Homeland Security Warns of a Bug in Symantec’s Anti-Virus

The logo of Symantec Corp., is displayed at the CeBIT technology fair in Hanover, Germany, on Tuesday, March 6, 2012. Microsoft Corp. Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner said its upcoming Windows 8 operating system may be its most important platform to date, he told an audience at the CeBit technology fair. Photographer: Michele Tantussi/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Photograph by Michele Tantussi — Bloomberg via Getty Images

A U.S. federal agency issued a security alert over a vulnerability in Symantec’s anti-virus software that allows attackers to remotely control affected computers.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) said in an alert issued to the security industry on Tuesday that it was a “very serious event.”

The agency also advised customers to update their anti-virus software using two patches issued by Symantec.