Control points missed in Symantec

This morning I heard astounding news about Symantec. It released a faulty virus definition that deleted (or quarantined) two essential files on Windows XP (Simplified Chinese Version). The result was that around 3 millions computers were unable to start and must restore the deleted files from the original Microsoft installation CD. SANS and Sina confirmed this news. They claimed that only people who downloaded the updates from the Symantec China webpage between 01:00 a.m. and 02:30 p.m. on May 18th AND have MS06-070 installed on their computer were affected.

This incident has many implications. The one that worries me the most is that people will try to download these files on the web in order to repair their computers. The integrity of these files is in question (if they do not come from an authenticated source). A malicious hacker may plant a virus or backdoor in these system files and offer them in discussion groups. As an auditor, I always think of process control. There are actually two control points within the release process of a virus definition. The first one is the approval and verification process for adding a system file to their blacklist. System files are high- risk files since they impact the whole system, instead of a single application. The second control point is the testing of the definition before publishing to the public. Does Symantec test all their definitions with all versions of OS? It is an extremely challenging and costly task to release timely virus definitions and, at the same time, to have all OS versions tested (different languages, times, services packs). Although it is a costly testing process, the risk is too great to ignore.

There is always a lesson to be learned from mistakes. Hopefully, the whole anti-virus industry will benefit from Symantec's mistakes.

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