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Yahoo Virus Now Attacking Skype

A new computer virus, which has been causing problems online on Yahoo Instant Messenger, is currently affecting Skype. The virus reportedly installs backdoors onto Windows systems.

Notes security company BKIS, the virus comes with various messages, including one which asks if the sender's new hairdo appears good, perfect or bad. Another message states that the sender's printer will be thrown out if a particular picture doesn't come out alright and asks if the reader can notice any defect in the picture.

There is also a web-link in the message that takes onto a site which apparently presents an image or JPEG file. On clicking that link, an interface emerges in the browser which appears as the RapidShare site for Web hosting while one ZIP file is also offered for download. But no sooner is that file unzipped, it drops another one which's an executable that displays a .com extension.

Says BKIS, the virus has been identified as W32.Skyhoo.Worm. An interesting aspect about this malware is that it disappears in case there is no Yahoo Messenger or Skype installed on the computer.

Furthermore, after BKIS closely examined the worm, it noticed that it has many traits as well as complicated operations. So, when it creeps inside a user's PC, it starts distributing e-mails with malicious links to all of the user's friends listed on the IM. W32.Skyhoo.Worm also disturbs excel and word files.

Another major problem the virus causes is that of disabling anti-virus applications, while it issues instructions to IRC server. Besides, the malware propagates via USB too.

W32.Skyhoo.Worm has recently emerged and is proliferating rapidly among the people using the software for online chat.

Notably, earlier, it attacked users of Yahoo! Instant Messenger. When IM served the virus, attackers conveniently compromised their victim's computer and the virus proliferated among all the contacts of the affected user.

Thus, BKIS recommends everyone using Skype and Yahoo Messenger that they must exercise extreme caution prior to clicking the web-link coming into their mailbox from friends or relatives. Moreover, they must routinely make their anti-virus software up-to-date with the latest version.

Related article: Yahoo Gets “Yam”med by a Worm

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