Possible reasons for my MacBook Pro restart randomly

I've never seen this type of Kernel Panic before. It seems "PAC" refers to Pointer Allocation Code which is meant to protect against exploitation of memory corruption bugs. Here is an Apple article which mentions it & other security measures built into macOS:

Operating system integrity - Apple Support

I recommend posting the complete EtreCheck report so we can examine it for possible clues to possible software issues which could cause this panic. If we don't see anything, then it would be more likely to be a hardware issue.

You can also try running the Apple Diagnostics to see if any hardware issues are detected. However, only a failing diagnostic will be useful since a passing diagnostic is meaningless.

Uninstall the Norton software since that is the most likely cause of the Kernel Panics. Anti-virus software, cleaning/optimizer apps, and third party security software is not needed on a Mac, plus they usually cause more problems than they solve. macOS already has great built-in security as long as the user also does their part by following safe computing practices as outlined in this excellent article:

Effective defenses against malware and other threats - Apple Community

Edit: And your OS is way behind on OS update patches. Sonoma is at macOS 14.7.1. You should always stay up to date on OS update patches. Minor OS update point release patches don't usually cause problems with software.

Norton and all the other software that I mentioned all interfere with the normal operation of macOS. This interference with macOS can cause Kernel Panics when that third party software does something wrong. Third party apps like Norton are always doing something wrong. Plus you are actually weakening overall system security by using those types of apps.

If you perform a clean install and reinstall Norton, then there is a very good chance you will be bringing the problem back. Keep in mind both Norton & macOS are constantly changing & evolving, so what may have not caused any problems even a day ago could easily change when either one has an update (or perhaps even another app has an update).

Of course it is your computer so you can do with it as you please, but you will need to be prepared to deal with the resulting issues. Apple will ask you to perform a clean install of macOS (or Apple will do it for you) and test it without any third party apps installed, nor restoring from a backup. This is the only way to truly confirm if the issue is due to third party software or if it is a hardware issue. Keep in mind there is a possibility you have a hardware issue. You can try running the Apple Diagnostics, but keep in mind a passing diagnostic does not mean the hardware is good...only that no issue was found at the moment the test was run.

All I know about PAC is the article I linked earlier. The PAC feature is better understood by developers/programmers. One of the biggest potentials for vulnerabilities that can be exploited by bad actors has to deal with issues with pointers within software. Pointers are very hard to deal with correctly when programming, but pointers are involved with a lot of software. Which is why Apple has implemented PAC to help minimize this issue & to minimize the chances a bad actor could take advantage of bad pointers to compromise the system.

More than likely it was a Kernel Panic. See if any Kernel Panics logs exist in "/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports". Most Kernel Panic logs will have file names with "kernel" and/or "panic" in the name. If none are in this folder, then check the "Retired" subfolder. Post several of the Kernel Panic logs here just as you did for the other System Log file.

FYI, except for the Kernel Panic logs, most of the other macOS system logs are worthless for troubleshooting these days. Plus the only way to actually get those other logs is with the command line...again they are mostly worthless for troubleshooting.

You can also run the third party app EtreCheck and post the complete report here so we can examine it for possible clues especially if third party software may be at fault. This report also includes summaries of the system logs as well.

rickkromero wrote:

Thank you for your response, i will bring it to an Apple Store to see if with their diagnostic they can determine if there's something wrong on the hardware side then i will perform a clean install without Norton.

I would first try to uninstall Norton using the instructions Norton provides since that would be the least disruptive way forward. If Norton does not uninstall cleanly, then you may need to manually remove some of Norton's files or even perform a clean install.

You are wasting your time and the store's time if you present a Mac running third-party virus scanner and ask them for help.

HWTech has already told you that the problem you are seeing is so rare as to never be seen here before, and pursing that avenue before removing the OBVIOUS pay-malware named Norton is a waste of time.

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You also have Mac security updates disabled.

settings > software updates > (advanced) ...

and check [√] check for updates and

[√] install system data files and security updates

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You also do not have TRIM enabled for external drives. That could eventually make your external drives VERY slow. Launch Terminal and type:

sudo trimforce enable

enter your admin password, which will not be echoed. They will read you the Riot Act about how they are not responsible. This is a mere formality, since we have never seen a report of any problems. Agree to the terms and it will update the settings and do a programmed restart.

Some time later, be sure to do a Disk Utility FirstAid/RepairDisk on that drive to free many unused blocks automatically, and speed up your drive.