Enterprises Continue To Use Risky Skype

In a survey conducted in September 2006, around 43% respondents alleged that Skype is permitted on their corporate networks, while just 27% claimed their firms have stopped the utilization of Skype. 12% stated that Skype use is prohibited but employees still uses it and 18% were not aware whether Skype usage is prohibited or not.

Don Montgomery, Vice President, Marketing, Akonix Systems, said, "Skype was planned to escape IT controls. With it's capability to pass through network address translators (NATs) and firewalls; it's utilization of 'supernodes' for 'peer-to-peer' linkage, and its encode for both IM and voice, Skype has become the worst nightmare of every IT manager".

They are working with an appliance on network, which can't be differentiated from other traffic and it can't be managed via conventional security and compliance techniques. The survey results of Akonix Systems Inc. shows that enterprises have hardly started to deal with Skype use in any positive manner.

Also, the number of strikes on new Instant Messaging trailed by company this November fall to 41 from October's 88, exactly one month after covering a record. The November strikes - worms recognized as Geezo, Tellsky, Popwin, SOHANAD, Mandei and NotYou - took the total of this year to 369, or a slightly more than one strike per day.

In the same way, the number of strikes on 'peer-to-peer file-sharing' services, like eDonkey and Kazaa, dipped to 18 from 34, a reduction 47% one month after going up 62%.

A study by FaceTime reported that staff is still downloading and using unauthorized applications to gain new productivity advantages in business. On the other side, IT professionals confirmed that IM, Skype and other 'greynets' are dangerous if remain unmanaged and can pose considerable risks to businesses.

Greynet applications are installed on the system of end user, without any consent from, or knowledge of IT (usually, even without permission or knowledge of end user, like spyware) and then employ 'port agility' techniques and elusive encryption to pass through network. Greynet applications comprise of web conferencing, web mail, IM, P2P file sharing spyware/adware, Skype and anonymizers.

Related article: Enterprising Hackers Commercialize Their Activities

» SPAMfighter News - 12/2/2006