Symantec source code stolen: the extortion, investigation, and release
The source code for several Symantec products was stolen in a network breach in 2006. A weeks-long extortion attempt followed this past January, resulting in the release of the code for pcAnywhere on The Pirate Bay. We've got all the developments from Symantec, law-enforcement, and the hacker group for you right here.
Policy & Law
Anonymous releases source code for Norton AntiVirus 2006, Symantec says not to worry
After a number of threats, hacker collective Anonymous has released what it claims is the source code for Symantec's Norton AntiVirus 2006. The code was allegedly stolen, along with the source for several other Symantec products, after a security breach back in 2006. A hacker group called "YamaTough" attempted to extort money from Symantec in exchange for destroying the code back in February, and the alleged code for the company's pcAnywhere software was released on The Pirate Bay soon...
Symantec source code hacker: we always planned to release the stolen code
Protracted extortion negotiations with a hacker threatening to release stolen source code for several Symantec products ended yesterday with the code for pcAnywhere surfacing on The Pirate Bay. While Symantec has claimed it never had any intention of paying the $50,000 fee, and that the negotiations were part of a law-enforcement operation, the hacker in question has now told Reuters that he was always going to release the code. "We tricked them into offering us a bribe so we could humiliate...
Symantec source code held by hackers in $50,000 extortion attempt, may have been released into the wild
The source code for Symantec's pcAnywhere and Norton AntiVirus products has been at the center of a weeks-long stand-off between the company, law-enforcement officials, and a hacker group threatening to sell the code to the highest bidder. An email exchange posted to Pastebin details negotiations between a Symantec employee named Sam Thomas, and a representative for the hacker organization going by the name "YamaTough." In the exchange, Symantec agrees to pay the group $50,000 if they destroy...
Symantec says it didn't know 2006 source code was stolen until now
Symantec has been scrambling to address a security breach from 2006 that revealed some of its source code, and now it is addressing concerns over how it originally handled the incident. At issue is whether or not the company should have realized back in 2006 that its source code had been stolen.
Symantec originally said that the stolen code only concerned four and five-year-old versions of some business-centric software, and since then the company admitted that corporate users of the...
Apps & Software
Symantec warns users to disable pcAnywhere in wake of source code theft
Several years after the theft of source code for several of its security products, Symantec has recommended that users of pcAnywhere, which allows users to remotely connect to another computer, disable the software until further notice. In a security white paper (PDF), the company said it believes a 2006 security breach exposed source code for several programs, including the corporate version of its popular Norton Antivirus software. However, only pcAnywhere is considered at risk of someone...
Segment of Symantec source code stolen by hackers
Symantec, makers of the widely-used Norton antivirus software, revealed that hackers have stolen segments of the source code for two of its business-focused products. However, the software affected, Symantec Endpoint Protection 11.0 and Symantec Antivirus 10.2, is four and five years old (and Antivirus 10.2 is discontinued), so the company believes there's no threat to users: a Symantec Spokersperson said in an email that the company has "no indication that the code disclosure impacts the...
