AirPort Base Station Firmware Updates 7.6.9 and 7.7.9
Apple has released firmware updates for the current AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule base stations with 802.11ac Wi-Fi (these tower-like models receive Firmware Update 7.7.9), as well as older AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and AirPort Time Capsule models with 802.11n Wi-Fi (Firmware Update 7.6.9). Both updates patch the KRACK exploits (see “Wi-Fi Security Flaw Not As Bad As It’s KRACKed Up To Be,” 17 October 2017), improving the handling of state transitions to prevent reusing a nonce (aka, Number ONCE, an arbitrary number that can only be used once) in WPA multicast/GTK
clients. Update 7.7.9 also addresses a memory corruption issue that enabled an attacker within range to execute arbitrary code on the Wi-Fi chip. You must update your AirPort base station using AirPort Utility on your Mac or an iOS device with Apple’s AirPort Utility app installed. (Free, release notes for 7.6.9, release notes for 7.7.9)
Be patient. Be very patient. 7.6.9 took three tries - first two failed: Error 32 and 3rd time it updated. Then about 5 minutes to resume normal operation.
Installation only took about two to three minutes here, but there was an alarming "An error occurred while installing the firmware" message that was not true. A few seconds after I dismissed the message, the update notification icon in AirPort Utility disappeared and the system correctly showed version 7.7.9.
I had the exact same thing happen to me as John. All is well now.
I upgraded two devices, one to 7.6.9 and the other to 7.7.9. No problems with either upgrade; everything functioning.
No issues here. Installed 7.6.9 on my 802.11n type AP Extreme without a hitch.
Used AP Utility 6.3.6 (that is the newer dumbed down version) on El Cap.
My down and up load speed both went up 30% and 100% respectively after this firmware update. Such a pleasant surprise!
Different channel after reboot perhaps?
I updated my AirPort Express last week and everything went fine. Today I was notified that a firmware update was available so I did it, and again everything went fine.