Skype = Incredibly Dodgy Spyware?

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Lope

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I've always had a bad feeling about it, watching it chewing up my bandwidth, and then watching the download sizes increase so massively from version to version, with no extra functionality, and not to mention how each version becomes slower and slower (more inefficient at what its supposed to really be doing).

Skype reading peoples web browser data (history, passwords, etc)
http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=95261

Skype reads your BIOS passwords, motherboard serial numbers etc http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1010607/skype-reads-bios

I usually run spyware like this in a VM.

I haven't really researched it, but my gut feeling is definitely to favour lightweight, quick, open source software.

These are some comments from the first thread:
=============================

- it is installed on a majority of systems
- it is protected against decompilation / debuggers
- it bypasses almost any firewall
- it uses encryption for network traffic
- it may send lots of data even when not being used
- it might have already been deployed by the NSA
- eBay has a history of cooperating with federal agencies

===========================

It's funny, the very same thing has been discovered in the Windows
version a while ago:
"Skype reads your BIOS" see: http://www.theinquir...x?article=37489
I wonder what more is needed for people to think stop using it...

===========================

- Skype has been taken over by eBay for an ludicrous amount.
- eBay has a history of cooperating with federal agencies far beyond the law
- Skype is using far more protection against reverse engineering than
any software I am aware of
- Kazaa claimed not to be spyware but was found to be later. There are
rumors that Skype has been
developed by the very same people.
 
Links from 2007? Aren't we just a teensy little bit out of date here?
 
Didn't ebay sell skype back in 2009/2010?
 
I was having a video call today when a 3rd person just joined in WTF. Suddenly it was a conference call with some other random individual. :erm:
 
Last edited:
Lope said:
I've always had a bad feeling about it, watching it chewing up my bandwidth, and then watching the download sizes increase so massively from version to version, with no extra functionality, and not to mention how each version becomes slower and slower (more inefficient at what its supposed to really be doing).

Skype reading peoples web browser data (history, passwords, etc)
http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=95261

Skype reads your BIOS passwords, motherboard serial numbers etc http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1010607/skype-reads-bios

I usually run spyware like this in a VM.

I haven't really researched it, but my gut feeling is definitely to favour lightweight, quick, open source software.

These are some comments from the first thread:
=============================

- it is installed on a majority of systems
- it is protected against decompilation / debuggers
- it bypasses almost any firewall
- it uses encryption for network traffic
- it may send lots of data even when not being used
- it might have already been deployed by the NSA
- eBay has a history of cooperating with federal agencies

===========================

It's funny, the very same thing has been discovered in the Windows
version a while ago:
"Skype reads your BIOS" see: http://www.theinquir...x?article=37489
I wonder what more is needed for people to think stop using it...

===========================

- Skype has been taken over by eBay for an ludicrous amount.
- eBay has a history of cooperating with federal agencies far beyond the law
- Skype is using far more protection against reverse engineering than
any software I am aware of
- Kazaa claimed not to be spyware but was found to be later. There are
rumors that Skype has been
developed by the very same people.
Click to expand...

Nope its not spyware. You just have no clue what its doing, so you invented a conspiracy. I love how classic humans are. They make up random stuff because the dont know how stuff works.
 
Sheesh.. what a load of bull. Reads my BIOS passwords.. who's this BIOS guy in any case and why does he have a password ?

Chewing bandwidth...lool. no it doesn't, if you call like 1 meg a day a lot... yeah maybe. (without voice or vid)
 
Lope said:
I've always had a bad feeling about it, watching it chewing up my bandwidth, and then watching the download sizes increase so massively from version to version, with no extra functionality, and not to mention how each version becomes slower and slower (more inefficient at what its supposed to really be doing).

Skype reading peoples web browser data (history, passwords, etc)
http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=95261

Skype reads your BIOS passwords, motherboard serial numbers etc http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1010607/skype-reads-bios

I usually run spyware like this in a VM.

I haven't really researched it, but my gut feeling is definitely to favour lightweight, quick, open source software.

These are some comments from the first thread:
=============================

- it is installed on a majority of systems
- it is protected against decompilation / debuggers
- it bypasses almost any firewall
- it uses encryption for network traffic
- it may send lots of data even when not being used
- it might have already been deployed by the NSA
- eBay has a history of cooperating with federal agencies

===========================

It's funny, the very same thing has been discovered in the Windows
version a while ago:
"Skype reads your BIOS" see: http://www.theinquir...x?article=37489
I wonder what more is needed for people to think stop using it...

===========================

- Skype has been taken over by eBay for an ludicrous amount.
- eBay has a history of cooperating with federal agencies far beyond the law
- Skype is using far more protection against reverse engineering than
any software I am aware of
- Kazaa claimed not to be spyware but was found to be later. There are
rumors that Skype has been
developed by the very same people.
Click to expand...

Well maybe research it before posting things like this.

eBay sold a 65% stake in Skype two years ago already.
Skype is using more protection against reverse engineers than any other software ?? Let's take a look at all Sony products and their obsession with securing it.
The rumours about Skype being created by the same people who made Kazaa is not rumours it is a fact. That however doesn't mean anything.
Skype doesn't bypass any firewall you have to open the ports for it or route it via some http tunnel if your firewall is blocking it.
It uses encryption for network traffic. So does your internet banking it is called security and privacy.
It doesn't send a lot of data when not in use, even if it becomes a supernode the amount of data it sends is still very small.
It might already have been deployed by the NSA ?? So what does this mean.
A lot of companies work with federal agencies, amazon recently kicked wikileaks off it's servers.
 
Dan C said:
Sheesh.. what a load of bull. Reads my BIOS passwords.. who's this BIOS guy in any case and why does he have a password ?

Chewing bandwidth...lool. no it doesn't, if you call like 1 meg a day a lot... yeah maybe. (without voice or vid)
Click to expand...

Lol, that is very funny!
 
Dan C said:
Sheesh.. what a load of bull. Reads my BIOS passwords.. who's this BIOS guy in any case and why does he have a password ?

Chewing bandwidth...lool. no it doesn't, if you call like 1 meg a day a lot... yeah maybe. (without voice or vid)
Click to expand...

skype can actually use quite a bit, all depending on how many conversations you have going, how many contacts in your list, length of calls and video calls etc. It can really add up. Skype is always transferring data, always!!
 
Dan C said:
Sheesh.. what a load of bull. Reads my BIOS passwords..
Click to expand...
What evidence do you have to make this statement?
Dan C said:
Chewing bandwidth...lool. no it doesn't
Click to expand...
Ever heard of skype supernode? Why make statements when you clearly don't know what you're talking about? Skype Supernode mode is enabled by default, they don't tell users about it, and only added a registry option to disable it in later versions.
Dan C said:
if you call like 1 meg a day a lot
Click to expand...
Not true, I've seen it use up to 3.5kbps while not in use. thats over 300MB in a day if it keeps going like that.
Basically everything you said is nonsense.

=======================================

Logo said:
Well maybe research it before posting things like this.
Click to expand...
I didn't make those claims, I'm just sharing information, and pasted interesting posts from the thread for discussion purposes.

Logo said:
Skype doesn't bypass any firewall
Click to expand...
Skype bypasses firewalls of 99% of users, since most firewalls only block incoming connections. eg: windows firewall (which is what most people run)
Thats why skype is so easy to use.

Logo said:
A lot of companies work with federal agencies, amazon recently kicked wikileaks off it's servers.
Click to expand...
Comparing Amazon working with federal agencies to skype is a VERY different thing. Amazon is just a E-Commerce website, with a bunch of sales/shipping/billing information.
Skype is a program installed on people's computers, they have no idea what its doing, it reads all kinds of data, internet passwords, web browser data, BIOS passwords. Thats pretty dodgy. Its a MASSIVE violation of trust to do all that without telling the users they are doing that, and what they're doing with the data.

================================

Surv0 said:
skype can actually use quite a bit, all depending on how many conversations you have going, how many contacts in your list, length of calls and video calls etc. It can really add up. Skype is always transferring data, always!!
Click to expand...
This is true, unless you disable supernode mode by changing a registry value probably less than 1% of skype users know about.

=============

Another thing, not related to skype's questionable ethics/intentions.
Skype uses a LOT of CPU resources. I have a friend with one of those early EEE 2GB surf netbooks. While talking on skype, the PC is 95% unusable. Compared to using VOIP Raider, PC is usable.

Given all these issues I see no reason to use skype other than the fact that some people are only on skype. Why support such behavior?
 
Last edited:
Lope said:
Given all these issues I see no reason to use skype other than the fact that some people are only on skype. Why support such behavior?
Click to expand...

Not a big fan of Skype either. Wish more people would use open standard SIP based clients.
 
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