4 disks called "Creedence Cryptex" appeared on my desktop

I took my 2019 27-inch Mac to the Apple Store because the Creedence Cryptex disk and Container disk4 appeared in the disk utility. The Mac has been running very slowly ever since I upgraded to Sequoia 15.3. The Apple techs didn't know what they were, and they tried to delete them, erase them, and unmount them.

The disks are gathering information as I write this. To do what with? They suggested I reinstall the operating system and start with a clean slate. Any thoughts?

Eric James: I don't think the Creedence Cryptexes are anything to do with our performance issues. If they appears in Disk Utility and sometimes in Finder, treat them as an annoyance which can be ignored. If they appear on your Desktop, that is a very much in your face annoyance.

I am using a 2019 27", and they do not cause any performance issues. Look elsewhere for performance - e.g. insufficient RAM or Fusion Drive. Failing that a clean install may help your performance issue if it is caused by some software interaction.

In the event that you decide to do a clean install (erase, install macOS (no Migration Assistant), install apps and recover files (documents, photos, etc.) from backup) please report back whether the cryptexes still get mounted.

I believe that this Creedence/Cryptex issue is due to, and is the result of, ANY Carbonite-Regulated Hard/SSD Drive, Internal or External, (or "CRD" for short), that is attached to any other computer (PC or Mac) different from the "CRD" computer itself, i.e., where the Carbonite App resides and is Licensed to protect.

It looks to be a clandestine means of tracking where the CRD "goes", i.e.,

this particular CRD, a Mac TimeMachine external HDD that was originally connected to a family-member's MacStudio (Sequoia 15.3.2) for regular backups, became full, and was replaced by a newer, larger RAID drive.

The original older CRD HDD (a 4Tb Seagate) was Carbonite "protected", but was removed BEFORE it could be "un-protected" by the CRD MacStudio that had the Licensed Carbonite App on it.

When this original 4Tb Seagate CRD was subsequently attached to a completely different, non-Carbonite-Licensed Mac (an iMac 2019), to be secure-erased and reformatted, the iMac 2019 became "infected" with the Creedence/Cryptex issue, that DID NOT EXIST prior to this connection.

Maybe some Apple or Carbonite folks might like to chime-in here?

I have erased my external drive and reinstalled macOS on it (due to other issues — the 15.4.1 update did not function properly on the external drive, preventing the system from booting and prompting a reinstallation. This appears to have affected several users, based on what I found online). So far, no such disks have appeared after the reinstallation.

JShuai wrote:

So far, no such disks have appeared after the reinstallation.

Not even at:

/System/Library/AssetsV2/com_apple_MobileAsset_PKITrustStore/purpose_auto/6dd55b0d06633a00de6f57ccb910a66a5ba2409a.asset/AssetData/Restore/SECUREPKITRUSTSTOREASSETS_SECUREPKITRUSTSTORE_Cryptex.dmg ?

I think this some Apple item that currently just somehow is visible and might be even automatically mounted in some setups. I have decided to ignore it in that Disk Utility list.

Im not sure what u mean by fixing it cause the Credence bundle is more/less a mobile Trust Store, hidden by default, capable of running MDM functionality privately, and that resides outside the OS (btw iBoot - MacOS) which makes it pretty difficult to remove even more so now that Apple introduced their new firmlinks on APFS volumes.

i know for a fact a DFU alone wont do it.

Have u considered part of a root-kit malware. You seem to also have a ton of mobile files. Do you also have any mobile https activation requests within them?

Have you checked your keychain app - make sure things look okay there, nothing unusual or under /Library/keychain

Any system managed or client managed folders anywhere? Or maybe MDM?

Look in Library first, then under /private/var and /private/var/db

You seem to have read/write access to the System directory too where the Trust Store is located

No it is strictly a Sequoia apple event. Maybe just Sequoia 15.2

I too have this issue but there were 52 visible disks present on my screen. They’re apart of the MAC os? Or something different? Is it a glitch with the new update?

should I be concerned or is it just annoying.

johnnyjackhammer wrote:

@etresoft

What would be an example of a 3rd party system modification app?

Add-on anti-malware apps, add-on cleaner apps, add-on VPNs, add-on firewall apps, add-on end-point security apps, add-on VPN apps, etc.

I have an Intel 2018 Mac Mini with Sequoia 15.1 installed as well as an 2020 M2 Macbook Air, the only difference in the directories is a .Assest directory on the M2 Macbook that does not mount this "Creedence Cryptex" disk image. Though on my Intel Mac mini it only show up in Disk Utility and not on the desktop or in the File menu as mounted when booted from an external thunderbolt 4 NVMe drive but the external drive on the Intel Mac mini does not have this behavior. This could be a result of booting from an External disk.

M2:

Intel Booted via external Thunderbolt 4 M.2 NVmE drive:

Intel Booted via internal disk:

Having the APFS Volume Creedence11M6270.SEC something appearing too in diskutil list (terminal) since I installed a bigger NVMe (WD Black SN850x 2 TB) in my external Thunderbolt Acasis enclosure.

Fortunately, unlike you, it doesn't mount on the desktop. Looks related to the TB enclosure???

Sequoia 15.1 on a 2018 Intel MacMini BTW.

***Ah, obviously there too in Disk Utility (GUI) as an external APFS physical storage...

Just did a drive wipe and fresh internet recovery install of Sequoia and have this Creedence drive showing in Disk utility. Nothing has been installed, no external drives connected, and iCloud has not been logged into.

Unfortunately, after sliding all of them off and rebooting, the cryptex volume still appears in Disk Utility...

Apart being annoying because it's there, it doesn't make any harm so, not sure I will follow the full procedure mentioned by @Todd G. Myers. Also, as I still have Ventura on my internal, I probably can't use Recovery to reinstall Sequoia on my external TB enclosure...

After getting online with Apple, here is all you need to do.

Open Finder.

Right click on the driive ( e.g. Creedence11M6270) and...

Select Remove from Sidebar

The drive will still be used by Apple Criptex stuff, but not annoy you. If it's on your Desktop, I don't know how to fix that.