Anonymous has released what it claims is the source code to Symantec’s Norton AntiVirus 2006 software, in support of Lulzsec members recently arrested in a sting operation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The release, posted on file-sharing site The Pirate Bay, which was made by individuals affiliated with the AntiSec movement, said it was dedicated to recently-arrested members.
It also featured an apparent quote from Jeremy Hammond, an Anonymous member arrested this week.
“As hackers we can learn these systems, manipulate these systems, and shut down these systems if we need to,” it read.
Symantec has told V3 that it is currently analysing the source code to verify whether it is genuine.
It has previously said that because the source code is old, its customers would not be put at risk were it to be distributed online.
“We are still in the process of analysing the code to confirm its authenticity. We anticipate that at some point, Anonymous will also post the code for the 2006 version of Norton Internet Security, which they also claim to possess,” it said it a statement.
Anonymous-affiliated hackers have already posted source code online this year for other Symantec products, including its remote management tool pcAnywhere.
Hackers are believed to have stolen the code in 2006, but Anonymous has only recently threatened to publicly distribute it.
This has resulted in a series of claims about sting operations and offers of hush money.
In a tweet made yesterday, a person or individual using the @yamatough name on Twitter – which has previously been linked to the leaking of Symantec source code, wrote:
LoD@ YamaTough
everybody wonders why the whole src package did not go out – well ask symantec =)
Symantec has previously denied offering to pay the hackers not the release the source code, but acknowledged that an offer may have been made as part of a police operation to snare the hackers.
Earlier this week, the police arrested a number of men suspected of participating in hacking attacks related to Anonymous. It was also confirmed that Sabu, the ringleader of the infamous hacking group LulzSec, had been acting as an FBI informer for several months.