Symantec used rootkit for Norton SystemWorks

Reference

Another case of "it seemed like a good idea at the time"...

Not suprised... it's nigh on completley impossible to uninstall norton.. I hate it.

The lesson 4 or 5 years ago was don't use Norton. The lesson today is don't use Norton.

Rootkit or no rootkit, Norton sucks. I don't think that what they did is particularly wrong. They judged that it would be safer to hide files, they hid them, and that's all. Nothing malicious involved. They may be stupid, but if the "experts" said that it was better, then that's what they did.

It isn't the fact that they hid files-- everyone does that-- it's entirely in the way that they hid those files. They weren't content with setting the Hidden attribute or stashing them in the Windows directory and registry-- they had to hide them from Windows itself-- nothing should be hidden from the OS, unless it's to work around a feature of the OS, and that's likely for a nefarious purpose. How long will it be before someone decides that this is part of an NSA "Big Brother" conspiracy?

I don't see the need to go to such lengths to hide files... Symantec has been riding on the reputation that Norton's built up some 15-20 years ago, and the majority of their customer base is corporate-- the users are not sophisticated and are not likely to have the permissions to mess around with those files unless they are admins looking to remove Norton's for what ever reason.

I think it was a bad idea and I feel that there was some other intent other than protecting "Norton's-critical" files from random deletion.

Unless they were not hiding them from the end-user as much as from other malicious software. If the OS can't see the files, there are less chances that somebody can take advantage of them.

In any case, I still don't see why it is wrong to use a rootkit to do what you consider to be improving the security and functionality of your software. If I learned that my AV software was hiding files for me, to be quite honest, I wouldn't really care; if it does its job, I don't want to know about it. The moment it starts causing problems for me, then it'll become an issue, but the only problem here is people saying "oooh, that's bad". Nobody is trying to hurt you, in fact, they were trying to help (not that they are very good at it these days )

The problem I want to know about is;
A system that was bought with Norton installed by the Mfgr.(HP)
The owner wants it removed and goes into remove programs and uninstalls it.
Is it gone or hiding in there to cause
1.) A hole for other malicious software?
2.) A problem for the new security software?
3.) Is it sitting there wasting my space?
4.) Is this not a "Back Door" into the system?

Is it gone or hiding in there to cause
1.) A hole for other malicious software?

I would hope it's gone.

2.) A problem for the new security software?

Doubtful. But not impossible.

3.) Is it sitting there wasting my space?

Very little space from what I understand.

4.) Is this not a "Back Door" into the system?

No, it isn't.