this disk utility error as well.

Steve in Seattle wrote:
I just encountered this disk utility error as well.

It is not an error. It is a warning message & is normal for anyone that has updated Snow Leopard to 10.6.1 to see it.

I meant to add the when this error is encountered, DiskUtility freezes, so I'm unable to complete Permission Repair. Is this expected and acceptable behavior for Disk Utility?

Are you talking specifically about the following message or something else?

+Warning: SUID file "System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/MacOS/ARDAg ent" has been modified and will not be repaired.+