'wants access to control Safari.app'
Mac users are reporting encountering a message stating that a particular application 'wants access to control Safari.app. Allowing control will provide access to documents and data in “Safari”, and the performance of actions within that application. The specific name of the application may be a long string of numbers or a normally-sounding app. In fact, in some cases, the notification may state that Finder, a built-in macOS app, wants to control Safari. No matter what the exact text says, users should know that these notifications must not be trusted.
Deceptive and intrusive applications oftentimes assume the identity of official programs to trick their targets. The goal is to receive important system privileges from the user that the dubious application can then exploit to generate monetary gains for its operators. Typically, these applications are classified as PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs) and can act as adware, browser hijackers or both.
Users who fall for the tactic will be subjected to an influx of suspicious advertisements, have their Web browsers set to open unfamiliar pages, and even have their browsing activities tracked. It is paramount to use caution. The advertisements may employ various clickbait tactics and then redirect users to suspicious or unsafe websites. Users could land on pages spreading more PUPs, running online tactics, trying to obtain private information via phishing schemes, or even compromised sites delivering serious malware threats.
As for the information usually collected by these intrusive applications, it may include the entire browsing history and all conducted Web searches. Various device details also may be harvested - IP address, geolocation, browser type, ISP and more. Some PUPs can even try to obtain payment information from the affected browser, such as banking credentials and debit/credit card numbers.
