New Alfred User Here - Are Packal Workflows Always Safe?

[Niko123]

I'm a bit of an over-worrier when it comes to possibly downloading malware or a virus, so I just want to make sure that Packal workflows are guaranteed to be safe and there's no danger of downloading any information that could hack important information. I've seen some amazing workflows on Packal so I want to try some of them! Any advice is greatly appreciated. 

[deanishe]

34 minutes ago, Niko123 said:

guaranteed to be safe

 

No, they aren't. Workflows are free, open-source software: you get source code, not guarantees.

 

As malicious as a workflow could potentially be, this is simply not something you need to worry about in practice. A malicious workflow would be absolutely unprecedented, and Alfred workflows are simply not an interesting attack vector because they normally only have a minuscule number of users (in the hundreds to low thousands), a very high proportion of whom are technically-sophisticated users who'd immediately notice anything dodgy.

 

If you want to be extra careful, stick to workflows that have a forum thread (there'll be a link on the workflow's Packal page), and check the thread before installing. That will also clue you in on any bugs or other genuine issues.

 

It's probably also worth noting that Packal is basically a zombie. It hasn't been maintained in years, and as a result, a lot of people don't put their workflows on the site or update the ones they do have on there.