New Trojan.Peskyspy to Affect Skype

September 2nd, 2009 by Certified Identity Theft Advisor

A new Trojan has been discovered that is designed to listen to and record conversations via Skype. This could be the first wiretap Trojan discovered in the wild. It is called Trojan.Peskyspy.

How Trojan.Peskyspy works:

Peskyspy uses Windows API calls to grab sound coming from various audio devices plugged into a victim’s computer. It intercepts audio data and converts the stream into an MP3 file, which is then stored on the victim’s machine.

The Trojan contains a back door, which enables an attacker to send the captured audio to a new location for listening.

So far Trojan.Peskyspy does not contain any method to spread from one computer to another. Once Peskyspy is installed on a victim’s machine, it bypasses security protocols or encryption applied by Skype because it sits between the Skype process and the audio device.

What You Need to Do:

Make sure you are running the most effective computer security programs. It is not enough these days to just have an anti-virus program. You need an adequate firewall, plus anti-virus, and now most important, anti-spyware programs. You also need to run them regularly. I run my anti-spyware every time I finish using the internet.