Audacity
Audacity is a free app for recording, editing and mixing voices, music and other audio. It’s made by Muse Group, based in Cyprus.
Criminals have used its name in fake downloads or scams, so get it only from audacityteam.org.
What it is
People use Audacity to record podcasts, edit music and work on other sound recordings. It can combine tracks, add effects and export audio files.
It works with audio files you open and needs Microphone permission to record sound. On a Mac, that permission also covers external recording devices. Its optional Audio.com connection lets you save projects online.
The official app is free and open source. Recording and editing do not require an account. Update checks send the app version, operating system and IP address, which Audacity says it anonymises. Error reporting and a random identifier for usage statistics are optional. These network features can be switched off in Preferences.
Who makes it
Muse Group makes music software and educational resources, began with Ultimate Guitar in 1998, and remains majority owned by founder Eugeny Naidenov. Its legal name is MuseCY SM Ltd.. Its website is mu.se.
Is it the real one?
Every Mac app carries a signature from the developer who made it. Apple checks who the developer is before handing out the certificate, and macOS refuses to open an app whose signature has been tampered with.
HARD hasn’t yet recorded the signature on a real copy of Audacity. Its Mac app shows who signed the copy you have.
Its bundle ID, the name macOS knows it by, is org.audacityteam.audacity or org.audacityteam.audacity4 or net.sourceforge.audacity. Download it only from audacityteam.org, not from an ad or a link someone sends you.
Fakes. In September 2025, researchers reported fake GitHub pages impersonating Audacity and other Mac apps in a campaign spreading Atomic Stealer malware. The pages led people to installation instructions that ran malicious Terminal commands.
What it connects to
In normal use, Audacity talks to these places on the internet. A firewall that asks before apps connect, like the one in HARD’s Mac app, will show them.
| Address | Why |
|---|---|
updates.audacityteam.org | Checks for new versions. |
api.audio.com | Optional cloud saving and audio sharing. |
audio.com | Optional account linking and upload pages. |
What it can see
macOS asks you before an app can use these. You can change them any time in System Settings → Privacy & Security.
| Permission | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| Microphone | Records sound from the built-in microphone or an external recording device. |
Security record
Problems with Audacity or Muse Group in the last three years, newest first. Keeping the app up to date covers the ones that were fixed.
| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| A flaw in Muse Group’s separate MuseHub Windows updater could let a local attacker gain higher privileges (CVE-2025-13433); the published record does not document a fix. | ↗ |
References
- Audacity — Frequently asked questions audacityteam.org
- Download Audacity for macOS audacityteam.org
- Audacity 4.0.0 — application identifier raw.githubusercontent.com
- Audacity — macOS bundle configuration raw.githubusercontent.com
- macOS Bundle ID List macbundleid.lemonproductions.ca
- Audacity Forum — older Mac crash report showing bundle identifier forum.audacityteam.org
- Audacity — Desktop Privacy Policy audacityteam.org
- Audacity — Info for System Administrators support.audacityteam.org
- Audacity Manual — Error opening sound device manual.audacityteam.org
- Audacity Manual — Help menu audacityteam.org
- Audacity — Changelog audacityteam.org
- Audacity 3.7.7 — update server configuration raw.githubusercontent.com
- Audacity 3.7.7 — Audio.com service configuration raw.githubusercontent.com
- Muse Group opens its headquarters in Limassol, Cyprus mu.se
- Muse Group — ownership and company history update mu.se
- Malwarebytes — Fake Malwarebytes, LastPass, and others on GitHub serve malware malwarebytes.com
- Positive Technologies — CVE-2025-13433 dbu.gs
- CVE Program — MuseHub Windows updater vulnerability record raw.githubusercontent.com