Apps from Mac App Store crash when started (CODESIGNING error)

this is not a perfect solution. however, it is a temporary solution for recent issues.

entering command+shift+g in finder activates go to the folder.

enter /Library/Keychains/crls/

delete or rename the "valid.sqilite3" file.

my opinion is that all apps recently installed by high sierra are having problems due to an error in authentication problems caused by the keychain.

as said at the outset, this is a temporary solution. If the same problem is repeated, repeat the solution.

-Sean

I just wanted to add that this discussion topic is related to one I inadvertently started around the same time.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252037712?answerId=253880193022&login=true&page=1

Current and future followers may find both helpful.

Cheers!

Summary...

No matter what I do the vast majority of the apps don't work.

Details...

I have been working on this issue since last Thursday, inclusive. After more than five days of trying, including help from an Apple Support call, I'm ready to just sit tight and see if Apple acknowledges the problem and what they do, but time is running out for High Sierra support.

My testing, while not exhaustive, has been comprehensive. Utilizing three different Macs of varying age, configuration, updates, software, users, and Apple IDs.

Everything folks have suggested I have tried, with one exception. That exception was the formating with APFS instead of HFS+, which still doesn't work. So, the issue...

...is not hardware, so forget about how your Mac is rigged.

...seems isolated to High Sierra and the App Store apps.

...does not present on other macOS or OS X versions.

...seems to affect about 80% of apps tested.

...presents as a crash report, or a message that it is broken or incomplete, or nothing happens at all.

...maybe related to the type of app it is (32/64-bit, App Nap support, etc)

...crash reports all indicate code sign error.

Best Scientific Wild *** Guesses...

Something changed recently in App Store in regards to how apps are delivered and installed. It seems to correspond to the introduction of macOS 11 Big Sur and the imminent drop of future support for High Sierra (possible end of the year?). I'm not surprised because macOS 11 is a dramatic departure from the previous iterations with processor and software support for 64-bit Intel and ARM. Apple Silicon may be related.

In an effort to have only apps appear in the Big Sur App Store that will run on that new OS there may be something unintentionally affecting the app's appearance and function via the High Sierra App Store. Pure speculation... Apple is using the digital signing of apps to manage and control what the App Store presents to users of Big Sur and did not adequately test the impact on High Sierra because speculation is that High Sierra support drops and the end of this month (November).

Additional Observations...

I noted that when scrolling through the 'Purchased' page of the High Sierra App Store that some of the apps don't link to their product page but do in the Big Sur App Store. Example: SketchBook Express was added to my account in 2011 and is still listed in my Purchased items in the High Sierra App Store and in the Big Sur App Store. However, the behaviour is different:

• Big Sur App Store - I CAN load the product detail page but CAN NOT install SketchBook Express (make sense, this app probably needs to be updated by dev);

• High Sierra App Store - I CAN NOT load the product detail page but CAN install SketchBook Express (doesn't make sense because it installs and runs fine).

Another example is TextWrangler from way back.

• Big Sur App Store - I CAN load the product detail page but CAN NOT install TextWrangler (make sense, DOES need to be updated by dev);

• High Sierra App Store - I CAN NOT load the product detail page but CAN install TextWrangler (doesn't make sense it installs but doesn't run).

I'm starting to see that it is not widespread. A handful of apps work, but the vast majority don't work anymore in High Sierra after the change last week. On Wednesday last week, one of my favourite apps, the Magnet app from CrowdCafé was updated and worked on my old installation of High Sierra. On Thursday after the complete rebuild of the computer with a clean install of High Sierra the Magnet app doesn't work along with dozens and dozens of App Store apps I use. So Sad :(

Current discussions I'm aware of are:

der-Josh 

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252032870

PeterPeterPeterPeter

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252030900

GrenadeBait

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252037712

(I wish I could change the title of mine because this has nothing to do with SSDs and HDDs.

I have the same issue as well as many other people. The issue has been reported in eight different discussion threads that I know of.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252030900

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252037712

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252032870

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252060316

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252056821

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252061206

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252030032

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252059424

Observed behaviour is:

Almost all apps downloaded from the Apple App Store crash with a 'Code Sign Invalid' error (CODESIGNING).

It's not conclusive, but the issue seems to...

...have started around Wednesday last week (2020.11.11);

...affect macOS High Sierra (all versions, unpatched and patches);

...affect systems that have had the operating system recently reinstalled.

I have the same issue, whenever I open Pages, Numbers or Keynote, it shows the "Open File" Dialog for a few seconds and then they crash.

However, I have a different error report, I don't see the CODESIGNING anywhere:

It says

Termination Reason:    Namespace SIGNAL, Code 0x4

Any idea how I can fix this? I already tried reinstalling the from the App Store, but that didn't help.

I was talking with Apple Support about 45 minutes and no fix it, the only one solution now was report to Apple. Please we need to write to https://apple.com/feedback with our problem to take in consideration to fix it. Thanks.

Hi Peter, I posted you request to a few of the other related discussions as...

I'm posting a request from PeterPeterPeterPeter (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252030900?answerId=253955318022&page=2) for us to report this issue on the two Apple Feedback resources below...

Please help by reporting to Apple here https://apple.com/feedback

and here https://feedbackassistant.apple.com !

There's another thread where they're narrowing down the problem. It appears to be a trustd cache and an improperly revoked certificate. I recommend reading from at least page 8 forward. No permanent solution yet, but there are workarounds that will temporarily let you launch applications.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252037712?answerId=253977725022#253977725022

Does that fix stick across a reboot? I got a feeling it won't. We have found a pretty good workaround in another thread. Start from around this comment: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252037712?answerId=253981944022#253981944022

Same problem, try this:

reformat hdd and reinstall High Sierra 10.13.6, but "WAIT" to do all updates.

Download "Security Update 2020-004 (High Sierra)" from https://support.apple.com/kb/DL2046?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

and manually install it.

There's a bug too in this manual update, when Mac reboot you see a black screen, the solution is to press ALT button on the reboot and select the system partition, now is installed.

Now you can install all the others High Sierra updates from MAC APP STORE and the apps (Pages, Numbers, Keynote......) works.

Thanks for you comment on my related post. I have since elaborated on the issue after further testing today. My problem has only emerged in the past couple days after doing my High Sierra clean rebuild (a clean OS install was long overdue). When did your issue start?

I have to agree with you on the summation that it is an Apple problem, which is probably caused by changes related to their recent announcements (new OS, Macs, etc.). My issue surfaced only Wednesday (Mountain Standard Time). On Tuesday I backed up data and prepared the computer for a complete erase and install of High Sierra.

I have just completed another test on a pristine install of High Sierra but this time I had someone else created the default account (admin) and associate their Apple ID so that it would be the account used when downloading from the App Store. They are getting the same issues.

This needs to be fixed! With this pandemic and current politically unstable climate, my financial resources are reserved for important needs; I can NOT afford to be spending money on a new Mac just to keep pace with Apple's changes. If that were the case I would buy a Windows PC for a fraction of the cost and throw it out every couple of years and buy a new one. I would prefer to buy a Mac and have it last.

I believe I've found a solution. I reformatted a partition APFS instead of Mac OS Extended, did a clean install of High Sierra, and the App Store apps now launch and function fine. But I didn't transfer over my users files and settings, I'll try that next.