XProtectRemediatorWaterNet is terribly slowing down my macbook

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Level 1

4 points

XProtectRemediatorWaterNet is terribly slowing down my macbook

XProtectRemediatorWaterNet is giving me me a hard time. I only use my macbook for photo editing and I only install & use legit softwares like Adobe apps & Capture One.

Specs:

2.4 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9

AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8 GB

Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536 MB

64 GB 2667 MHz DDR4

The specs is already more than enough for my needs. But somehow, my notebook always slows down everytime XProtectRemediatorWaterNet runs. A restart would always resolve the problem but it is not a solution. I would always need to restart around every hour because once XProtectRemediatorWaterNet would activate, it would always slow down my editing process. It use 1GB of memory once it starts then would slowly rise up until it uses all of the remaining memory. It's using more memory than Lightroom, Photoshop & Capture One running simultaneously. It also would use around 75% of cpu.

Is there a way around this? I cannot deactivate or turn off the service.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Rick

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 13.2

Posted on Mar 13, 2023 2:49 AM

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Answer 1

Jaborrick Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 14, 2023 8:05 PM in response to Jeff_W.

Hi Jeff_W.,

Thanks for your reply and assistance. Much appreciated.

The issues I have have is not with the apps that I installed. The cause of the problem is XProtectRemediatorWaterNet which is included in the MacOS by default (built-in). And also, Apple made sure that it cannot be disabled or deactivated by the user, no matter how you forcefully try to quit the app. It may not be an Apple App but it is installed and implemented by Apple by default. It is Apple's anti-malware built-in app and integrated into their system.

An hour ago, the said service/process used around 40GB of my memory. That's too much resources for an anti-malware app. You could almost say that Apple's anti-malware is itself the malware. There's nothing I can do with the service/process, I cannot stop it not matter how much I press the Force Quit button. All I can do is keep on restarting my Macbook every hour.

My question is: Is there a work around for this service not to run? How to disable or deactivate it? Other XProtect services are doing fine. It is that specific process (XProtectRemediatorWaterNet) that is wreaking havoc.

Thanks again 👍

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Answer 2

Jaborrick Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 15, 2023 8:45 AM in response to destiny241

Hello destiny241,

Thanks a lot for the reply.

For now, I am doing my editing works one app at a time to observe & be able to isolate what triggers the service/process to activate. At first I used just Capture One - the service activated in less than an hour. Then I tried using Lightroom alone - the service activated within two hours, same with Photoshop - within two hours. Same result when I ran all the programs simultaneously.

Then I tried letting my laptop sit in idle, doing nothing. The service still activated within an hour.

Here's a screenshot of the activity monitor:

I did the screenshot after waking my laptop from sleep. When I put it into sleep mode, the service/process was using 30GB of memory. I woke the laptop about 3 hours later, the process was now at 60GB. It grew twice its size while sleeping 😁

My next step will be doing it in Safe Mode. I will post an update.

I would want to avoid reinstalling my MacOS as the work is so tedious (file backup). I just hope this issue can be resolved soon.

Thanks again guys for your assistance.

Rick

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Answer 3

Jeff_W.

Community Specialist

Mar 14, 2023 3:55 PM in response to Jaborrick

Hi Jaborrick,

Thanks for posting in Apple Support Communities.

Because this is not an Apple product, it would be best to work with the app developers on a solution.

Contact the developer of a macOS app

1. Open the App Store on your Mac.

2. Click the sign-in button or your photo.

3. A list of apps appears. Click the app that you want. If you can't find the app, use the search bar.

4. The app's product page appears. Click Support or App Support. If you don't see Support or App Support, make sure that you're signed in with the correct Apple ID.

5.

Didn't get the app from the App Store?

If you have an issue with an app on your Mac but you didn't get the app from the App Store, learn how to contact a third-party developer.

How to contact an app developer - Apple Support

Regards.

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Answer 4

destiny241

Community Specialist

Mar 15, 2023 7:36 AM in response to Jaborrick

Hello Jaborrick,

It sounds like we weren't on the same page with you on this process, but thanks for clarifying, so we are now.

In this case, we'd recommend isolating this behavior further by testing out safe mode on your Mac. Booting to safe mode will prevent some plug-ins and software from working, which will help us to isolate the issue. It is slow when you boot to safe mode, so that's expected behavior.

Use the following to test out safe mode: How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support

How to use safe mode on your Mac

Safe mode can help you to determine whether an issue is caused by software that loads as your Mac starts up.

Safe mode prevents your Mac from loading certain software as it starts up, including login items, system extensions not required by macOS, and fonts not installed by macOS. It also does a basic check of your startup disk, similar to using First Aid in Disk Utility. And it deletes some system caches, including font caches and the kernel cache, which are automatically created again as needed.

Safe mode is particularly useful when you're trying to resolve an issue that doesn't seem to be associated with using any particular app. As always, keeping your software up to date is the first step toward resolving any software issue.

How to use safe mode

Determine whether you're using a Mac with Apple silicon, then follow the appropriate steps:

Apple silicon

1. Shut down your Mac.

2. Turn on your Mac and continue to press and hold the power button until you see the startup options window.

3. Select your startup disk, then press and hold the Shift key while clicking “Continue in Safe Mode.”

4. Log in to your Mac. You might be asked to log in again.

Intel processor

1. Turn on or restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold the Shift key as your Mac starts up.

2. Release the key when you see the login window, then log in to your Mac.

3. You might be asked to log in again. On either the first or second login window, you should see ”Safe Boot” in the upper-right corner of the window.

If the issue continues in safe mode

If the issue continues while in safe mode, or your Mac restarts several times and then shuts down while starting up in safe mode, you should reinstall macOS and make sure that your Apple software and third-party apps are up to date.

If the issue doesn't continue in safe mode

If the issue doesn't continue while in safe mode, leave safe mode by restarting your Mac normally.

Then test for the issue again. The issue might be resolved.

If the issue returns after leaving safe mode, startup items are probably at fault. Apps can install such items in numerous places, and they aren't always easy to find or recognize. For that reason, you should first make sure that you've installed any available updates for your Apple software and third-party apps.

If updating your software doesn't help, try any of these solutions:

* Test your login items.

* To learn whether software in your user account is causing the issue, set up a new user account, then log in to it and try to reproduce the issue in that account.

* Unplug all accessories from your Mac, including printers, drives, USB hubs, and other nonessential devices. You could have an issue with one or more of those devices or their cables.

* Reinstall macOS.

If you still need help, please contact Apple Support.

Learn more

Some features might not work in safe mode, such as movie playback in DVD Player, video capture, file sharing, Wi-Fi, some accessibility features, some audio devices, and some devices that connect via USB, Thunderbolt, or FireWire. Accelerated graphics are disabled, which could cause blinking or distortion onscreen during startup.

After this, please reply back to let us know how it went in safe mode. You can follow the last sections of this resource for a potential resolution.

Hoping to hear back.

Take care.

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XProtectRemediatorWaterNet is terribly slowing down my macbook

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