Blender
Blender is free, open-source software for making 3D models, animations, visual effects and edited videos. It’s made by Blender Foundation, based in the Netherlands.
Criminals have used its name in fake downloads or scams, so get it only from blender.org.
What it is
People use Blender to make 3D objects, animated films, game assets and visual effects. It also includes tools for drawing and video editing. Hobbyists and professional studios use it.
Blender reads project files and media such as images, video and audio to build and edit scenes. It can work without an internet connection or an account. Online access is optional for downloading extensions.
Blender is an established creative tool. Downloaded projects and extensions need care: project files can contain Python scripts, and Blender warns that these scripts are not restricted in what they can do. Automatic script execution is off by default.
Who makes it
Blender Foundation is an independent, non-profit organisation established in 2002 and based in Amsterdam. Its legal name is Stichting Blender Foundation. Its website is blender.org.
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 Blender. Its Mac app shows who signed the copy you have.
Its bundle ID, the name macOS knows it by, is org.blenderfoundation.blender. Download it only from blender.org, not from an ad or a link someone sends you.
Fakes. In August 2020, BlenderNation reported a copied Blender website distributing trojans through YouTube and Facebook adverts. In November 2025, security researchers reported malicious .blend files on legitimate 3D marketplaces that used embedded Python scripts to deliver StealC malware.
What it connects to
In normal use, Blender 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 |
|---|---|
extensions.blender.org | Browse, download and update optional extensions. |
docs.blender.org | Opens the online manual in your browser when requested. |
www.blender.org | Opens Blender’s website through menu links when requested. |
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 |
|---|---|
| Camera | An installed extension may request access to capture photos or video. |
| Microphone | An installed extension may request access to capture audio. |
| Screen & System Audio Recording | An installed extension may request access to capture system audio. |
Security record
Problems with Blender or Blender Foundation 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 reading specially crafted project cache files could crash Blender or run attacker code; it was fixed in versions 4.5.15 and 5.2.3. | ↗ | |
| A denial-of-service attack disrupted Blender’s websites; service was restored with attack protection, and Blender said project and user data were unaffected. | ↗ |
References
- Blender Foundation blender.org
- About Blender — Blender Manual docs.blender.org
- Video Editing — Blender Manual docs.blender.org
- Privacy Policy — Blender blender.org
- Scripting & Security — Blender Manual docs.blender.org
- Download Blender blender.org
- Installing on macOS — Blender Manual docs.blender.org
- Blender Releases blender.org
- About Blender Extensions extensions.blender.org
- Network — Blender Manual docs.blender.org
- Help System — Blender Manual docs.blender.org
- Topbar — Blender Manual docs.blender.org
- Blender macOS Info.plist github.com
- How to Create Extensions — Blender Manual docs.blender.org
- Control access to screen and system audio recording on Mac — Apple support.apple.com
- Warning: Fake Blender site spreading trojans — BlenderNation blendernation.com
- StealC malware campaign targets Blender users — Broadcom broadcom.com
- CVE-2026-119718 — National Vulnerability Database nvd.nist.gov
- Cyberattack — November 2023 — Blender blender.org