Uh-Oh, Hackers Can Crack Symantec Antivirus

Bad news for the security conscious among you: CNN is reporting that Symantec Antivirus, arguably the market leader in security software, is vulnerable to a flaw that lets hackers take control of computers on which it is installed.

So far, Symantec has no information on whether this threat is legitimate, but independent research firm eEye Digital Security demonstrated the attack for the Associated Press and confirmed it was real.

The good news: The flaw affects only the corporate edition of Symantec Antivirus, not the consumer version, and is highly doubtful that any hackers will be able to exploit the flaw until a patch is produced.

This doesn't mean that you should be complacent: If you use the corporate version of Symantec Antivirus (version 10), talk to your IT department about the issue and make sure they're in contact with Symantec about getting the patch. If you want to take extra precautions, disconnect your machine from the Internet if it's not in active use.