For those millions upon millions of web users who depend on Yahoo's email service, a recent rumor of hacker penetration into the database was very frightening.

If you haven't heard, a Symantec report recently alleged that the "Feebs" worm had made its way throughout Yahoo's web mail. That rumor has finally been debunked, leaving many Yahoo users breathing a sigh of relief.

Symantec is a major Internet/tech security company that regularly flags the latest threats to Internet programs. They've most famously been behind warnings to consumers on web browser loopholes, reporting Trojans, phishing and the like.

It was this company's most recently updated antivirus software that first sounded the alarm over Yahoo Mail. The "Feebs" worm is a low threat bug that weaves its way through both mailing and file sharing networks.

Symantec revealed yesterday that it had made a mistake. In fact, few web users ever saw the message, although there was enough of a stir to lead a CNET.com reader to proclaim that Yahoo had been thoroughly hacked. (Source: news.com)

It isn't the first time an antivirus program has made this kind of a slipup. Super-safe Microsoft Windows Live OneCare, which only launched last year, actually warned users against messaging each other with Google's Gmail. The fresh new software from Microsoft made the rookie mistake that Gmail contained its own serious virus. On the flip side, Microsoft's popular Excel program was wrongly flagged by McAfee during early, 2006.

Reports are that errors of this kind can be removed by updating the signature files in protective software.

Yahoo and Symantec have a long history of cooperation in weeding out viruses that may affect the former's software. It's a probable reason for both the quick warning and timely correction. (Source: techtarget.com)