Skype security issues?

[NewJeffCT]

My wife's company is having all employees delete Skype from their work computers for security reasons - she uses it quite a bit to deal with international offices. Until now, I guess.

They also warned employees to not use it at home, either, due to security issues.

I googled "skype security" and found nothing big and recent. Is this an over-reaction by the company? We use Skype to talk to my wife's family in China and my parents when they go to FL in the winter. I don't think it would be an issue as long as we don't accept any strange calls/msgs?

Anybody know about this?

[MiddleFingerMom]

1. Kneejerk reaction...

.
.
.
...is that maybe it's susceptible to industrial espionage
and eavesdropping as far as proprietary information?
.
:shrug:
.
.
.

[NewJeffCT]

2. No idea

I think my wife's company is a bit behind the curve when it comes to techy stuff, so I was kind of surprised when she told me.

[PeaceNikki]

3. Here you go

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype#Security_and_privacy

Interesting bit on communicating with China:
Service in People's Republic of China
Since September 2007, users in China trying to download the Skype software have been redirected to the site of TOM, a joint venture between a Chinese wireless operator and Skype, from which a modified Chinese version can be downloaded.<79> The TOM client participates in China's system of Internet censorship, monitoring text messages between Skype users in China as well as messages exchanged with users outside the country.<80><81> Niklas Zennström, then chief executive of Skype, told reporters that TOM "had implemented a text filter, which is what everyone else in that market is doing. Those are the regulations." He also stated: "One thing that’s certain is that those things are in no way jeopardising the privacy or the security of any of the users."<82> In October 2008, it was reported that TOM had been saving the full message contents of some Skype text conversations on its servers, apparently focusing on conversations containing political issues such as Tibet, Falun Gong, Taiwan independence, and Chinese Communist Party. The saved messages contain personally identifiable information about the messages' senders and recipients, including IP addresses, usernames, land line phone numbers, and the entire content of the text messages, including the time and date of each message. Information about Skype users outside China who were communicating with a TOM-Skype user was also saved. A server misconfiguration made these log files accessible to the public for a time

[Call Me Wesley]

5. That's old news, actually.

I think people having conversation with Chinese know of what to say and what not to say. I blocked Chinese spammers two years ago by simply adding 'Free Tibet' to forum keywords. ;)

Hey! :hi:

[PeaceNikki]

6. lol

Yeah, I have used Skype with a DUer in China, actually. I was careful to not say anything that would make him get disappeared. :)

:hi:

[Call Me Wesley]

7. Just don't discuss politics,

because it won't hurt you at all but might hurt them. :( Otherwise, skype's fine, and if it even works with China, the better!

And you know that Amazon spies on you like Kim-ill-youngun? They sent me an email today suggesting Denim jeans for me! I never bought Denim from them. You think they saw me on Google Street View or read my face-a-book? Those bastards! My iPhone 4 just made a strange sound ...

:rofl:

[NewJeffCT]

9. thanks

good information

[NewJeffCT]

8. thanks

good information

[Call Me Wesley]

4. Google, facebook, gmail, cloud computing, Yahoo, Bing, Dingalong, E-mail,

and everything else has security issues. Haven't heard about Skype's issues yet, so I guess, bah. If you're afraid of security issues, unplug the router ...

Did they give you detailed information about the security issue?

[TreasonousBastard]

10. Her's an older article talking about eBay buying Skype and...

not only are you asked to take Skype's encryption on faith, but eBay is one of the easiest sites for gummint to request data from.

http://www.securityfocus.com/columnists/357

[JCMach1]

11. Run your Skype through Tor, or JAP... protect yourself even further...