I've seen other threads (closed) about the BDLDaemon / BitDefender using a lot of CPU and slowing down Macs in general.
Here's what worked for me:
Future reboots have not had any high CPU usage for me.
MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 13.2
I have an even better suggestion. completely un-Install Bit defender and NEVER re-install it.
Your modern Mac defends itself very nicely, and Bit Defender adds NOTHING to that.
Effective defenses against malware and ot… - Apple Community
.
I have an even better suggestion. completely un-Install Bit defender and NEVER re-install it.
Your modern Mac defends itself very nicely, and Bit Defender adds NOTHING to that.
Effective defenses against malware and ot… - Apple Community
.
I second Grant's suggestion: if yoy uninstall it, you will not have a problem with it, nor will it use unnecessary background efforts to try to get to something it cannot get to - the protected and inaccessible OS - to simply find it cannot do anything.
First, a virus is malware. You can't separate the two as being something entirely different from one another. Two, there are zero viruses that can affect macOS. None. Nada. Zip. Hasn't been such a thing on the Mac since the release of OS X, 10.0.
I immediately discount such links as clickbait. The folks at Macworld should know the difference between a virus, Trojan or worm. Every single thing they list there is a Trojan. A Trojan being any type of malware the user has to initiate. They can't get on your Mac by themselves.
AV software such as BitDefender, Norton, you-name-it, are 100% useless. There are no viruses to watch for, and they do nothing to stop you from installing or running a Trojan since they can't know what it is you're going to do until after the fact. And even then, they rarely let you know you've just put malware on your Mac. The only thing BitDefender is succeeding in doing is greatly slowing down your Mac with zero beneficial return for you.
It's not at all unusual to see users here post an EtreCheck report where they often have more than one type of AV software installed, and yet their Macs are loaded with adware, and other types of Trojans.
Seriously. Do yourself and your Mac a huge favor by removing that junk.
<< Added protection from another product is actually a good decision since you get extra layers of protection that macOS doesn't provide. >>
The idea that somehow the developers inside Apple have left things undone that could protect you, are 'holding out on you' and and that someone with almost no knowledge fo MacOS internals can add serious value easily is ridiculous. Apple wants your to be a happy customer and they do everything they can to keep you happy in the long, long run.
Third-party anti-virus is just scare-ware, and companies like MacWorld make money from the scaremongers by promoting those myths.
Yes, Macs do have many protections available out of the box. But, that hasn't stopped viruses and malware from being created and distributed. Macs having far fewer infections is one of the reasons I moved away from Windows a number of years ago.
As a professional in the software industry, I recognize that even Macs can get infected. Even the newer M-series chips: https://www.macworld.com/article/672879/list-of-mac-viruses-malware-and-security-flaws.html
Added protection from another product is actually a good decision since you get extra layers of protection that macOS doesn't provide. And, yes, viruses can get past those protections as well. That's no excuse to not have extra protection.
And, yes, viruses can get past those protections as well
Actually, it can't. Here are links to two articles:
About the read-only system volume in macOS Catalina or later - Apple Support
Protecting data at multiple layers - Discover - Apple Developer
If it is read only, then ask your software developer just how they are able to make changes to your OS - which is what they would need to do to actually scan and alter the OS or install themselves. Read only means read only.
I don't have a problem because I don't go to sketchy sites and don't download anything unless it's from a developer I know or have checked out.
BDLDaemon / BitDefender Antivirus High CPU usage
