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I have been using a HP Envy 4500 printer with my iMac for 2 years using HP Easy Scan - with no issues.

Today I tried to scan a document, when I press the "scan" button on the app a pop-up appears stating:

"HP Scanner 3" will damage your computer 
this file was downloaded on
an unknown date. Report malware to Apple to protect others

A second popup also appeared stating:

Scanner reported an error
Failed to open a connection to the device

To me this indicates the macOs has decided to block the program.

Why has this started happening? and how can I tell macOS that "HP Scanner 3" is no malware.

Edited to add:Using etc built in Apple/macOS scanner (which doesn't have all the features of HP Easy Scan) works so that proves this is not a hardware issue.

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    There is no need to add the solution to the question.
    – nohillside ♦
    Commented Oct 24, 2020 at 19:54
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    Regardless of the reason, the UX for this feature is AWFUL. The popup continually reappears even after I dismiss it, so that I am forced to delete the flagged files if I want my computer to be in any way usable. I found this extremely intrusive and surprising from the company that prides itself on obsessively designed UX.
    – alexw
    Commented Nov 24, 2020 at 4:09

6 Answers 6

Reset to default
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Edit: While the app now launches, it still won't let me scan. Found this https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/hp-driver-framework-broken-in-catalina-10-15-7.2262865/post-29100622 saying that the certificate from HP has been revoked, and we're SOL until HP fixes it.

I had this same issue this morning, did a search and found this. Apparently there is a version it the App Store. I downloaded that and boom it's working. Guess they want you to use the one that's been "vetted".

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This message happens when the certificate used to sign software gets revoked. The OS does check for revocations online so yes it blocks apps even if you don’t update the apps or the OS.

For HP printers and scanners, the problem is the revocation of the certificates HP used to sign their software, not that macOS checks for revoked certificates. Things are working technically how they should, but from a support and culture perspective, I am certain thousands (perhaps millions) of people are realizing “suddenly” that this is built into their OS.

The vast majority of HP apps for macOS (which are slightly different than the driver stubs needed for printing) were signed by now revoked certificates.

You are correct in scanning software will not work unless you ignore revoked signed apps or update your software. Here is the package we pushed to thousands of Macs around noon yesterday to address yesterday’s specific certificate revocation.

Run software updates and you should see updates for HP or worst case see if you can get support from them (they will be very busy the next few days while this all sorts out)

If you want to check your software, here are two apps I love and use to check certificates and signing status.

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    I managed to remove the signature in the relevant binaries using sudo codesign --remove-signature <binary> . I do think it's outrageous that already installed and running software can be 'remotely killed' without any override by the user.
    – benwiggy
    Commented Oct 24, 2020 at 18:49
  • I hear you @benwiggy people are very abused about “phone home surveillance and erosion of privacy” due to tracking in general and Apple is not immune to legitimate criticism on this. Being able to manage this and understand it are very important to me, not just blind trust is my plan.
    – bmike ♦
    Commented Oct 24, 2020 at 19:19
  • @benwiggy I guess Apple's response might be along the lines that it's possible for malware to be already installed and running, and that they should have the ability to remotely kill it before it does more serious damage.⠀ Presumably they had good reason for revoking HP's certificate — knowing that it would be likely to have these effects; maybe it had got leaked and used for malware, or some HP software was mistakenly distributed with malware, or something like that?
    – gidds
    Commented Oct 24, 2020 at 21:35
  • Are you sure Apple revoked any certificates @gidds - that’s typically under purview of Certificate Authorities and HP who applied the certificates. Not clear to me who “they” is here...
    – bmike ♦
    Commented Oct 25, 2020 at 1:04
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    So a malevolent (state) actor who silently compromised the key servers could shut down all macs in the world? iPhones? Does a similar single point of failure exist for Windows? Suddenly the nuclear power plants and ATMs which still run Windows NT 3.1 don't look so stupid any longer.
    – Peter - Reinstate Monica
    Commented Oct 25, 2020 at 9:32
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I tried to update the driver from HP, but that did not help much.

What worked is to use HP Uninstaller from https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c06960563

After uninstallation was completed, I installed the latest HP driver again and that message is gone. Now I can print and scan with no issues anymore.

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    This is the correct answer for the current OS version (Big Sur 11.2.1). Installing the package linked from bmike's answer fixed printing and scanning for a while, but then scanning broke, while printing continued working. Following the procedure from the HP knowledge base fixes scanning, too. However, it seems that HP Easy Scan needs to be installed and launched at least once for the built-in Apple scanning utility to be able to communicate successfully with the device.
    – Otto G
    Commented Mar 1, 2021 at 19:30
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HP Easy Start instructions: Please update your software using HP Easy Start.

  1. Download HP Easy Start
  2. Follow the prompts for setting up your printer. When you get to the software download it will show whether the software needs updated or not. If it does the box next to Printer Essentials will be checked by default and you just need to select the Install button. https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Printers-Knowledge-Base/quot-HPxxxxx-framework-quot-will-damage-your-computer-quot/ta-p/7825233
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TLDR; Reinstall the printer using the "Generic PCL laser printer" (even if it's an inkjet!).

I had this problem with my HP Officejet H470 after upgrading to Big Sur (warning it would damage my computer) enter image description here

I uninstalled it but couldn't install the HP software because it gave me this warning: enter image description here

I then removed the printer and re-added it using the "Generic PCL laser printer" (even though it's an inkjet!). Yay : enter image description here

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No, sorry. That particular message does not indicate macOS has decided to block anything. That wording is so clearly wrong, it indicates someone is trying to scam you. Prolly, the scam will involve an instruction/suggestion to replace the "suspect" software.

I've been providing tech support to both Apple and HP users since before there were Macs, let alone macOS, and I've never seen or heard of that wording.

The meaning is exactly as speculated but the wording did not come from either Apple or HP

If you have support contracts call Apple and HP and ask them to ignore the general meaning and explain the specific wording.

Failing that, here in the UK you might take the same Question somewhere like Stormfront… next-best thing to an Apple Store but with reasonable prices.

' "HP Scanner 3" will damage your computer…' is not wording Apple or HP use. If it were genuine, that would at best be Windows-style wording… doubly interesting since malware-merchants tend to wean themselves on Windows.

'this file was downloaded on… an unknown date' is not a detail Apple or HP would be interested in, even if it was their wording. 'from an unknown source' might work - though usually, that's macOS or its affiliates being over-zealous and "warning" the poor User about something that matters not at all.

'Report malware (to Apple) to protect others' might be Windows-style wording, if it were genuine.

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  • What is the evidence for your conclusion? The evidence presented in the other answers appears to contradict your claims.
    – D.W.
    Commented Oct 26, 2020 at 4:14
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    This is simply not true: thousands of users of HP printers all reported problems all at the same time (including me) - the certficates on the driver binaries were revoked, as a test of codesign -v showed at the time. I spoke to Apple Support (3rd tier) at length who confirmed the problem.
    – benwiggy
    Commented Oct 26, 2020 at 18:03
  • What you state here was categorically true for non-Apple alerts in the past, but in the case of HP software, the dialogs were legitimate OS generated malware alert like the one at the bottom of this article. support.apple.com/en-us/HT202491 I would agree with a statement that most people have never seen a legitimate Apple malware notice, but the HP certificate revocation has increased substantially the count of people seeing a legitimate alert.
    – bmike ♦
    Commented Oct 29, 2020 at 10:32
  • @ bmike OMG. I can't much argue with what you say, particularly not from the Apple point of view. That much seems wholly reasonable even though I don't happen to have met that wording in the wild.
    – Robbie Goodwin
    Commented Oct 30, 2020 at 0:58

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