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Skype users: beware (silver needle in the skype)

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f0dder:
Finally, some skilled people have taken the time to disassemble SKYPE - quite a task, since it's heavily obfuscated and encrypted.

The PDF is an interesting read, but for normal users the most interesting point is that it quite seems like Skype is exploitable for arbitrary code execution. This means: DANGER WILL ROBINSON!

EDIT 2013-Jan-25: added "(silver needle in the skype)" to thread title so it's more searchable.

zridling:
I had an odd thing happen this past week. I have 20 Euros on my account and when I went to top up, Skype told me I had too much and would have to use it all until I could top-up again. Turns out they are making all US/Canada out calls free for the rest of the year. Woohoo!

Cpilot:
When I first looked at this, what came to my mind was whether these "skilled people" had permission from Skype to dissassemble it.
Skype End User License Agreement

Article 2 License and Restrictions
2.3 No Modifications. You will not undertake, cause, permit or authorize the modification, creation of derivative works, translation, reverse engineering, decompiling, disassembling or hacking of the Skype Software or any part thereof.

--- End quote ---
If not then it is a clear violation of the EULA.
The next thing to consider is if there is any exposure to any site that links to the end product of an obvious violation of the license as set forth on the above page?

Tekzel:
That is a pretty common clause in just about every EULA these days, and I have to wonder if it is even legal?  I thought it was legal to reverse engineer software for compatibility, at least I think it used to be, but then these days (with the DMCA and such) who knows.

Cpilot:
That is a pretty common clause in just about every EULA these days, and I have to wonder if it is even legal?  I thought it was legal to reverse engineer software for compatibility, at least I think it used to be, but then these days (with the DMCA and such) who knows.-Tetzel
--- End quote ---
Oh I see :-\
Then it's perfectly alright to violate someones rights to their intellectual property because your not sure it's legal?
For the record in the U.S. it is a felony to reverse engineer a patented or copyrighted piece of software without permission.
On a moral note, who designated these little pieces of crap as the software police?
And why is it alright to violate someones property? That's what Skype is, someone else's property.
These clowns have no more right to to do this than a burglar has the right to break into your home.

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