Notarization is a process whereby all 3rd party software distributed outside of the Mac App Store must be uploaded to Apple’s servers and checked for malware. If the software passes Apple’s malware scan check, its details are added to Apple’s database of “safe” or at least “allowed” software. Developers in return receive an electronic “ticket” which can be attached to the software by the developer when they distribute it
One simple notarization bypass leverages the fact that macOS still (as of Big Sur) allows unnotarized code to execute, albeit via manual user assistance
Check Using:
spctl -a -v /Applications/Microsoft Word.app
or
codesign --test -requirement="=notarized" --verify <file>