Norton Symantec Rootkit revealed

[Bwall]

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1910077,00.asp

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.
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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......

I don't know how they can even begin to compare this to the Sony debacle. According to the source, Symantec had good intentions.
Sony installed their rootkit out of greed, nothing else. They denied it until the masses had heard about it and they had no other choice but to acknowledge it. Don't get me wrong, I feel that they should be able to protect their investments to some extent but they went way over the line.

Thoughts?

[kenc51]

Rootkits are EVIL

There is no reason any company should use them....PERIOD!!!

Symantec software is bloated crap already IMO.....except for Norton Ghost. (about the only thing they done right!)

RootkitRevealer --> You can use this to scan for any rootkits BTW....

The link also provides some usefull info on what a rootkit is etc.

[Kerii]

Well, it is nice to hear how they're dealing with the whole issue.

First time I even heard about it this morning and they're already shipping out a fix!

Lot better than the comments from Sony.
"Most people, I think, don't even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care about it?"

[bigblockmatt]

whats a root kit? ya, im an idiot

[Kerii]

The now infamous Sony rootkit:
http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/1 ... ights.html

Short explanation from Wikipedia:
"A rootkit is a set of software tools frequently used by a third party (usually an intruder) after gaining access to a computer system. These tools are intended to conceal running processes, files or system data, which helps an intruder maintain access to a system without the user's knowledge. Rootkits are known to exist for a variety of operating systems such as Linux, Solaris and versions of Microsoft Windows. A computer with a rootkit on it is called a rooted computer."