Apple Silicon M1 MacBook Pro 2021 bricked by security update to 13.6. FalconCrowdstrike compatibility issue it seems... Reviving with Configurator isn't working for firmware version from 13.5 onwards to 13.6.

dhugall wrote:

It would seem that trying a firmware update with Sonoma-based firmware might be the only thing left to me before giving up and doing a Restore using Configurator.

You are already running the laptop with Sonoma firmware if Ventura is up to date. My organization encountered boot issues on some of our M2 laptops when Sonoma was released. These laptops were running Ventura and it was a simple OS update patch to 13.6 which caused the problem. Sonoma had no issues running on those laptops, but Ventura & Monterey had issues due to two bugs. The Asahi team missed the "easy" fix which was to clear the NVRAM which allowed existing Ventura & Monterey installations to be recovered....I discovered this with my own experiments.

https://github.com/AsahiLinux/docs/wiki/macOS-Sonoma-Boot-Failures

See the Asahi team's notes made in that article regarding firmware updates/versions where they say, any macOS update from any version of macOS will be using the new Sonoma firmware....here is the Asahi team's note:

IMPORTANT UPDATE: We have just learned that the standard software update process will always upgrade to the latest firmware version, even when you request a specific macOS version manually. For this reason, ALL macOS upgrades performed after the release of macOS Sonoma are affected, regardless of target version. Installing older versions will silently download Sonoma firmware.

I already knew this from monitoring system firmware years ago.

If you can boot into Recovery Mode, then you can try to clear the NVRAM to see if that makes any difference in your boot process. I've personally used this command on multiple M-series Macs without any issues to resolve boot issues including the noted firmware bugs discovered by the Asahi team. Some NVRAM settings are not able to be cleared....usually associated with the computer name....may be just one setting or several settings depending on the Mac & its configuration. Hard to say whether an MDM could prevent even more settings to be retained. Launch the Terminal app from the Utilities menu on the menu bar while booted into Recovery Mode and issue the following command (press the "Return" key to execute the command....reboot the Mac afterwards:

nvram  -c

Otherwise @etresoft has you covered on the only remaining options available. @etresoft is correct in saying that if you allow a company to manage your personal laptop, then at that point you no longer control your laptop no matter how benign they company may be with their control. I would never let anyone have access or control my personal device.....except if I purchased a second one just for that purpose, but you still risk the company making a mistake and not fully releasing it afterwards.

Per the website, the product is completely cloud based meaning there is nothing to install. That may or may not disrupt system operations, but I'd guess not. At least not permanently since you can leave the influence of the product at any time I'd hope.

But if you're convinced FalconCrowdstrike is the culprit the immediate solution is to not use it and remove any local vestiges of the product. Being "entirely cloud based" seems to make this action counterintuitive though.

All versions of the product contain AV. Generally that's a bad thing to install on a Mac. It being cloud based makes its effects on local operations rather unknown.

If you restore/reinstall your OS from the recover panel, no user data of any kind is affected. But that will not take you back to the OS version prior to the security update.

How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support

I suggest you describe your bricking event in detail and possible help can be offered. This post will help you do that: Writing an effective Apple Support Commun… - Apple Community

Details are required to propose good solutions.

Welcome

When Talking with the IT Department or MDM Service you may what to show them hoe useless this AV Software is and how Apple has gone so far as to make the Apple Computer Secure

The The Built in Security  is all that is required.

Mac app security enhancements - Apple Support (CA)

Security. Built right in

The Operating System resides in a Sealed and Read Only Volume that can not be opened by the User nor by Third Party Applications.

dhugall wrote:

If I "restore" with Configurator will my data all be wiped?

Now that makes sense. You kept saying that Reviving with configurator didn't work. A DFU restore will always work. I'm not even sure what "revive" is or when it would be needed. But a DFU restore is always a guaranteed fix.

But yes, a DFU restore will wipe all of your data. But that is what you need to do. You don't have any option.

A DFU restore will fix the computer and get it booting again. That's all we can help you with. Dealing with whomever is requiring you to install this 3rd party "security" app is your problem.

I can tell you that these kinds of apps are normally years behind in supporting Apple software updates. Once you install one of these apps, you can't ever update your computer again, not for any reason, without first contacting all developers of these kinds of low-level system modifications. Many will not respond at all. Some will have never heard of things like "Ventura" or "Sonoma". I'm not kidding here. These are the people who are supposed to protect you from "zero-day" North Korean hacker threats. Every year they get totally blindsided by Apple updates. Apple can literally paint the internet with ads, and sometimes half the buildings in major cities, and these 3rd party developers will never notice.

If you have people who "make" you install these apps, then remember that they own this computer, not you. Any change you want to make needs their approval first. Your sudo access means nothing. Well, it does mean that they are making you do your IT support yourself and not paying you do to that.

But now that I think about it. Did you try booting in Safe Mode? See Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support. That should disable any 3rd party system modifications and get your computer running again. You can then make a Time Machine backup or otherwise copy your files. You might even be able to uninstall the 3rd party system modifications. But getting back into compliance with your silly corporate regulations will be an exercise for the reader.

User wrote and I quote " Many companies require such third-party security software to be installed to guard against malware and mine is one. I cannot remove it or my Mac can no longer connect to the network at work."

This implies this computer is Owned and Operated by a Company

Many Companies register the Computers' Serial Number with their Mobile Digital Management Service ( MDM )

As this computer maybe part of the MDM Service - they control the computer, what is installed on the machine

At this point, there is very little we fellow users like yourself can do to fix this issue

Suggest communication with your Company IY Department and / or the MDM Service that this commuter is registered with

It it their responsibility to deal with computer issues

dhugall wrote:

I cannot boot in Safe Mode or any other mode.

Then the computer is probably dead. I recommend taking it to Apple for hardware diagnostics. You can try a DFU restore if you want. I'm sure that is what Apple will do. But Apple will also run diagnostics that may reveal a hardware problem that caused it to fail in the first place.

As I understand from the following article

https://tidbits.com/2021/05/27/an-m1-mac-cant-boot-from-an-external-drive-if-its-internal-drive-is-dead/

the recent Security Update to 13.6 has either broken the volume structure on the internal SSD or otherwise made the Secure Enclave Process’s operating system (sepOS) not usable and thereby "bricking" my MacBook Pro.

Don't believe what you read on the internet. That article is specifically talking about booting from an external volume, which is a ridiculous idea to begin with.

It would seem that trying a firmware update with Sonoma-based firmware might be the only thing left to me before giving up and doing a Restore using Configurator. Man, I would happily forgo some of this security to prevent a complete loss of my machine just by letting a security update pushed by Apple trash my machine.

I'm not sure what you are saying. I'm also not sure about what may have happened to this computer. When you talk about things like 3rd party "enterprise" "security" software and post links to articles like that, all bets are off.

Apple devices are designed to take care of themselves. You don't need any additional security software. You don't need to "maintain" anything. Any "customizations", "modifications", or "hacks" that you might try are only going to cause problems.

I realize I have supposed the blame is on the third party security software but I have no concrete proof that they are indeed the cause. Has anyone without third party security software also had their Mac bricked by doing the 13.6 security update? It could conceivably also be a Mac ecosystem-only bug...

I checked the MacAdmins Slack group. There is a large thread about boot failures with the 13.6 update. People seem to think that 3rd party security is to blame, with Crowdstrike winning the online poll. However, they aren't sure about that.

But there is a really easy solution here. Stop reading the internet! There is absolutely zero reason to update your computer the day Apple posts an update. What do you gain from that? Just sit back and wait to see if other people have problems. If they do, then you know what might go wrong and you can be prepared for it. People might have found a solution or there might be a fix in a later update.

Unfortunately, you've already fallen victim to this mentality if you have a 2021 Mac running Ventura, especially with 3rd party antivirus. I don't have any choice about Ventura on my new 2023 MacBook Air. But my 2020 MacBook Pro is still running happily on Monterey.

BTW this article was also very good for coming to an understanding of the problem:

https://eclecticlight.co/2021/05/28/why-cloning-big-sur-isnt-as-useful-for-an-m1-mac/

Again, please stop reading social media influencers on the internet. This stuff isn't true. Cloning wasn't ever useful and doesn't have anything to do with the problem you are experiencing.

One comment regarding Configurator 2 and its overall performance. It most definitely does not ALWAYS restore your Mac actually far from it. Revive updates / fixes iOS Bridge while leaving files intact. Restore is a complete wipe IF NOT "locked / MDM". If locked/mdm then username / pw remain intact but otherwise wiped.