Security News

Symantec customers, or rather Broadcom customers these days, were taken offline for a while on Wednesday when the security service's data centers around the planet went down. The Web Security Service platform, acquired when Broadcom hoovered much of Symantec's operations last year, sells web-based site and file scanning for businesses.

AT&T, Palo Alto Networks and Broadcom have been developing a framework that enables organizations to deploy firewalls as software-based platforms instead of hardware appliances. The expansion, which should provide necessary protections on 5G networks, delivers a dynamically programmable basis with embedded security at the edge of the network and also allows for the deployment of future services.

A vulnerability in Broadcom's cable modem firmware can open unknown millions of broadband modems by various manufacturers to attackers, a group of Danish researchers has warned. CVE-2019-19494, also dubbed Cable Haunt, is present in the spectrum analyzer, a standard component of Broadcom chips that identifies potential problems with the connection through the modem's coaxial cable.

A vulnerability in Broadcom's cable modem firmware has left as many as 200 million home broadband gateways in Europe, and potentially more worldwide, at risk of remote hijackings. The end result, the team says, is that crooks can remotely take over vulnerable Broadcom-based cable modems without netizens or ISPs realizing; the victim simply has to surf to a dodgy website, or similar.

Hackers may be able to remotely take complete control of cable modems from various manufacturers due to a critical vulnerability affecting a middleware component shipped with some Broadcom chips. They've reproduced the attack on ten cable modems from Sagemcom, Netgear, Technicolor and COMPAL, but other manufacturers also likely use the Broadcom chip containing the vulnerability.

Accenture has agreed to acquire Symantec's Cyber Security Services business from Broadcom. "With the addition of Symantec's Cyber Security Services business, Accenture Security will offer one of the most comprehensive managed services for global businesses to detect and manage cybersecurity threats aimed at their companies."

Accenture plans to buy the former Symantec Cyber Security Services business from Broadcom for an undisclosed sum, the two companies announced Tuesday. While the Accenture Security unit will pick up the Symatec services business, Broadcom will retain Symantec's security software division.

Symantec's parent Broadcom has offloaded its Cyber Security Services operation to Accenture for an undisclosed sum. Some 300 staff are employed by the security services division, and presumably most, if not all, will shuffle off to their new employer in March, when the buy clears.

In an unexpected industry twist, consulting giant Accenture on Tuesday announced that it has agreed to acquire Symantec's Cyber Security Services business from Broadcom for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition significantly expands Accenture Security's managed security services offerings and capabilities, and will add more than 300 employees around the world to the group.

Broadcom has completed the acquisition of Symantec’s enterprise unit for $10.7 billion, the companies announced on Monday. read more