We saw [in the news today](http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2144082/skype-spoof-hides-ircbot-trojan) that there's a Skype-related trojan, reported by [MessageLabs](http://www.messagelabs.com/). We haven't seen it in our own inboxes yet, but it's certainly something to worry about. It was no doubt "inspired" by a newsletter we recently sent to our users who have opted in to receive e-mail, to inform them about the release of [Skype for Windows 1.4](http://www.skype.com/products/skype/windows/). As Skype grows in popularity, so does the chance of having more malicious content that use Skype's name for evil purposes.

Let's reiterate (and if your colleagues and grandma are on Skype, please tell them too):

Skype never sends software updates by e-mail. We do send information about your orders if you bought something from us, and we send newsletters and survey invitations, if you opted in to receive Skype e-mail when you registered your Skype Name, but that's it. So if you receive a software update e-mail from Skype, please delete it, and tell others to do the same.

Skype uses digital signatures to help users ensure that its software releases are valid. You can verify the authenticity of Skype software by confirming that its digital signature is valid. Instructions for checking the digital signature of Skype's software are described in the
[Administrator's Guide to Skype](http://www.skype.com/security/guide-for-network-admins.pdf), which may be downloaded from [skype.com/security/](http://www.skype.com/security/).