Is OSMessageTracing in Startup Login Items Legitimate

You can delete it or leave it. What it controlled is gone, so it does nothing. I think I deleted it years ago, but my current Macs never had it on them.

I would delete the plist.

1AppleAddict wrote:

codesign -dv --verbose=4 /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.installer.osmessagetracing.plist

/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.installer.osmessagetracing.plist: code object is not signed at all

Is this a legitimate Apple program, typically Apple provides digitally signed programs by a CA authority

Those plist files are not code signed. Only the underlying executable has a code signature.

These files are reported as being unsigned ("unidentified developer") because Apple removed the executable, or it was only found in a /AppleInternal folder that is not included when the operating system ships.

My hope is that now that these things are showing up in front of users, they will start complaining to Apple. A dirty little secret about software development is that the internals of virtual all software is just unbelievably sloppy work. There is a reason for those non-stop security exploits.

OSMessageTracer has been a leftover from some OS installation that should have been removed post-installation.

It is quite possible that has been lingering on your Mac for years.

If you open the plist, you will find the program it is supposed to control doesn't exist.

Almost all of Apple's stuff has an "unidentified developer."

I just found this on my system - do I just leave it alone since it is left over from a previous update - or should I deselect it ?