Docker Desktop
Docker Desktop builds and runs software in containers, which package an application with the parts it needs. It’s made by Docker, based in the United States.
Criminals have used its name in fake downloads or scams, so get it only from docs.docker.com.
What it is
Developers use Docker Desktop to build and test software on their Mac. It manages containers, downloaded software images and development services.
Its containers run inside a Linux virtual machine. They can use Mac folders shared with them, so development code can be edited on the Mac and run inside a container. Sharing a whole home folder may trigger requests for access to personal folders or reminders.
Docker supplies it for software development, including personal projects and education. It publishes security fixes regularly. Usage statistics, diagnostics and crash reporting are enabled by default and can be controlled in Settings.
Who makes it
Docker is a US software company that makes tools for building, running and sharing applications. Its legal name is Docker, Inc.. Its website is docker.com.
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.
The real Docker Desktop is signed by Docker Inc, Apple team ID 9BNSXJN65R. A copy signed by anyone else isn’t from Docker. HARD’s Mac app checks this for you; to check by hand, open Terminal and run codesign -dv "/Applications/Docker Desktop.app", and look for that TeamIdentifier.
Its bundle ID, the name macOS knows it by, is com.docker.docker or com.electron.dockerdesktop. Download it only from docs.docker.com, not from an ad or a link someone sends you.
Fakes. In September 2025, LastPass researchers listed Docker among brands impersonated by fake GitHub download pages targeting Mac users. The campaign directed people to run Terminal commands that installed Atomic Stealer malware.
What it connects to
In normal use, Docker Desktop 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 |
|---|---|
auth.docker.io | Authentication |
login.docker.com | Account sign-in |
desktop.docker.com | App updates |
hub.docker.com | Docker Hub |
registry-1.docker.io | Download and upload container images |
production.cloudfront.docker.com | Transfer container images |
notify.bugsnag.com | Error reports |
sessions.bugsnag.com | Error reports |
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 |
|---|---|
| Local Network | Lets containers reach devices on your local network. |
| Files and Folders | May be requested when sharing protected folders, such as Downloads, with containers. |
| Reminders | May be requested if your whole home folder is shared with a container. |
Security record
Problems with Docker Desktop or Docker in the last three years, newest first. Keeping the app up to date covers the ones that were fixed.
| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Docker Desktop 4.97.0 fixed credentials appearing in logs and a flaw that could corrupt the virtual machine’s network stack; Docker also advised deleting or sanitising previously saved diagnostic bundles containing credentials. | ↗ | |
| Docker fixed a critical Docker Hub flaw that could let an attacker access another user’s container images through reassigned access tokens, and reported finding no evidence of exploitation. | ↗ | |
| Docker’s separate Sandboxes product fixed two Mac flaws in version 0.42.0 that could let malicious guest software access files or sockets outside its shared workspace. | ↗ | |
| Docker Desktop 4.86.0 fixed CVE-2026-17106, which allowed container file copies to escape their intended destination. | ↗ | |
| Docker Desktop 4.71.0 fixed CVE-2026-5843, which could let code in Docker Model Runner’s MLX backend execute on the host. | ↗ |
References
- Docker Desktop overview docs.docker.com
- About Docker docker.com
- Contact Docker docker.com
- Docker Mac issue showing the main app’s bundle identifier github.com
- Docker Desktop crash report showing its older interface bundle identifier github.com
- Install Docker Desktop on Mac docs.docker.com
- Understand permission requirements for Docker Desktop on Mac docs.docker.com
- Change your Docker Desktop settings docs.docker.com
- Allowlist for Docker Desktop docs.docker.com
- Docker Desktop release notes docs.docker.com
- Docker security announcements docs.docker.com
- Docker Hub security advisory: personal access tokens transferred during account-to-organisation conversions docker.com
- LastPass research into fake GitHub pages distributing Mac malware blog.lastpass.com
- The signature on a real installed copy, read by HARD with
codesign.