HitPaw Applications Firewall Permissions Cannot Be Deleted

I am reaching out regarding an issue with macOS's firewall settings that has persisted despite all troubleshooting efforts on my part. Specifically, I am unable to remove or modify firewall rules for the following applications:

• com.HitPaw.PhotoAI
• com.HitPaw.VideoEnhancer

Steps I Have Taken to Resolve the Issue:

1. Removed the Applications:

• • I uninstalled both applications using standard methods and also tried third-party tools like AppCleaner to remove residual files.

1. Reinstalled macOS:

• • I performed a complete reinstallation of macOS and opted not to restore data from a backup. Despite this, the firewall rules for these apps reappeared.

1. Reset Firewall Configuration:

• I deleted the com.apple.alf.plist file located in /Library/Preferences/ and restarted the firewall using the following Terminal commands:

bash
Copy code
sudo rm /Library/Preferences/com.apple.alf.plist  
sudo pkill -HUP socketfilterfw

• • However, the rules reappeared after restarting my Mac.

1. Checked for Residual Files:

• I manually inspected and cleaned the following directories:
  • • /Applications/
    • /Library/Application Support/
    • ~/Library/Application Support/
    • ~/Library/Preferences/
    • ~/Library/Caches/
    • /Library/LaunchAgents/
• /Library/LaunchDaemons/
• No traces of the applications remain in these directories.

1. Disabled iCloud Sync:

• • I suspected that iCloud settings might be reapplying the rules, so I disabled iCloud syncing, including Keychain and System Preferences. The issue persisted.

1. Checked for Kernel Extensions:

• • I ran the kextstat | grep -i hitpaw command in Terminal to identify any remaining kernel extensions but found no results.

1. Tried Third-Party Solutions:

• • I explored third-party firewall tools like Little Snitch, but I want to resolve this within macOS's native firewall if possible.

Additional Context:

• These firewall rules consistently appear with "Allow Incoming Connections" even though the associated apps have been removed from my system.
• I performed a clean macOS installation and manually reinstalled essential apps, avoiding any system restore or migration.
• The issue persists across reboots and remains unaffected by resetting the firewall or removing configuration files.

Assistance Requested:

I would appreciate your guidance in diagnosing and resolving this issue. Specifically:

1. Are there system-level mechanisms or processes that could be re-adding these firewall rules?
2. Is there a deeper way to reset the macOS firewall or remove residual app data that I may have overlooked?