Security Agent causing high cpu

Hi guys, I had this issue too for some days. Today I updated to Catalina 10.15.4 and the problem didn't disappear. So I've started to sort things out by rebooting and then closing applications and services like bluetooth and Wifi. After stopp duet background application the cpu usage went down and security agent isn't coming up anymore.

So for me it looks like the security agent itself has no problem or bug, but some application is trying to interact / use the security agent for kind of authorization / check.

I had this problem as well due to the fact that the current WFH requirements meant that I needed to get ScreenTime properly configured to keep my teenagers focussed on things that matter.

While screen time (a very useful tool BTW), was having the desired effect, I noticed that on my iMac, the Agent was consuming most of a core for hours. Clearly a bug of some sort.

For me, the solution was easy. Quit System Prefs (which was live, but not on the ScreenTime panel), and the problem went away - COU use back to normal instantly.

Yep, seems to happen when

1) two or more users are logged on

2) wifi is on

when you log out all but one user, or turn off wifi it disappears. Hopefully, a developer can shed more light on whether this is normal behaviour or another edge case or process is causing it to consume excessive CPU.

Cam

Same problem here with a Macbook pro 16 inch i9 after update to catalina 10.15.3.

SecurityAgent process all night at 100%, for more than 8 hours so it never settle. After reboot the high CPU load is gone.

Created a sample of the process (I could not send it in the Feedback to apple because the field isn't big enough.

Looks like something to do with display (got an external monitor connected)

Sort by top of stack, same collapsed (when >= 5):
        __ulock_wait  (in libsystem_kernel.dylib)        2836
        mach_msg_trap  (in libsystem_kernel.dylib)        2836
        CoreDisplay::XXH64(unsigned char const*, unsigned long long)  (in CoreDisplay)        1322
        syscall_thread_switch  (in libsystem_kernel.dylib)        1251
        _platform_memmove$VARIANT$Haswell  (in libsystem_platform.dylib)        218
        GetRealtimeDisplayInfo(unsigned int)  (in CoreDisplay)        39

I have iMac late 2013, Catalina 10.15.4 with the same issue, I tried "Force Quitting" the Security Agent which was using about 97% of the CPU, the problem is gone, I have restarted and launched all apps that I use usually, it didn't come back again :))) yay so fas so good.

I had this problem with macOS Catalina 15.10.4 on MacBook Pro 13'' 2018. I detected it because the fan noise. My Mac had been in sleep mode with many applications opened. I had to reboot the operating system and the problem solved (for this time).

Same problem on a new 2019 MacBook 16" i9.

Noticed the machine was constantly warm, even after a reboot - before opening applications. As others have already noted, my systempolicyd is the culprit, causing high CPU usage about 15-20 seconds after a restart:

I also noticed that it seems to be causing a lot of disk I/O for some reason:

I dug a little deeper, and it seems that the thread is getting "stuck", using the "top" command in a terminal. It rapidly cycles between stuck and running state, every refresh it displays an alternate status (once per second):

Uugh, this is annoying. I think I'm going to try backup to timemachine and perform a reinstall to see if I can't fix whatever random thing is broken.

BTW I also checked to see if my kext store was corrupted (following the advice on this thread), but it's fine:

sudo sqlite3 /var/db/SystemPolicyConfiguration/KextPolicy .dump

Just had the same problem. Get the process ID in top and then "sudo kill -HUP pid". Fixed it for me.

i see this issue occurring for me as well as for others when twp or more users are logged in (you can check with tick marks on the lock screen if it is 1 or 2 or more depending on number of users one has created on the mac).

it just keeps these fans ON most of the time as this process uses 100% CPU.. 8 core i9 or 32GB RAM is of no use or help :-)

Also saw it when I "Enter full screen" on a window

A sample of the process shows it is calling GetRealtimeDisplayInfo a lot. I suspect this is related to Catalina adding the sidecar displays feature, and there are failures even when nothing is connected for this.

I had the same issue. Laptop was getting very warm and fans started to run full speed. I wasn’t running anything that should have made it work very hard. Checked activity monitor and noticed security agent was utilizing 98.8% of one of my cpu’s. Restarted laptop and it went back to normal temp. I did have 2 logins active. I closed the one prior to restart. Seems to be a problem with Catalina.

I do not see such a process on my system. I found a reference in one of the Developers manuals:

Security Agent

The Security Agent is a separate process that provides the user interface for the Security Server in macOS (not iOS). Its primary purpose is to request authentication whenever an app requests additional privileges.

When the Security Server requires the user to authenticate, the Security Agent displays a dialog requesting a user name and password. The advantages of performing this action in a separate process are twofold. First, an application can obtain authorization without ever having access to the user’s credentials (username and password, for example). Second, it enables Apple to add new forms of authentication without requiring every application to understand them.

The Security Agent requires that the user be physically present in order to be authenticated. Because the graphical user interface elements can’t be used through a command-line interface such as the Terminal app or a secure shell (ssh) remote session, this restriction makes it much more difficult for a malicious user to breach an app’s security.

Perhaps this may help you track down what is causing the problem. One thing you might try:

About Safe Mode

• Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac - Apple Support
• Playing Safe- what does Safe mode do?

Boot into safe mode then restart normally. This clears out a number of caches which may stop the process from eating up so much CPU time. Safe mode is much slower than a normal startup, so be patient.

I have (had) the same issue with a new 16" MacBook Pro (spec, activity monitor & Intel Powergadget monitoring attached)

"SecurityAgent" pushes the CPU up to about 4.3Ghz then sits back watching the temperature rise and the battery drain... for no apparent reason. I left it for about 30 mins to see where it would go. It gets the CPU up to about 80C then leaves it simmering, until you decide to re-boot the computer.

I've also had issues with it forgetting an external monitor is attached via CalDigit TS3+ when it sleeps, which requires a re-boot.... and of course with a monitor attached the extra strain on the GPU stresses the cooling so the CPU is often sitting at 100C which I can't imagine is good for it long term.

I intimated past tense in my first paragraph with the word "had"... because I returned the machine to Apple this afternoon for a refund. I was hoping it would be a worthy replacement for my 8 year old Mac Pro.... but alas, I think they are still trying to squeeze too much grunt into too small a space.

Form above function... no, not when I rely on this for my living.

SM

I had this issue on a 2019 MacBook Pro 16 with only one user account.

I had the issue with and without a monitor attached.

I didn’t have WiFi turned on as I used Ethernet via Thunderbolt with a CalDigit TS3

Based on my own experience, I don’t believe multiple accounts, WiFi or external monitors are at the root of the problem.

I have this issue too, it happens when my 3 year old son is "on" the computer. he sits at the login screen mashing the keyboard and struggling with the mouse until he manages to click the icon with his face on to log on (with no password)

When he leaves and I log him off, and log back onto my account, I can see (and hear via the fans) the rogue processes..

From what i read of other peoples posts, its definitely related to my sons account.

There's clearly a bug in the code somewhere. Needs to be fixed by Apple...