Comments for Firm urges banning Skype in the enterprise

Firm urges banning Skype in the enterprise

2005-11-10T17:00:08Z

Well, this industry analysy firm's stance on Skype blocking will certainly irk a few Skype fans. Technology industry analyst firm Info-Tech Research Group is telling enterprises to ban Skype - the freely-available Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service - from their organizations. "Companies that are already banning peer-to-peer applications, such as instant messaging, should add Skype to its list of unsanctioned software programs," says Info-Tech analyst Ross Armstrong.

"Approximately 17 million registered Skype users are using the service for business purposes," says Armstrong. "Unless an organization specifies instances where Skype use is acceptable, and outlines rules for client-side Skype settings, that's 17 million opportunities for a hacker to invade a corporate network."

In a research note prepared for Info-Tech Research Group members, Armstrong outlines five reasons for an enterprise to ban Skype in a corporate environment:

• Skype is not standards-compliant, allowing it and any vulnerability to pass through corporate firewalls.
• Skype's encryption is closed source and prone to man-in-the-middle attacks. There are also some unanswered questions about how well the keys are managed.
• Enterprises using Skype risk a communication barrier with countries and institutions that have already banned the service.
• Skype is undetectable, untraceable, and unauditable, putting organizations that are subject to compliance laws at risk.
• The question of whether VoIP calls constitute a business record is a legal quagmire. Throwing Skype into the communications mix further clouds the issue.

Comments Armstrong, "The bottom line is that even a mediocre hacker could take advantage of a Skype vulnerability. If you are going to use Skype within enterprise, manage it as you would any other IT service: with policy and diligence."

Comment from Rick on 2005-11-10

2005-11-10T17:14:05Z

I better not step outside my house today... I might get eaten by a lion.

Comment from Avid Skype User on 2005-11-13

2005-11-13T20:06:55Z

RE: Ban Skype
Avid Skype User :

Banning Skype? Of course all other VOIP protcols would stand to gain and more even IT staff because all other VOIP technologies requires so much hardwares from a backbone and front end to make it work and you would be spending thousands of dollars for nothing.

Skype is the only product that truely lets you talk globally and roam globally without any cost.

Do you really think other protocols are more secure? Especially when any hacker can get into the open standard codes? To the contrary, to keep it secret and non-standard, we have more privacy and more security.
Skype is undetectable and untraceable is completely false and missleading. Of course they have a record of your calls and who calls you. How do you think they can bill for skypeouts and bills the other person calling you?

It is quite irresponsible for a research company to issue such a childish statement.

Certain countries and institutions have banned the use of skype just because they are afraid of loosing the income generated from their state-owned telecom companies or in some cases they are afraid of Skype because they want to listen in and record maybe your conversations illegally.

So the more power to Skype if you value privacy and FREE communications for all !!! What a better way to free people's speech and encourage people to think and act globally !

How selfish it is to restrict the use of Skype. !!! It is like restricting people from using emails and telling them to start using more expensive and not-so much more secure ways to communicate !

Any technology, there are always a learning curve or a time to better it. So far no other technology have proven to be better.. The numbers of skype new users speaks for themselves !

So to all that denounces Skype, shame on you !

Let people choose what they want to use and stop issuing missleading statements that only demontstrates how backward and stone-aged your level of understanding is.

Since Skype has launched, millions of people around the world are now closer than ever and have saved hundreds of millions of phone calls bills.

People that never would call because of lack of resources and money are now regular callers. Skype is the most democratic killer app ever existed so leave it alone !

Thanks.