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Software update 031-51913 WILL BREAK YOUR ETHERNET DRIVER

zorinlynx

zorinlynx

macrumors G3
Original poster
May 31, 2007
8,362
18,652
Florida, USA
This software update was pushed via the silent "security updates" to my iMac today:

031-51913 | Incompatible Kernel Extension Configuration Data 3.28.1

After rebooting my ethernet didn't work. Turns out that it added an exclusion for the stock
AppleBCM5701Ethernet driver! This breaks ethernet and you have to use WiFi to get online.

I rolled the exclusion list back to the last version in my Time Machine backup to fix it, but this required booting from a recovery partition and was a huge pain in the butt, not to mention the time wasted finding the problem.

I highly suggest running:

softwareupdate --schedule off

as root to prevent automatic updates until Apple rolls back this bad update. Hopefully they did so already!
 
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Same problem for me on iMac (27-inch, Mid 2010). Network card no longer recognized
 
Last edited:
does it break the thunderbolt-gigabit ethernet too? cause mine doesn't seem to work either.

I am using the nMP and my 2 ethernet ports died, so I tried the thunderbolt ethernet also died.

But my thunderbolt dock using the OWC (comes with ethernet port) works.
 
what is the best strategy to recover builtin ethernet (bcm 5701) without time machine ?

(retina imac 27)
 
bpran said:
Hi, thanks for the info, but what should I do with it?
Click to expand...
That link is an installer package like any other software update. Just install it and see if your ethernet comes back. You may need to manually delete the file mentioned in the first post of the thread, which would also likely require disabling System Integrity Protection.
 
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chrfr said:
Apple has removed this problematic update and reposted version 3.26.
You can download the 3.26 installer here:
http://swcdn.apple.com/content/down...1zfy5lkrw3v1oe/AppleKextExcludeList_10_11.pkg

I don't know if this will overwrite the problematic file or not, but it seems like it's worth a try.
Click to expand...

Tried installing that but no success. I have an iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014) and the System Report shows "
This computer does not appear to have any PCI Ethernet cards installed." Worked fine until I started up today (27-Feb 2016).
 
hello i have the same problem on my imac 22" since this morning
i ve just tried to install that patch
but unfortunately no effect
any other hint?

i don't have time machine
and honestly i wouldn't recover time machine anyway for such a problem.
i am browsing the internet thru wifi at the moment
 
claudiokomarek said:
hello i have the same problem on my imac 22" since this morning
i ve just tried to install that patch
but unfortunately no effect
any other hint?

i don't have time machine
and honestly i wouldn't recover time machine anyway for such a problem.
i am browsing the internet thru wifi at the moment
Click to expand...

Hi can you screenshot the error message?
Thanks
 
bpran said:
Hi can you screenshot the error message?
Thanks
Click to expand...

There is no error message- it simply stops Ethernet from working. In my case the system report shows there is no ethernet card installed. My machine received the silent update the OP noted at 9:18 PM last evening. When I booted up today I had no Internet connection and found this to the source of the problem.
 
Sheboygan said:
There is no error message- it simply stops Ethernet from working. In my case the system report shows there is no ethernet card installed. My machine received the silent update the OP noted at 9:18 PM last evening. When I booted up today I had no Internet connection and found this to the source of the problem.
Click to expand...
the same here.
but
how do i know if i received the silent update?
 
claudiokomarek said:
the same here.
but
how do i know if i received the silent update?
Click to expand...

Run "About This Mac", System Report..., then under Software, look for Installations. Let it populate the list. Click the Install Date header to sort with latest date at the top. It should be there as shown here with the time and date.

"Incompatible Kernel Extension Configuration Data: Version 3.28.1"
 
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Sheboygan said:
Run "About This Mac", System Report..., then under Software, look for Installations. Let it populate the list. Click the Install Date header to sort with latest date at the top. It should be there as shown here with the time and date.

"Incompatible Kernel Extension Configuration Data: Version 3.28.1"
Click to expand...
got it
 
claudiokomarek said:
the same here.
but
how do i know if i received the silent update?
Click to expand...

I discovered the same issue last night. Tried many different troubleshooting efforts, as mentioned above. Then I called Apple Support, they were unaware of issue internally. They tried to fix, but we're unable to fix. I reinstalled El Capitan over El Capitan. Then I created a new location, applied, then it was resolved. I put about 6 hours into resolving. Hope this helps!
 
Abom83 said:
I discovered the same issue last night. Tried many different troubleshooting efforts, as mentioned above. Then I called Apple Support, they were unaware of issue internally. They tried to fix, but we're unable to fix. I reinstalled El Capitan over El Capitan. Then I created a new location, applied, then it was resolved. I put about 6 hours into resolving. Hope this helps!
Click to expand...
that is a pain in the ass. dont even have a dvd version of the system... dont even have a dvd device :)
 
same here, on mac mini 2012 i was almost ready to reinstall OS X
linked pkg did not solve the issue

it was something that i was suppose to do since a long time and after spent all day on backup and saving settings i guess i would proceed reinstalling OS X
 
al404 said:
same here, on mac mini 2012 i was almost ready to reinstall OS X
linked pkg did not solve the issue

it was something that i was suppose to do since a long time and after spent all day on backup and saving settings i guess i would proceed reinstalling OS X
Click to expand...

Don't need the CD. Download from the App store, that's what I did. I didn't lose any data. After your system is back up, go to Preference>Network and create a new location and apply. I am up and running again.
 
I have a 27in 5k iMac (2014), which is supposedly affected by this. I see the update was applied last night, but my port still is working. Does it disable after a restart or does that mean I happened to get the non-bugged version?
 
GreatMightySymp said:
I have a 27in 5k iMac (2014), which is supposedly affected by this. I see the update was applied last night, but my port still is working. Does it disable after a restart or does that mean I happened to get the non-bugged version?
Click to expand...
do not reboot the computer, the problem start after reboot.
 
chrfr said:
That link is an installer package like any other software update. Just install it and see if your ethernet comes back. You may need to manually delete the file mentioned in the first post of the thread, which would also likely require disabling System Integrity Protection.
Click to expand...

As it's an older version, yes, you have to disable SIP, then delete the existing version, and then run the installer. After rebooting to enable SIP and get the OS to see the older KEXT, I was able to fiddle around in the network settings to get back to everything working again.
 
Someone please post the solution as soon as possible. Any chance Apple will silently update again to fix this? I can't really download an OS update.
 
akeakemai said:
As it's an older version, yes, you have to disable SIP, then delete the existing version, and then run the installer. After rebooting to enable SIP and get the OS to see the older KEXT, I was able to fiddle around in the network settings to get back to everything working again.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear that you managed to solve the problem.

Can you be more into the details of the whole procedure?
Thank you.
 
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Sometimes I ask myself if apple really still does test runs with their OS-Versions, security patches and firmware updates or if they spit this just in the face of their customers. This is already at least the THIRD time in less than 2 or 3 years that they have to stop an update because it disables their customers machines or deletes something or provokes severe problems.... Did they hear about quality management of isnit really all about nothing than thinness and chic fashion of hardware?

MY GOD !!!!!!

I demand just a more respectful and more responsible way to serve their customers... Is this already too much what is just perfectly normal for every other company????!

More and more that reminds me of the most awful Windows days, long ago.... But I do not remember having such problems even in the most awful Windows times...
 
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if i try to connect to the appstore with my user/password it says they can't verify my device so it log me out so i can't download the system software.
do you think this problem is connected with the other one we re discussing here?
are you experiencing the same?
 
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