Research Group Pushes to Ban Skype

cowmix writes "Hot on the heals of Skype being purchased by Ebay, a research group called Info-Tech just put out a recommendation to its customers that all corporations should ban the use of Skype on their networks. The reports sites a laundry list of issues it feels plagues Skype, most of which will have a familiar ring (ie the normal anti-IM and P2P talking points). Will this cool Skype's rapid progress into the business arena?"

Comments

keep digging, Watson.

[twitter]

Silver tongued, assie_a, agrees emphatically with the advice given:

Well no shit, sherlock. If a company feels that IM software (such as AIM or MSN) is a security risk, then of course they should consider Skype a security risk. It's called consistency.

Looking at the fine article and the reasons sited, Assie_a's silver might be lead. Better check the water cooler where you work, buddy.

Now let's talk consistency. The reasons for banning IM and Skype:

• Skype is not standards-compliant, allowing it and any vulnerability to pass through corporate firewalls.
• Skype's encryption is closed source and prone to man-in-the-middle attacks. There are also some unanswered questions about how well the keys are managed.
• Enterprises using Skype risk a communication barrier with countries and institutions that have already banned the service.

Blah, blah, blah. The same things can be said for Windoze, IE, Outlook and other crap big dumb companies use every day. There is zero value added by closing IM, Skpe and other holes in the M$ strainer. There might be some truth to what they say if the company were using relatively secure and standards compliant free software to begin with. In that case, the non-free stuff would stick out like a sore thumb, but they would not be nearly so plagued with wormed out networks to begin with.

Then they have legal FUD.

• Skype is undetectable, untraceable, and unauditable, putting organizations that are subject to compliance laws at risk.
• The question of whether VoIP calls constitute a business record is a legal quagmire. Throwing Skype into the communications mix further clouds the issue.

Good GOD, do you realize that people have undetectable, untraceable, unauditable, risky conversations with their MOUTHS at big dumb companies every day? The horror and legal quagmire of verbal communications can not be understated! How dare you get around big brother's wire taps. It's off to the place that knows no darness for you. Make them suffer!

Do people actually pay for advice like that?