Symantec suffers from a flaw that lets hackers seize control of computers

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I had a feeling that Norton would finally have a problem with their anti-virus protection.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Symantec Corp.'s leading antivirus software, which protects some of the world's largest corporations and U.S. government agencies, suffers from a flaw that lets hackers seize control of computers to steal sensitive data, delete files or implant malicious programs, researchers said Thursday.

We had Norton on a few new systems here at work and all I can say is, what a nightmare. Had to delete it and put a stable Anti-Virus software on these machines.

What will be a headache for these users, is if they put a patch out, of which they obviously will have to do, that requires you to use their customer service for verification...if so be prepared to be on hold for 24 hours.


Will be intersting to see how this unfolds.

[T3l Ca7]

Thanks for the information!


BTW, How many hours do you think I have got before they put the patch out?

[D1st0rt]

AVG ftw imo

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Thanks for the information!


BTW, How many hours do you think I have got before they put the patch out?

Who knows...it's Symantec! Have fun hacking Tel

[T3l Ca7]

LOL, I was just joking. I am currently employed as a technical consultant, and most of our clients are huge global banks. What do you think my chance is if I get caught for hacking?

Very tempting though, so very tempting ...









But no, NO NO NO!



















Because ... I am too lazy ^_^

[DoTheFandango]

Or because you can't do shit.

[Doc Flabby]

I had a feeling that Norton would finally have a problem with their anti-virus protection.

We had Norton on a few new systems here at work and all I can say is, what a nightmare. Had to delete it and put a stable Anti-Virus software on these machines.

What will be a headache for these users, is if they put a patch out, of which they obviously will have to do, that requires you to use their customer service for verification...if so be prepared to be on hold for 24 hours.


Will be intersting to see how this unfolds.

Acctually Norton Anti-Virus is a totally different product - but it sucks balls anyway. After removing it from my computer and installing a different AV all my problems disappeared.

Let me put this interesting point to you though. When was the last time your AV detected a virus? I could write a program that formatted your hard disk and most AV wouldnt even notice...

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It's the corp. version of Norton btw. As for writing a virus, 1st it would be required to get past the firewall on the server and then the firewall on the indivual computer and then pass the AV protection. I also had no more probs with the systems here once we deleted it!

On my system alone, I have had many a virus nailed through email detection as well as HTML sites visited...damn crack serial sites! hehehe...yet It has always been detected, deleted and or quarantined. It happens, but nothing has got through that I know of, plus all the systems here are prevented from visiting certain sites that may be not to the companies desired listing. I can get around that with my laptop though when I patch into the network.

[404 Not Found]

Acctually Norton Anti-Virus is a totally different product - but it sucks balls anyway. After removing it from my computer and installing a different AV all my problems disappeared.

Let me put this interesting point to you though. When was the last time your AV detected a virus? I could write a program that formatted your hard disk and most AV wouldnt even notice...

Back in the old days of computers, it was always ineteresting to bring down another computer when on EFFnet. DAL was a bit harder since the SYOPS usually nailed you quickly, but back before the use of many available firewalls and AV protection, it was quite the time and amusing as well, using bots and scripts to make others miserable on IRC. Quite different from todays standards of script writing.

But why waste the time in making a program that did this? How would it be delivered? Who would be dumb enough to run it? As an attachment in an email, I would think that only an idiot would even consider opening a program unsolicited. I do not doubt that you could write a script, but why would you even waste the time? Not that you would mind you.

[AngelsGirl]

First of all Symantec Screwed up norton,
It's bloatware now, filled with crap useless features etc only slows down systems there avg at most otherwise.

Secondly who needs a virus scanner after 3 years I installed one and it found 0 viruses >.<". If you just look out with what you click and what you download it is not that hard to avoid viruses. :P

[404 Not Found]

First of all Symantec Screwed up norton,
It's bloatware now, filled with crap useless features etc only slows down systems there avg at most otherwise.

Secondly who needs a virus scanner after 3 years I installed one and it found 0 viruses >.<". If you just look out with what you click and what you download it is not that hard to avoid viruses. :P

Thats great if your computer literate, yet on a corp. level I would say that 95% could give a rats ass about rules and or will try and work around them in going to whatever site they want, not to leave out downloads.

The point was that they screwed up and have a prob with the corporate software for protection.

I would have little worries about myself as well as most of the users on this forum when it would boil down to the use of AV protection. On a corp. level though, where people just like to click buttons and save and open files...it is needed.

[AngelsGirl]

I know but I was just saying that Norton had its best time and that there are a lot of just as good or better alternatives. And I know about working around the block's and downloads as I still go to school (IT school) and we also do it. Especially since my school has a 1Gbit up/down OC backbone.

Somethings are so simple like getting past site blocks (IP address they only filter on DNS) Making a shortcut to C:\ works lol.

[Ephemeral]

Thats great if your computer literate, yet on a corp. level I would say that 95% could give a rats ass about rules and or will try and work around them in going to whatever site they want, not to leave out downloads.

The point was that they screwed up and have a prob with the corporate software for protection.

I would have little worries about myself as well as most of the users on this forum when it would boil down to the use of AV protection. On a corp. level though, where people just like to click buttons and save and open files...it is needed.

On a corporate level the three "P's" are the rule, "Product, Procedure, and People". It doesn't matter what AV Product a company has if People don't follow Procedures.
This is covered in every company's IS/IT policy manual. The one I wrote I named "Procedures for Information Systems and Services", or PISS for short since it pisses in everyones Wheaties. If employees insist on clicking on 'titties.exe', going to porn/warez/mp3 web sites or any other seedy underbelly part of the internet, they risk losing their jobs.
In some cases, putting a AV Product on someone PC's makes them feel like they are immune to bad things, this is why the People/Procedures part is more important then the AV product.

[Richard Creager]

Norton finally having a problem?

That finally must be heavily inspired by sarcasm.