May 2005

We get all sorts of pranksters/”hackers” on Skype. Some of them less serious, some more so. Here’s another variation.

x says: people calling, saying it is a Skype admin test call and please leave your PC on and alone for a few hours
x says: sounds very dodgy and dangerous to me, sounds like hacking
x says: maybe you should publicise on the front page that Skype never initiate test calls
x says: what do they do when people leave the pc alone?, not entirly sure but some sort of hacking software to extract info from the PC

So, to make it clear, Skype never initiates test calls to random people. Unless of course it’s previously agreed and you know to expect it. If you get a random user claiming a Skype test call and it hasn’t been previously agreed, they’re most likely tricking you into … something. Don’t exactly know what that would be, but be careful anyway. If in doubt, hang up. Don’t give strangers your passwords and other sensitive data - you know, the usual advice.

The good news is, you can leave a Skype call on for hours, without any harm getting done. No hacks can come to you just through a call or text chat. With file transfer, it is different - malicious files can be transferred just as “good” files. So double-check all the files you receive before opening them. Accepting pictures of celebrities from strangers is a BAD idea.