- OpenAI rotated macOS code‑signing certificate after Axios supply chain breach
- Malicious Axios 1.14.1 pulled into app‑signing workflow
- No evidence of data theft, but older app versions deprecated
OpenAI recently rotated its macOS code signing certificate and pushed new versions of macOS products as a proactive measure against potential malware attacks.
When an app is signed with a valid developer certificate (like OpenAI’s), the system assumes the developer is verified, the app hasn’t been tampered with, and that it’s safe to run. Having malware signed with one of these certificates almost guarantees it will bypass protections and will be allowed to run on the endpoint.
In an update published late last week, the popular AI company said it observed a breach at Axios, a third-party developer tool it uses, in late March this year. Axios is a JavaScript library used to send HTTP requests (it allows apps to talk to servers). It was compromised, and a malicious version - 1.14.1 - was pushed.
The attack was apparently part of a broader software supply chain attack, it was said. At the time, OpenAI used a GitHub Actions workflow in the macOS app-signing process, which downloaded and executed that malicious version.
User data is safe
“This workflow had access to a certificate and notarization material used for signing macOS applications, including ChatGPT Desktop, Codex, Codex-cli, and Atlas,” OpenAI explained.
While the company’s incident analysis determined that the signing certificate was “likely not successfully exfiltrated”, it still treated it as compromised and decided for a rotation.
“Effective May 8, 2026, older versions of our macOS desktop apps will no longer receive updates or support, and may not be functional,” OpenAI warned. “These versions represent the earliest releases signed with our updated certificate:
ChatGPT Desktop: 1.2026.051
Codex App: 26.406.40811
Codex CLI: 0.119.0
Atlas: 1.2026.84.2”
In the same report, the company stated that there is no evidence user data was accessed, intellectual property was compromised, or that the software itself was altered in any way.
Via Reuters
