MacOS Bud 49 Days Network Issue TCP Overflow Slowdown Fix Restart Apple Mac Problems

A strange but serious bug has emerged for Mac users, which can suddenly affect the Internet and apps if the system is left on for a long time. According to a latest research report, if the Mac remains on continuously for about 49 days, then a bug may become active in it which messes up the network system. Due to this, many apps may stop working and the system starts slowing down.

Photon’s research shows that this issue is related to the TCP networking system of macOS and it is triggered after exactly 49 days, 17 hours, 2 minutes and 47 seconds. Researchers have described it as a “ticking time bomb” because it shows its effect only after a certain time.

Report It is mentioned that after this time the Mac stops making new network connections. Although existing connections continue to work, new connections cannot be established. This directly impacts apps that depend on the Internet, such as browsers, cloud services or other online tools.

The root of the problem is a 32-bit counter that macOS uses to track network timing. This counter works only up to a limit, which is approximately equal to 49.7 days. As soon as this limit is exceeded, the counter overflows and the system is unable to manage network connections properly.

Its effect becomes visible gradually. The system is unable to close old connections, causing thousands of unused connections to accumulate. This increases the load on the CPU and after a time all the network ports get filled. When this happens, new connections stop completely and many apps stop working.

Interestingly, the system reportedly does not shut down completely. Some basic network functions like ping continue to work, making it difficult to initially understand the problem. The report says that this is the reason why many users feel that their internet is fine, but the apps are still not working.

At present, the easiest solution to this problem is to restart the system. As soon as the Mac is restarted, this counter is reset and the network system returns to normal operation. However, if the system is operated for a long time without restarting, the same problem may reoccur.