Any Idea What This Is?

[Voenix Rising]

This pops up after I log in. It's only on my profile on the machine. I have a suspicion it's something ominous so I keep saying "Skip for now" until I can figure out what it is. Google has not been helpful, and I've poured over Activity Monitor with no results.

Avast, as well as Malwarebytes comes up clean.

 

[fisherking]

perhaps it's legit; check the apps that are set to open in system preferences>users & groups>login items. & check your apps folder: what apps are at version 1 or just under that version listed?

 

[casperes1996]

This pops up after I log in. It's only on my profile on the machine. I have a suspicion it's something ominous so I keep saying "Skip for now" until I can figure out what it is. Google has not been helpful, and I've poured over Activity Monitor with no results.

Avast, as well as Malwarebytes comes up clean.

Malicious or benevolent; Terrible programming to have that be the message. With no app title in the window border or anything, you don't know what you're deciding on

 

[Voenix Rising]

Thanks. Solved. I looked in Launch Agents and Launch Daemons folders. Turned out it was my OVPN client. I allowed it to update and it launched the OVPN updater.

I also sent the company an email suggesting that they let you know in the window border exactly what it is that's trying to update.

 

[jmiddel]

Isn't that Activity Monitor trying to update itself?

 

[casperes1996]

Isn't that Activity Monitor trying to update itself?

Activity Monitor is a part of the operating system. It is updated with the OS through the App Store.
In the screenshot, Activity Monitor is the active app, yes, but the window showing the update does not belong to the active app, and likely doesn't have app status, but rather is run as a service, meaning it won't change the menu bar to say the name of the app

 

[fisherking]

Thanks. Solved. I looked in Launch Agents and Launch Daemons folders. Turned out it was my OVPN client. I allowed it to update and it launched the OVPN updater.

I also sent the company an email suggesting that they let you know in the window border exactly what it is that's trying to update.

yes, really; they should ID their app in that window!

 

[crjackson2134]

Just for future reference, I’ve had similar happen and discovered the app name by going to the Force Quit selection in the Desktop Titlebar > Apple icon > Force Quit - There it will list active windows (usually by app name).

It helped me anyway...

 

[casperes1996]

Just for future reference, I’ve had similar happen and discovered the app name by going to the Force Quit selection in the Desktop Titlebar > Apple icon > Force Quit - There it will list active windows (usually by app name).

It helped me anyway...

Depending on how the process it started, it won't always display it there though. And if whatever it is, is run within an X-window, it'll just say XQuartz, and not the process. This trick will sometimes work, but is far from a bullet-proof way of checking. Nonetheless, thanks for sharing the idea in case it does help someone at some point

 

[crjackson2134]

Yes, I know it's not a bulletproof method. It's just another tool in the box that MAY help someone. It worked for me a couple of times.