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A group of hackers who call themselves the Lords of Dharmaraja, (and is associated with Anonymous) have published the source code of Symantec, a digital security firm know for the Norton antivirus program and pcAnywhere, raising concerns that others could exploit thesecurity holes and try to control the users computer.The release of the source code came after the 'extortion' attempt failed as Symantec did notcomply with their numerous deadlines.Negotiations through email messages between a representative of the hacker group,YamaTough, and someone from Symantec were also released online. The exchange of messages are about Symantec's offer to pay USD 50,000 for the hackers to stop disclosing thesource code and announce to the public that the whole Symantec hack was a fake, which madethem a subject of mockery for appearing to buy protection.Both sides admitted that their participation was just a trick.The hackers denied any extortion aim, saying that they never intended to take the money andwere going to publish the source code whatever happens; they simply want to humiliate them sothey played along. While Symantec said that they are not actually the one in communicationwith the hacker, but a law enforcement agent.The long negotiation worked to the favor of Symantec as they have been able to come up withpatches to theirNorton and pcAnywhere programs. Symantec has advised their users to stopusing the softwares in the meantime until they have issued more patches for them.Symantec released a statement saying that they have always been prepared for the leak of thesource code so they've made and distributed hotfixes on January to secure their users.The drawn-out negotiation is an obvious sign of a law enforcer on the other line. Delaying tacticsis one of their assets to obtain insight into the enemy. More importantly, it will create moretransactions where paper trail will be left along the way -- utilizing persons who have beeninvolved in the process and the records themsel

Online fraud is a type of cybercrime that uses email, web sites, chat rooms or message boards. There are many different types of online fraud, including phishing and pharming scams, which use forged e-mails and Web sites to trick recipients into giving out personal information such as credit card data, social security numbers, and passwords. When armed with a little technical advice and common sense, you can prevent online fraud. Symantec recommends following these basic steps to avoid becoming a victim of online fraud: Do's Consider disabling file sharing on your computer. Be careful about opening attachments, especially from unknown senders. Familiarize yourself with a Web site's privacy policy, especially if you are asked to provide confidential and/or personal data. Review bank and credit card statements regularly. Install and regularly update software firewall, antivirus, and anti-spyware solutions. We recommend Norton Internet Security for comprehensive protection. Keep your Windows operating system and all your applications updated with the latest security patches. Create strong passwords and protect them carefully or consider using password protection software. Norton Internet Security encrypts passwords for secure storage, monitors them for unapproved usage, and notifies you when a Web site offers secure login capabilities. Lock your home mailbox. Shred bank and credit card statements and other financial data before disposal. Check your bank and credit card statements monthly. Strong passwords have eight characters or more, and use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. Take advantage of your right to a free annual credit report. If you think you've become a victim of ID theft or cybercrime, report it to the proper authorities immediately. Visit the following websites for more information: www.ic3.gov www.fraud.org www.cybercrime.gov Don'ts Don't provide personal data to a

MacKeeper is a strange piece of software. There may be no other app as controversial in the Apple world. The application, which performs various janitorial duties on your hard drive, is loathed by a large segment of the Mac community. Check out any blog, site or forum that mentions it, and you'll find hundreds of furious comments condemning MacKeeper and Zeobit, the company behind it. We discovered this ourselves earlier this month, when we offered a 50%-off deal on MacKeeper. Look at all those furious comments on the post. The complaints about MacKeeper are all over the shop: It's a virus. It holds your machine hostage until you pay up. It can't be completely removed if you decide to delete it. Instead of speeding up your computer, it slows it down. It erases your hard drive, deletes photos, and disappears documents. There are protests about MacKeeper's annual subscription fees. Zeobit is slammed for seedy marketing tactics. It runs pop-under ads, plants sock-puppet reviews and encourages sleazy affiliate sites, critics say. But what's really strange is that MacKeeper has been almost universally praised by professional reviewers. All week I've been checking out reviews on the Web and I can't find a bad one. All the reviews praise the software for being well designed and easy to use. Macworld magazine calls it "a gem." TUAW gives it a favorable review. Dave Hamilton of Backbeat Media, a Mac industry veteran, recently talked it up at Macworld Expo. None of the professional reviewers complain of slowed-down machines or deleted data. Given the comments on our deals post, I started researching Zeobit and MacKeeper. (Our deals, by the way, are determined by our partners, StackSocial.) I was alarmed that Cult of Mac might be promoting malware, but quickly became curious why such well-reviewed software gets such bad reviews from users. I reached out to Zeobit and Symantec, which publishes anti-virus and security software under the Norton brand