Symantec to users: disable pcAnywhere

Norton publisher Symantec has advised users of its pcAnywhere remote PC control tool to disable the product due to a security threat.

In a whitepaper released earlier this week, Symantec says the source code for the tool was exposed in an incident in 2006, along with code for the 2006 versions of Norton Antivirus Corporate Edition, Norton Internet Security, and Norton SystemWorks.

"Malicious users with access to the source code have an increased ability to identify vulnerabilities and build new exploits,” Symantec says.

"At this time, Symantec recommends disabling the product until Symantec releases a final set of software updates that resolve currently known vulnerability risks.”

Customers that require pcAnywhere for business critical purposes are advised to ensure their version of the software is fully patched and up to date, and to follow general security best practices.

Go here to read the whitepaper.