Cursor
Cursor is a code editor with AI tools for writing and changing software. It’s made by Anysphere, based in the United States.
Criminals have used its name in fake downloads or scams, so get it only from cursor.com.
What it is
People use Cursor to build software. Its AI assistant can read project files, change code and run commands on the Mac.
AI requests pass through Cursor’s servers, including when you supply your own model API key. Privacy Mode prevents training on your data. Some data may still be retained for abuse investigations. With Privacy Mode off, Cursor may store and use code and prompts for training.
Cursor is intended for software development. Its maker recommends keeping approval controls enabled and using a basic text editor for untrusted projects. AI changes can be saved before you review them.
Who makes it
Anysphere is a San Francisco AI software company founded in 2022 and acquired by SpaceX in August 2026. Its legal name is Anysphere, Inc.. Its website is anysphere.inc.
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 Cursor. Its Mac app shows who signed the copy you have.
Its bundle ID, the name macOS knows it by, is com.todesktop.230313mzl4w4u92. Download it only from cursor.com, not from an ad or a link someone sends you.
Fakes. In May 2025, Socket reported malicious packages advertised as cheaper Cursor tools, designed to steal credentials and alter installed copies on Macs. In October 2026, malicious Claude Code extensions in Cursor’s marketplace collected computer details and attempted to install persistent remote access.
What it connects to
In normal use, Cursor 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 |
|---|---|
api2.cursor.sh | Most API requests. |
api5.cursor.sh | AI agent requests. |
api3.cursor.sh | Code completion requests. |
repo42.cursor.sh | Searching project code. |
authenticate.cursor.sh | Account authorisation. |
accounts.spacex.ai | Account sign-in. |
marketplace.cursorapi.com | Downloading editor extensions. |
downloads.cursor.com | Downloading app updates. |
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 | For optional voice input, which turns spoken instructions into text. |
| Accessibility | The optional Cursor Computer Use helper needs this to move the mouse and type. |
| Screen & System Audio Recording | The optional Cursor Computer Use helper needs this to take screenshots; older macOS versions call it Screen Recording. |
Security record
Problems with Cursor or Anysphere in the last three years, newest first. Keeping the app up to date covers the ones that were fixed.
| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Malicious Claude Code extension versions 2.1.312 and 2.1.313 attempted to install remote access backdoors; Cursor removed them and disabled the attacker’s server, but affected Macs still require cleanup. | ↗ | |
| A macOS flaw let an AI agent alter a Python environment and run commands outside its restrictions; it was fixed in Cursor 3.1.2. | ↗ | |
| On Macs with Docker Desktop and Dev Containers CLI installed, an AI agent could escape its restrictions and access the home folder; the advisory lists affected versions below 3.0.0 but no patched version. | ↗ | |
| Cursor disclosed that hostile web content could run code and access files and credentials inside Cloud Agent sessions; the service was fixed on 31 March 2026. | ↗ | |
| A critical flaw let an AI agent use file links to write outside its project and run unrestricted code; it was fixed in Cursor 3.0. | ↗ |
References
- Cursor Bundle Identifier — confirmation from Michael Truell forum.cursor.com
- Cursor Terms of Service cursor.com
- SpaceX says it can buy AI coding tool Cursor for $60B later this year — Associated Press apnews.com
- Cursor is now a part of SpaceX cursor.com
- Cursor Agent Overview cursor.com
- Cursor Agent Security cursor.com
- Cursor Data Use & Privacy Overview cursor.com
- Cursor Download cursor.com
- Cursor Automated Updates — support response forum.cursor.com
- Cursor Changelog cursor.com
- Cursor Network Configuration cursor.com
- Voice Input Not Working in Cursor IDE — support response forum.cursor.com
- Cursor Computer use and desktop sharing cursor.com
- Backdooring the IDE: Malicious npm Packages Hijack Cursor Editor on macOS — Socket socket.dev
- Cursor security notice: malicious Claude Code extensions cursor.com
- Sandbox escape via tampered Python virtual environments github.com
- Sandbox escape via launching privileged containers github.com
- Cloud Agent Browser Sandbox Escape github.com
- Cursor Desktop sandbox escape via symlink and failed path canonicalization github.com