Just as Skype signs a deal with MySpace comes word that the VoIP has been hit by another Trojan, the second in just over a month. According to a report by Information Week, researchers at McAfee have found the Trojan PWS-Pykse, which bills itself to users as Skype Defender. It works in a similar fashion to last month’s bug, by tricking users into executing the malware. In this case, however, Skype Defender is classed as an infostealer, according to Skype Security. It appears as a plug-in confirmation window, saying “Skype-Defender(TM) Installed! Please login to your account to apply new plugins”. Clicking OK brings up what appears to be a Skype login screen, but the design of the Sign In button is different. If a user enters name and password, a new screen appears, stating they’re not recognized. However, the malware has collected them – along with all the other usernames and passwords stored in Internet Explorer. McAfee has said that none of the hyperlinks on the login screen are working. According to Skype, “To remove the malware, please update your anti-virus software. At this time, we have notified F-Secure, TrendMicro, Symantec, WebSense, and FaceTime Security Labs. For manual removal it is enough to delete the 65404-SkypeDefenderSetup.exe file.”
Digital Trends
