Hacker Releases Symantec Code After Extortion Fails

A hacker has made good on a threat to release the source code for Symantec's pcAnywhere tool after failing to extort $50,000 from the antivirus company. The release raises fears that other hackers could find security holes in the product, but Symantec says it was prepared for the move, and it has issued patches, Reuters reports. Hackers are also expected to release source code for an old version of Norton antivirus software, Symantec says.

A hacker calling himself YamaTough, part of a hacking collective affiliated with Anonymous, published details of negotiations with Symantec. "Anonymous actually reached out to us first, saying that if we provided them with money, they would not post any more source code,” a company spokesman says. “At that point, given that it was a clear-cut case of extortion, we contacted law enforcement and turned the investigation over to them." (More Symantec stories.)