skype

Description

Skype is a proprietary peer-to-peer Internet telephony similar to open VoIP protocols such as SIP, IAX, and H.323

Characteristics

Category :
 collaboration
Evasive :
 yes
Risk :
Widely Used :
 yes
Standard Port :
 tcp/dynamic udp/dynamic
Has Known Vulnerabilities :
 yes
Capable of File Transfer :
 yes
Prone to Misuse :
 yes
Used by Malware :
 yes
Tunnels Other Application :
 no
Excessive Bandwidth :
 yes		  

Analysis

Skype is best known as a peer-to-peer IP telephony application developed by Niklas Zennstrm and Janus Friis, also founders of the file sharing application Kazaa and the new peer-to-peer television application Joost. Skype compliments and competes directly with existing phone services, from traditional POTS to VoIP services. Skype, as an IP Phone, has gained high popularity in a very short period of time, boasting 100 million registered users in less than 4 years of deployment. Its major strengths include the ability to provide connectivity through firewalls and NAT (network address translation), support for a large number of active users, and privacy protection via the use of strong encryption. Moreover, it supports integrated instant messaging (IM), chat, file transfer, video conferencing, and a global directory which makes it a very competitive option to other IM clients. Skype was acquired by EBay in 2005 and continues to improve their technology and increase market growth.

Skype's underlying technology leverages a distributed peer-to-peer architecture to route multimedia packets among the users as opposed to centralized servers. The peer-to-peer network offers increased connectivity and scalability, and also provides firewall traversal and dynamic routing to evade corporate firewalls. Despite the fact that it's a closed-source application based on proprietary protocols, Skype seems to be winning customers based on the strength of providing low-cost and good-quality VOIP services. However, the proprietary and evasive behavior of Skype indeed poses a security challenge to enterprise networks, particularly given its ability to transfer files and information without visibility or control.

Key Info


skype


Maintainer : Skype Limited
Stable release : 3.2.0.158(Windows),
1.3.0.53 (Linux),
2.6.0.140 (Mac OS X),
2.1.0.66 (Pocket PC)
(May 31, 2007)
Preview release : 1.4.0.64 (Linux)
(May 2, 2007)
OS : Cross-platform
Use : P2P/VoIP/instant messaging/
video call/videophone
License : Freeware
Website : www.skype.com