skype DescriptionSkype is software that allows users to make telephone calls over the Internet. Calls to other users of the service and to free-of-charge numbers are free, while calls to other landlines and mobile phones can be made for a fee. Additional features include instant messaging, file transfer and video conferencing.
It was created by entrepreneurs Niklas Zennström, Janus Friis, and a team of software developers based in Tallinn, Estonia. The Skype Group has its headquarters in Luxembourg, with offices in London, Tallinn, Tartu, Stockholm, Prague, and San Jose.
Skype has experienced rapid growth in popular usage since the launch of its services. It was acquired by eBay in September 2005 for $2.6 billion.
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 | |
AnalysisSkype 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. |  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
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