iTunes 10.1 for Mac breaks firewall?

... usually it shouldn't have to ask about these programs if you've checked the box to allow signed apps through.

Correct. Perhaps it is a simple as unchecking and rechecking that option? Otherwise, if you need picture sharing, you may need to follow the steps in my other post.

Restarting the computer still didn't fix it.

Downloading the standalone installer, trashing the 'Software Update' installed version in Applications, and reinstalling iTunes worked for me also.

Noticed a couple things:

1. The 'Software Update' version was slightly larger (approx. 4MB) than the standalone version after installing. No idea why since I didn't compare them before deleting.

2. The problem version worked (once) without the warning if you deleted iTunes from the firewall list but the NEXT time it was started the problem came back and iTunes (or something) added itself back to the firewall list. I suspect there's an application signing problem with the 'Software Update' iTunes 10.1 but that's just speculation.

Glenn Carter wrote:
The only way I have permanently resolved this is by doing the following:

First, download the iTunes 10.1 installer instead of using Software Update. That way you have it for easy reinstalls later.

• Delete the iTunes app from the Applications folder
• Move the com.apple.alf.plist file out of /Library/Preferences (NOTE: This is the Library folder at the top level of your Macs’ HD, not the Library folder inside your Home folder.)
• Reboot the Mac
• Reinstall iTunes 10.1
• Open System Preferences and select Security
• Click the Firewall tab and click the “Start” button
• Click the “Advanced…” button and ensure that “Automatically allow signed software to receive incoming connections” is CHECKED.
• Click OK and close System Preferences
• Launch iTunes
• It should not ask again to Allow Incoming Connections. But if it does it should only ask once and never again.
• Bear in mind that other apps that must go through the firewall will ask once again to Allow Incoming Connections. But they should only ask once and never again.

Let us know if this resolves the issue for you. Cheers!

This is very bizarre. After doing this, I am no longer getting the firewall message, but I can't make my iTunes icon stay on the dock! I also can't move it to a different spot - if I move it, it stays for a moment, and then switches back to where it was. This is very annoying. Any ideas as to how to fix this? It's very strange, and only happens with the iTunes icon. Other icons can be moved around and kept on or off the dock without problems.

Thank you all ! Reinstalling from the standalone installer did fix it here.
1- remove iTunes from the advanced pane of the firewall prefs.
2- delete the iTunes app from the Applications folder
3- reboot
4- re-install from the standalone installer
5- there is no 5 🙂

Thanks again !

- Jay

Okay, fixed this. MobileMe was messing up my dock, even though I turned off syncing of MobileMe when this happened. It often is the cause of this kind of weirdness. It must have been something about how it handled the uninstallation/reinstallation of iTunes on the dock. Strange.

medgirl wrote:

This is very bizarre. After doing this, I am no longer getting the firewall message, but I can't make >my iTunes icon stay on the dock! I also can't move it to a different spot - if I move it, it stays for a >moment, and then switches back to where it was. This is very annoying. Any ideas as to how to fix >this? It's very strange, and only happens with the iTunes icon. Other icons can be moved around and >kept on or off the dock without problems.

Glenn Carter wrote:
Interesting. Well, if you reinstall iPhoto `11 in the correct order, it shouldn't hurt.

Before you begin download the iPhoto 9.1 update from Apple's site:

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1322

Next:

• Drag iPhoto from your Apps folder to the Trash (but don't empty it just yet).
• Reinstall iPhoto from the iLife `11 disc.
• DON"T launch iPhoto yet!
• Next, install the iPhoto 9.1 Update.
• Now launch iPhoto and allow it to import your photo library

NOTE: iPhoto may ask once more to allow incoming connections. Click "Allow". It should not ask again.

Let us know how it goes. Cheers!

Unfortunately, this did not work. So far the only thing I've found that stops the box about allowing incoming connections is to disable the sharing feature of iPhoto.

Deleting iTunes.app and reinstalling it from the downloadable installer also fixed the firewall issue for me. The issue was also preventing AirTunes from connecting, and reinstalling resolved that, too.

I deleted iTunes from the list in System_Preferences > Security > Firewall > Advanced before reinstalling, and I notice that iTunes adds itself to the list the first time you run it after it has been reinstalled.

My guess is that there might be an issue with the installer downloaded from Software Update:

If you run:
codesign -v /Applications/iTunes.app in a Terminal window, I get this:
/Applications/iTunes.app: a sealed resource is missing or invalid

Code signing is part of what Mac OS X uses for verifying applications that have rules in the firewall. If the applications signature is invalid, then the application will prompt for "approval" each time it opens as it does not match the signature it should have!

If you run 'codesign -v' against another app, you shouldn't get a response at all... indicating that the application is correctly verified.

The solution will be to download and install the standalone version - hopefully a version that has been correctly signed and contains all the elements required.

Thanks Glenn... your fix worked for me!

Thank you Glenn and Jay! This worked perfectly!
My question is: "Where did Apple precision go?"
The new iPhoto is full of bugs and has no real full screen.
The new iTunes must be reinstalled to work properly.
My Macbook Pro is fully capable to run the 64 bit kernel but they don't let me do it because, I think, they don't want to release all the updated driver....

I think they're thinking to much about iOs and too less about Mac!
Where "Apple Computer Inc." went?!

Great to hear Skiver and All! This one plagued me for several months last year until I stumbled upon this fix.

Andrew Preece is correct. It is a code-signing issue in which iTunes does not contain the code that Mac OS X is suppose to recognize as legitimate. Essentially, iTunes lacks the digital signature verifying that it has a right to access the internet without interrogation.

Glad it was helpful. Unfortunately, this is not the first time this issue has occurred. So there is the very real possibility that it can happen again. "Everything has happened before, and will happen again." Hmmm, where have I heard that before? 😉

I was having the same issue and I noticed I had home sharing turned on, which is something I don't use. I turned it off and I stopped getting the message. I tried closing iTunes several times and opening it again - no more message. I restarted, just in case that would cause it to come back, and still not more message. It seems like the update causes an issue with home sharing. If you don't use it, that's a quick fix to the issue. However, if you do use it, the other solution is what you should do.

Hi all,

the standalone installer solved for me the issue too.

Thanks guys!

yasmin.k