macOS Hanging or Freezing

For Apple Macs running macOS 11 and 12 that suddenly started freezing or hanging for several minutes before responding and are managed by the University of Maine System. These machines have an antivirus installed by UMS:IT that protects the machine from malware, however,  a recent version has caused some computers to suddenly freeze or become unresponsive. The identified version of Microsoft Defender is version 101.86.81. This has been resolved in a newer version, 101.87.30 which is being pushed out now.

Solution

1. Ensure your Mac is powered on and connected to the internet.
2. The Mac management tool, JAMF, will automatically push the update out to managed computers silently.
3. If you are on a metered internet connection or need to update manually, you may do so by opening the UMS Application Catalog.app found in "/Applications"
4. Search for antivirus or defender.
5. Click the button to run "Install Microsoft Defender".
6. The application will close and reopen once the update has applied.
   1. You might momentarily lose internet connection while the application is updating, so do not run this during a Zoom session.
   2. A deferral has been applied, so the update will not be forced out until Friday November 18th, 2022.
   3. EUT advises you update as soon as it is convenient for you to avoid any further disruptions.

Environment

• For Apple Macs running macOS 11 and 12 that suddenly started freezing or hanging for several minutes before responding and are managed by the University of Maine System.

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