Symantec said that in 2006, up to now has been updated with the new code of the product source code. Even so, the company said it had contacted customers in recent weeks, allowing them to apply software upgrades that could resolve known security issues. The source code is part of Symantec's product called pcAnywhere, which allows users to log in and control computers at home or work remotely. Access to this code could theoretically give hackers insight into how to grab computers using this software. Symantec stated that in 2006, hackers stole the code and it affected four products: Norton AntiVirus Enterprise Edition, Norton SystemWorks, Norton Internet Security, and pcAnywhere.
The email excuse was: "All these types of events are part of the investigative techniques," he added, noting that the company could not disclose the involvement of law enforcement while the investigation was ongoing. Spokesman Chris Paden wrote in a statement: "Symantec conducted an internal investigation of this incident and contacted law enforcement regarding an attempted extortion and theft of intellectual property."
The hacker, named Yamatough, appeared on the file-sharing website Pirate Bay (Tuesday) and released a code file, just as Symantec revealed that ransom negotiations with the hacker were carried out by law enforcement pretending to be Symantec employees.
After the fake ransom negotiation, the source code was published online, indicating that one of the world's largest computer security companies, Symantec, had failed, according to the company.
Last Tuesday, a series of emails apparently between Yamatough and Symantec employees were posted on the site pastebin.com. The emails revealed back-and-forth discussions about how to arrange a suspected $50,000 payment in exchange for the hacker's agreement not to publish the returned code.
Symantec said that after the company contacted the authorities, the negotiations were conducted by law enforcement.
"Of these four products, only pcAnywhere is still being sold," Paden wrote. "All have been retired and discontinued - or in the case of Norton Internet Security, it has been completely rebuilt."
The company urged any users of its pcAnywhere product to immediately apply the security patches.
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