Slow login M1 MacBook Pro after installing Cisco VPN

Question

Level 1

4 points

Slow login M1 MacBook Pro after installing Cisco VPN

Hi there,

I ran in to this use where my Mac suddenly takes about a minute to login after booting up. The issue started after I installed a VPN from my employer. I have since uninstalled the VPN and reinstalled it, deleted any login items, cleaned my Mac with CleanMyMac software, booted in safe mode, and even re-installed MacOS, but no matter what I tried, the issue persists.

I had a look at the system.log in Console and saw the processes that seem to take most time during login. It gives me this:

May 5 12:01:42 Magnus-MacBook-Pro loginwindow[180]: USER_PROCESS: 180 console

May 5 12:02:38 Magnus-MBP loginwindow[180]: There is still an active connection

I tried it several times, and sometimes the USER_PROCESS number will change to different numbers (e.g., 177, 179, 220) but the notification after is always the same: There is still an active connection.

Should I try resetting al Network settings? What else can I try to do to address this issue I'm having?

Thank you very much indeed, all help is much appreciated 🙏🏻

MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 13.3

Posted on May 5, 2023 3:12 AM

Reply

Answer 1

BobHarris

Level 9

57,041 points

May 7, 2023 6:13 PM in response to MagnusSchn

When you installed Cisco AnyConnect, did your employer also install company anti-virus software, remote management software (such as JAMF or Workspace One Intelligent Hub), etc…

My company does this to all the Macs, Windows and Linux systems that connect to to company network.

Our experience is that the A/V software installed looks at all reads and writes to both storage and the network, and tends to bottleneck I/O

Also after the A/V software is first installed, it does a full disk scan, which slows the system down during the scan. The whole disk scan repeats every Monday evening.

While it is not your reported issue, you will find your network speeds will be limited by the speed of the company’s VPN servers, and the company’s corporate firewall and proxy servers. At my company, if we are getting 70-100 megabits/sec we are doing good, even if our ISP gives us gigabit speeds.

Reply

Answer 2

Neil22R

Community Specialist

May 7, 2023 5:10 PM in response to MagnusSchn

Hi MagnusSchn,

You have performed some great trouble shooting to try and resolve this slow log in issue. Next, let's get in touch with support directly for some additional options. Get Support

Cheers.

Reply

Answer 3

MagnusSchn Author

Level 1

4 points

May 8, 2023 10:31 PM in response to BobHarris

Hi Bob,

Thanks for your reply. I have not had to install any A/V software with the VPN, so I don't think that is the problem. In addition, it happens with every bootup, regardless of day and time. I will probably just have to do a clean install in the end.

Cheers

Reply

Answer 4

MagnusSchn Author

Level 1

4 points

May 8, 2023 10:37 PM in response to Neil22R

Hi there Neil,

Thanks, I've tried that as well, but I don't get the option to make an appointment at a Genius Bar for this issue. I'll try to call them later.

Best,

Magnus

Reply

Slow login M1 MacBook Pro after installing Cisco VPN

Similar questions