Skype users warned of bugging Trojan

If you use the Skype voice-over IP (VoIP) application then you should be wary of a Trojan that can record calls without you knowing.

The warning, from security firm Symantec, comes after Trojan.Peskyspy was seen in the wild.

The Trojan is capable of recording any audio throughput on an infected system, Symantec said.

"Once a machine has been compromised by this threat, the threat can use an application that handles audio processing within a computer and save the call data as an MP3 file," a Symantec spokesman said.

"This MP3 is then sent over the Internet to a predefined server where the attacker can then listen to the recorded conversations," the spokesman continued.

The Trojan also sends the recordings to a remote server where conversations can be listened to.

The company said that it wasn't a problem inherent in Skype's software, but that the VoIP provider was simply a victim of its own success.

"We’d like to point out that its existence isn’t due to any problems with Skype itself. In this case, Skype has simply become a victim of its own popularity, most likely being targeted simply because it has such a large install base," the spokesman said.

The company recommended that surfers make sure they keep their anti-virus software up to date.