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CJM611
User level: Level 1 (4 points)

MacBook Air shows "< unknown >" app requesting local network access.

Hello,


I keep getting a popup asking to allow an “<unknown>“ app to find devices on my local network. It only shows up after I’ve been away from my computer for a while and come back to log in, so it appears on the lock screen or right after I log out.

Here’s what I’ve tried so far.

  • Checked Local Network permissions Went to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network and reviewed every app listed.
    • Every app there is legitimate and was installed by me.
    • Nothing looked out of place.
  • Turned off Local Network access and restarted.
    • Switched off local network access for all listed apps, then restarted my MacBook.
    • The “<unknown>“ app popup still came back.
  • Checked Activity Monitor
    • Looked for any unfamiliar processes and didn’t spot anything unusual.
    • Under the Network tab, I did notice netbiosd (_netbios) sending and receiving packets. I’m not very familiar with system processes, but I believe it’s related to local network activity. I’m not sure if it’s connected to this issue.

I’ve attached a screenshot of the popup below. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

My setup:

2026 MacBook Air (M5)

macOS Golden Gate 27.0.1

Note: The issue was also happening before I updated to Golden Gate.

Thank you in advance for your help!




[Edited by Moderator]

Posted on Oct 26, 2026 5:56 PM

2 replies

MrHoffman
User level: Level 10 (169,253 points)

Nov 2, 2026 11:37 AM in response to CJM611

See if macOS 27.2 works better.


If not… Please download and run EtreCheck (the free version, don’t need the paid version here), and use the Share to share the results to the Mac clipboard. Then open a new reply here, and press the Additional Text button (the button that looks like a printed page), and paste and post the hardware and software configuration report here. From that, we can get a little more detail about what is installed and what is running here.


MrHoffman
User level: Level 10 (169,253 points)

Nov 2, 2026 11:48 AM in response to CJM611

Try removing the VPN app, too.

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256383615