Serving up…
Symantec Corp. has fessed up to using a rootkit-type feature in Norton SystemWorks that could provide the perfect hiding place for attackers to place malicious files on computers.
The anti-virus vendor acknowledged that it was deliberately hiding a directory from Windows APIs as a feature to stop customers from accidentally deleting files but, prompted by warnings from security experts, the company shipped a SystemWorks update to eliminate the risk.
Although I used to use Symantec security software quite extensively, I’ve disliked Symantec security programs for several years now. Part of that is due to the fact that almost ALL of the systems I get calls on to resurrect from malware attacks are “protected” by Norton/Symantec security products. YMMV.
Update your AV products. Oh, and if you use the Microsoft Anti-spyware “beta” do note that you need to jump through the validation hoops again for another six months’ license.