A Trojan suspected be spreading through Skype
chat
NEW YORK: Computer security experts have alerted about the
possibility of a worm spreading through the VoIP service offered by
Skype. Security services provider Websense Inc. said it has
identified the password-stealing virus spreading through the chat
software of Skype and infecting user computers.
Typically, users receive a message asking them to download a file
called "sp.exe" and when a user does so, the virus downloads the
Skype programming code and new versions of itself from the internet
and tries to steal passwords, Websense's security alert said.
Websense said the Trojan does not exploit any security flaw in
Skype as the VoIP program properly enforces security while one
tries to gain access to it.
The security firm also said the infections were mostly
reported in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in South
Korea.
There are security experts who say the Trojan is not particularly
targeting Skype. They say there is no massive outbreak with Skype
at the moment.
Another security services provider, Symantec Corp. has flagged this
worm, naming it W32.Chatosky.
According to a Websense blog, the worm uses the NTKrnl Secure Suite
packer, an encryption program that makes the files appear unique to
detection engines. This makes flagging and catching the worm
difficult. The maker of the encryption code, www.ntkrnl.com, which
has packaged the worm, is not serving it anymore, Websense
added.