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Thread: Backdoor in Skype

  1. #21
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    Re: Backdoor in Skype

    @prodigy_

    That's a good point, the transparency of open source is one of the biggest advantages. But I fear that when someone has a really innovative idea they are probably not going to want to open source it and will prefer making it proprietary.

  2. #22
    prodigy_ is offline May the Ubuntu Be With You!
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    Re: Backdoor in Skype

    Skype wasn't innovative because SIP predated it by 7 years.

    You must realize that proprietary software is almost never innovative. Innovations imply risk and proprietary software is designed, developed and packaged with only one goal in mind - to extract money from end users. You don't need to have any new ideas to sell crap - only flashy wrapping and good marketing.

    As for alternatives, there are many of them.
    Last edited by prodigy_; May 26th, 2013 at 10:46 AM.

  3. #23
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    Re: Backdoor in Skype

    Technologically, Skype is rather inferior, but where it excelled is in marketing. It presented a unified face to VoIP that just happened to lock users into proprietary VoIP. There was a bit of a network effect for a while, but now the stigma of being attached to MS is beginning to kick in. People are realizing the need to look elsewhere. Jitsi and the others are ahead of Skype technically, what is missing is a unified lookup database of users and their SIP addresses. As it stands now, you have to exchange addresses manually like with e-mail instead of looking them up in a central database.

  4. #24
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    Re: Backdoor in Skype

    Chances are if you use something online someone is listening. The real question is what are they listening for and why... I haven't read all the articles about what Skype is up to but I wonder if any of it is against the EULA that every user of the software accepts...


    404

  5. #25
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    Re: Backdoor in Skype

    Quote Originally Posted by prodigy_ View Post
    Skype wasn't innovative because SIP predated it by 7 years.

    You must realize that proprietary software is almost never innovative. Innovations imply risk and proprietary software is designed, developed and packaged with only one goal in mind - to extract money from end users. You don't need to have any new ideas to sell crap - only flashy wrapping and good marketing.

    As for alternatives, there are many of them.
    Truer words were never spoken. Especially when it comes to things about which most of the population has only the dimmest of understanding.

  6. #26
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    Re: Skype is dead...

    Quote Originally Posted by mips View Post
    It's not dead but 'dead' for the OP as he will no longer use it due to back doors & security flaws.

    http://memeburn.com/2011/07/microsof...eavesdropping/
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype_s...ping_by_design
    As a Skype user this is interesting to me, but I'm not sure I can really believe either of those sources. The Wikipedia article cites a Russian site called vedomosti.ru, does anybody know if this is a reliable source? The memeburn.com article alleges a lot of stuff, but doesn't seem to back any of it up. Could just be mudslinging as far as I can see.

    What there does seem to be is a proposal for an amendment passing through the American legislature that could require backdoors into things like Skype and BBM. This has created a bit of anguish and column inches, which could be where people are getting the idea from.
    Last edited by Paqman; May 26th, 2013 at 04:14 PM.

  7. #27
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    Re: Backdoor in Skype

    It's covered in several sources, but here is one from H-Online:

    http://www.h-online.com/security/new...e-1862870.html

    The H-Online article goes into a little detail in how it was demonstrated and why the excuses from MS don't hold up.

    But to be sure that the recent question is not related to earlier similar questions:

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...-police-access

    Upgrade to Jitsi when you can. It can run along side Skype during any transition period you might wish to take.

  8. #28
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    Re: Skype is dead...

    Quote Originally Posted by Paqman View Post
    As a Skype user this is interesting to me, but I'm not sure I can really believe either of those sources. The Wikipedia article cites a Russian site called vedomosti.ru, does anybody know if this is a reliable source? The memeburn.com article alleges a lot of stuff, but doesn't seem to back any of it up. Could just be mudslinging as far as I can see.
    Well, as far as I know they haven't publicly confirmed that they give law enforcement access to audio calls, but it is likely that they do:
    http://mashable.com/2013/01/25/skype-wiretrap-calls/

    However, we know that the IM'ing is scanned and that the logs are stored:
    http://arstechnica.com/security/2013...n-think-again/

    And given what we know about the Chinese version of Skype, there certainly aren't any moral principles keeping Skype from giving authorities access to the information they want:
    https://www.networkworld.com/news/20...ed-267834.html

  9. #29
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    Re: Backdoor in Skype

    Quote Originally Posted by Lars Noodén View Post
    Upgrade to Jitsi when you can. It can run along side Skype during any transition period you might wish to take.
    +1 for Jitsi.

    Jitsi is cross platform, and it offers strong encryption, all you need is a XMPP account.

    Jitsi ftw!
    https://jitsi.org/

    Directory over free XMPP services:
    http://xmpp.net/

  10. #30
    prodigy_ is offline May the Ubuntu Be With You!
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    Re: Skype is dead...

    Quote Originally Posted by Paqman View Post
    The Wikipedia article cites a Russian site called vedomosti.ru, does anybody know if this is a reliable source?
    That article was mostly concerned with the situation with Skype in Russia. See, in Russia if your company is registered as a communication service provider you're legally bound to provide FSB access to all traffic coming through your network. But Skype is not registered as a provider here. And MS claims they only provide the source code but no way to access unencrypted data.

    The point is, there can be no certainty unless you know that you're using strong end-to-end encryption. And with Skype there's no way to know for sure. So it's up to you whether you believe MS or not.
    Last edited by prodigy_; May 26th, 2013 at 04:50 PM.

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