Three unknown icons with 'Creedence11M669' annotation appear on Mac
I have three Icons appear top right on my Mac with the annotation " Creedence11M669 2.SECU..._Cryptex. What are they please?
iPhone 7, iOS 15
Question marked as
Hi,
These icons are completely safe and represent legitimate, hidden macOS system components. You do not need to worry about malware or a hacked system.
The annotations starting with Creedence... belong to Apple's Cryptex sub-system. A "Cryptex" is an encrypted disk image that macOS mounts temporarily to inject specific system assets or features—such as Safari updates, security tools, or Apple Intelligence/Siri AI components—separately from the main operating system volume. "Creedence" is simply an internal Apple code name used for these secure trust store and AI asset bundles.
Usually, these volumes are completely hidden from user view. However, due to a minor glitch (often triggered by an OS update, a system restart, or using an external boot drive), macOS occasionally fails to hide them properly, causing them to pop up as unknown drive or disk icons on your Desktop, Finder sidebar, or Disk Utility.
How to remove them
Because they are system-protected, trying to delete them directly won't work. Instead, you can clear them from your view safely using these steps:
- Eject the icons: Select the icons on your desktop and press Command + E (⌘E) or right-click and choose Eject.
- Remove them from the Finder Sidebar: If they are cluttering your Finder sidebar, right-click (or Control-click) the icon and select Remove from Sidebar.
- Restart your Mac: A simple system reboot often forces macOS to unmount them or properly hide them in the background again.