Skype Targeted With Worm

Skype, the VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is considerably less secure than traditional telephone lines. Many people have switched to using Skype because of the savings they can make, and many have abandoned their traditional telephone lines altogether.

Skype was founded in 2002 and was bought by ebay in 2005 for US$2.5 billion. It has seen a steady rise in the number of subscribers to its service.

However, it still has many pitfalls, including the latest Worm called ‘W32/Ramex.A’.

It spreads through the peer-to-peer instant chat utility and is activated when a user clicks on a link within an instant message asking recipients to download a file.

It is very cleverly disguised within a jpeg image of soap bubbles, one of Windows default built-in wallpapers which has been embedded with a malicious executable code.

This code installs Spyware that can easily steal passwords and other personal information. It may also block users from visiting certain websites and stop programs from running or responding. It also connects to a remote server to download additional malicious code.

It is often titled ‘really funny’ or ‘look at this crazy photo sent to me’ with a clickable link. Once clicked, users who continue to download the file then have the risk of their machine becoming infected, and it then uses Skype’s application program to access files on the infected machine. The worm then attempts to replicate itself and then send out messages to recipients on the users contact list.

Ensure your anti-virus is up-to-date, windows updates are downloaded and installed, especially The Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, which was last updated September 11^th 2007. To remove the worm and its variants go to the link below and Download the file, save it to your Desktop (or location where you store downloaded files) and once the download is complete, select Run and the program will install.

You then have the option of a Quick Scan, Full Scan or Customized Scan.

Select Quick Scan and if any Malicious Software is found you will be prompted to run a Full Scan which may take several hours depending on your machines hard drive capacity but it’s worth it for the safety and security of your PC.

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