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Norton posts

Filed under: Software

Symantec responds to security issue

by Scott McNulty (RSS feed) on Dec 27th, 2005

Symantec is aware of the flaw that is in almost all of their software (that's gotta hurt) and the most recent virus definitions include a 'heuristic detection for potential exploits of the Symantec decomposer RAR archive vulnerability.'

What the heck does that mean? The vulnerability can only be exploited if your copy of Norton scans a RAR file that has been crafted in such a way as to trigger a buffer overload. The update makes sure that your copy of Norton can detect these naughty files without falling prey to their naughtiness, for lack of a better word.

They have also posted instructions on how to setup your anti-virus software to skip over scanning .rar files. Definitely worth checking out if you are running any Symantec anti-virus products.

Tags: anti virus, anti-virus, AntiVirus, norton, symantec

Filed under: Software, Internet Tools, Security

Norton AV for OS X makes a Mac less secure

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Dec 26th, 2005

Ah the beautiful irony: last Tuesday, as many of us were getting ready for family and the holidays, Symantec admitted that a serious security flaw has affected about 40 of their products, including all versions of Norton Anti-Virus (NAV) for OS X. Symantec calls this a 'high risk' vulnerability that could allow a remote user to gain control of a computer, even a Mac, that's running any of their affected software. I haven't seen anything about a solution for either side of the fence yet, so if you're crazy for security I don't envy the dilemma a situation like this might put you in. An up-to-date and patched copy of OS X is widely hailed to be pretty secure these days (so run Software Update - regularly!), but the ZDNet Australia article that we found this in poses the important security question pretty well:

"As the owner of a Powerbook I am faced with a dilemma. Do I pay AU$118.15 for a flawed 'security' application that is designed to protect me from threats that do not seem to exist; or do I take sensible precautions like keeping my computer behind a firewall and staying up to date with OS X patches?"

No matter which side of the OS X security/virus/malware debate you stand on, a situation like this undeniably brings these topics back into light with a new perspective. Feel free to discuss in the comments, but keep it clean; don't make me come in there and separate you.

Tags: Anti-Virus, attacks, control, hacking, Norton, security, virus

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