macOS/OS X Users Of Skype Should Update NOW Due To 6 Year Old Backdoor

If you run the macOS/OS X version of Skype, updating it now would be a really good idea. Trustwave’s SpiderLabs analysts discovered a hidden backdoor in Skype for Apple’s macOS and Mac OS X operating systems that could be used to spy on users’ communications without their knowledge. The backdoor, which has apparently been around since 2010 could allow any malicious third-party app to bypass authentication procedure and provide nearly complete access to Skype on macOS/OS X. Meaning:

  • Read notifications of incoming messages (and their contents)
  • Intercept, read and modify messages
  • Log and record Skype call audio
  • Create chat sessions
  • Retrieve user contact information

None of that is good of course, but the issue is fixed in Skype version 7.37 and later. Thus if you use Skype, you should check to see if you’re running 7.37 or later to keep yourself safe. And you should do it soon as there is proof of concept code out there as I type this. Which means that the bad guys will have attack code shortly.

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