Notarization of AdoptOpenJDK 11 on macOS: A Step Forward in Security

AdoptOpenJDK, a member of the AdoptOpenJDK community, has made significant progress in ensuring the security of its OpenJDK releases on macOS. In collaboration with the OpenJDK project and Apple, George Adams, an AdoptOpenJDK member, worked tirelessly to get the necessary patches ready for notarization.

A Brief Overview of Notarization

For those unfamiliar, notarization is a process introduced by Apple in macOS 10.15 (Catalina) that requires software distributed outside the Mac App Store to be verified and signed with an Apple-issued certificate. This ensures that all software meets certain security standards before it can be installed on a Mac.

AdoptOpenJDK's Efforts

The OpenJDK community, led by AdoptOpenJDK, made tremendous efforts to get OpenJDK ready for notarization, especially for older versions of Xcode that do not support notarization. This achievement is significant, as it enables users to install and run OpenJDK on macOS 10.15 without any issues.

Notarized Binaries and Installers

As a result, AdoptOpenJDK's pkg installer for OpenJDK 14, released in March 2020, was the first to be fully notarized. This means that users can download and install OpenJDK 14 with confidence, knowing that it meets Apple's security standards.

Hardened Runtime Support

In addition to notarization, AdoptOpenJDK also supports Hardened Runtime on macOS, which provides an additional layer of security for software installed outside the Mac App Store. This ensures that OpenJDK can be safely used on macOS 10.15 and future versions.

Changes for Windows Users

While macOS users benefit from these changes, Windows users should note that starting with this release, AdoptOpenJDK's minimum supported Windows versions have moved to Windows Server 2012 R2 (or newer) and Windows 8.1 (or newer). This change was prompted by Microsoft ending support for Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 in January 2020.

AdoptOpenJDK's commitment to security is evident in its efforts to notarize OpenJDK binaries and installers on macOS. With this achievement, users can rest assured that their OpenJDK installations meet the highest security standards. For more information about OpenJDK releases, including security fixes and other improvements, please visit AdoptOpenJDK's website.

Openjdk 11 macos