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- Even large, established firms such as Symantec Corp. have been accused of exaggerating the gravity of security threats to boost sales. A decade ago U.S. regulators cracked down on financial services firms for the questionable practice of having their equity research and investment banking divisions work together to endorse and then sell certain investments. No such oversight exists for cybersecurity companies. Although not surprising, given the relatively nascent nature of cyber threats, this conflict of interest means these companies walk a thin line between defending computers and other Internet-connected devices and profiting from people’s fear that their personal data is vulnerable at any time to online attackers.