Assessing Skype Security: Implications for Corporate Networks and Users

There's been a lot information -- and misinformation -- available about whether Skype is dangerous to corporate networks and individual users. How dangerous is it? In this article, I'll separate the truth from the myths when it comes to Skype vulnerabilities.

Skype is a peer-to-peer (P2P) application, meaning that users connect to one another directly and not through a central server for communication. Skype initially uses Internet-based servers to authenticate users when they log in and to track their status, but when a "chat" or instant message, "voice call" or "file transfer" is initiated, the parties involved in the communication do so in a P2P direct connection. If one or both of the users are behind a typical corporate Network Address Translation (NAT) firewall, the communication can be relayed through a Supernode because a direct P2P can't be established behind a NAT. In the case of a file transfer, you will see a message indicating your transfer is being relayed.

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