A Keystone version containing the bug, 1.2.13.75, must be installed.

The root directory, /, must be writable by the logged-in user.

SIP must be disabled (or not present, as is the case pre-OS X 10.11).

The specific conditions required for the Chrome update to make this change are:

'This results in system instability that may include failure to launch new UI applications, failure to resolve hostnames in most already-running programs, and failure to reboot successfully,' one of the Google employees said. Specifically, according to the Chrome bug thread, the buggy Chrome update removed a crucial symbolic link pointing to the /var folder. When the protection was disabled, however, the file system was modified in a way that prevented Macs from rebooting. When SIP was enabled-as it is by default-SIP worked as designed and prevented the change.

It would appear a bug in the Chrome update inadvertently attempted to modify parts of the macOS file system. As its name suggests, SIP is designed to protect the integrity of the OS by, among other things, protecting certain files and folders from being deleted or modified, except by specific, authorized processes. SIP, as system integrity protection is usually abbreviated, was introduced in 2015 in the El Capitan version of macOS (called OS X at the time).

'We have halted the rollout and are working on remediation right now.' When your Mac gets a “varsectomy” 'This appears to be an issue with a new version of Google Keystone,' a different Google employee wrote earlier in the thread. When the update was installed on Macs that had disabled a security feature known as system integrity prevention and met several other conditions, a crucial part of the Mac system file was damaged, a Google employee said in the forum. Specifically, it was a new version of Chrome's Keystone updater that caused so many Macs to stop rebooting, according to this Chrome open bug post. On Wednesday, Google disclosed the real cause-a Chrome browser update. The publication speculated that malware may have been the cause. On Monday night, Variety reported that film editors around Los Angeles who had Avid Media Composer software installed were suddenly finding that their Macs were unable to reboot.

Chrome infected with malware mac