Aned Process running on my MacBook Air

There is nothing wrong. Again, the ANED process is a macOS system process. ANED stands for "Apple Network Extension Daemon." It's a critical component responsible for managing network extensions and VPN-related functionalities. It plays a pivotal role in handling various network-related tasks, including VPN tunneling, managing network extensions, and enforcing network security policies. It acts as an intermediary between network extensions, the system's network stack, and the underlying hardware. It should not be disabled, and as you found it, if you try, it will re-enable itself.

As far as ANEcompilerservice, it refers to the Adobe AIR Native Extension Compiler Service. It's a component that's part of the Adobe AIR development environment. It is basically a technology that allows developers to build and deploy cross-platform applications, including those for macOS. ... so yes, it does relate to Adobe.

However, what is the real issue here? Why are you looking at system processes in the first place? You mention malware. What would make you believe that your Mac is infected?

"aned" is a macOS system process run by the root user. If you want to get more information about it, you can create a spindump report and review it.

To do so, within the Activity Monitor, select the aned process. From the Activity Monitor's tool bar, click on the additional options button (look like a small circle with three dots in it). Then select Spindump. It will take a few moments to generate the dump. From there you can review it or save it for later review.

Pool82 wrote:

I am running Ventura 13.5.1 so the latest version.

Thank you for providing that information.

Since you confirmed that the issue is security, let me offer you a better method to try to determine if there is something amiss, security-wise, with your Mac. How you actually go about this will depend on your comfort-level with technology.

When you suspect a security issue:

• Do not install Anti-Virus or cleaner apps. macOS already has this built-in. Some of them cause more issues, than resolve them. We get numerous posts here with folks you want to know how to fully remove them as they tend to embed themselves.
• If you suspect malware, in addition to macOS, try an app, like Malwarebytes for Mac. I suggest just starting with the free version, which does not run in the background, to see if it can locate any types of malware.
• Run an EtreCheck report. EtreCheck is an excellent troubleshooting tool, developed by a valued forum member, that greatly aides in finding issues with your Mac. You can try the free version to get started. You can also post the resultant report here if you need assistance with interpreting it.
• Review system logs in the Apple Console app.
• Do NOT remove system processes via the Apple Activity Monitor. Again, research them thoroughly before disabling or deleting them. You could end up having to re-install macOS if not careful.
• Of course, you can certainly come back here anytime for assistance should you need it.
• Lastly, and I shouldn't even have to mention it, but be actively vigilant. Keep macOS updated. Do not visit sites that are known to be problematic. Avoid using Tor to download "free" versions of apps that what would normally be paid ones. Do not provide your user passwords to anyone, including any major provider. If there is a security issue, and you receive a "notification," contact them directly. DO NOT click on any links in these notifications.

Pool82 wrote:

One more thing: When you talk about Adobe Air, do you refer to a MacBook Air component, so a native extension? Because I have never downloaded it myself.

No, Adobe AIR has no direct correlation to an Apple MacBook Air. Instead it relates to the Adobe AIR Native Extension (ANEs). These extensions are used to add native functionality to Adobe AIR applications for features that aren't provided by the AIR runtime process, but could be available from the operating system.

This all relates to Adobe app development. It is possible that this component was added to your Mac when some other Adobe products were installed.

Again, you can run a Spindump report on this process. Even better run an EtreCheck report. You can then potentially find out where it is located on your Mac. Most likely it would be in the Adobe AIR SDK subdirectory.

Alternately, you can stop this process via the Activity Monitor. Once stopped, you may find out what is no longer working ... but going through process by process, without truly understanding what each one is for, will be a tedious, if not unnecessary task.

... and again, I ask you, what is your goal here? Is it related to security? ... or are you just trying to learn what each process that is running on your Mac is doing? The latter would require that you engage in a fairly long learning curve. However, the more you understand, the more these things will make more sense to you.

What I do suggest, in the meantime, is not to "willy-nilly" remove processes until you understand the ramifications of doing so. We can try to help you the best we can.

You didn't mention with version of macOS your Mac is running, but if it is Ventura it is very secure right from the "get-go."