The popular VoIP program Skype is being used by hackers to spread a “worm” that contains a nasty Trojan horse program.
The “worm” is spreading through instant messages. Users click on a message similar to this — “”lol is this your new profile pic? http://goo.gl/[BLOCKED URL]” — and files are downloaded onto the computer that can allow a remote user to take control, according to PCMag. Some users can then be infected with ransomware, in which a user is locked out of his computer and must pay a ransom to have it unlocked, or risk the hacker corrupting the computer for good.
The worm, reports BBC News, is a variant of an older program called “Dorkbot” which spreads through social media sites such as Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) and Twitter.
Skype, which was purchased by Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) in 2011, said in a statement that the firm was working to mitigate the impact of the worm and that users should upgrade to the latest version as soon as possible.
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