Skype users are being hit with a Trojan that using the infected machine to reach out and infect the user’s friends and colleagues.

Websense issued an alert on earlier this afternoon warning that the malicious code, known as both Warezov and Stration, is spreading through the Skype network again.

An earlier version initially attacked late in February.

Dan Hubbard, a vice president of security research at Websense, said:

While the Trojan isn’t widely spread at this point, it is making its way across the network.

While the code itself is not self-propagating, when it runs, a URL is sent to everyone in the user’s contact list.

If their Skype program is running, a message will pop up, luring the user to click on a link, infecting them and continuing the malicious cycle.

The Trojan also opens a back door in the user’s computer, enabling a hacker to get into the machine and steal the user’s information or use the computer to send out spam or even a denial-of-service attack.

The Websense advisory noted that Skype users receive a message that says “Check up this,” with a URL containing a hyperlink.

When users click on the link, they are redirected to a site hosting a file named file_01.exe.

Users are prompted to run the file. If the user runs the file, several other files are downloaded and run.

This is not an exploit taking advantage of a vulnerability in Skype, the Websense advisory noted.

The moral of the story… clicking on unsolicited messages in Skype or any Instant Messaging program is just not a good idea.

The Skype development team has been busy the past week as they’ve now done two bug fix releases.

If you use Skype like me, be sure to grab the latest version for your Operating System of choice.

Here’s what changed in the last two Skype releases:

31.01.2007 version 3.0.0.214

• Known issue: Skype Extras Manager displays error messages on launching some of the plug-ins under Windows’ Limited User account
• bugfix: SkypePM.exe crashes on first start after installation
• bugfix: Russian language display problems in updater
• bugfix: Groups panel stayed open when user was changed
• bugfix: Contact list focus was lost when using some toolbar buttons

24.01.2007 version 3.0.0.209

• bugfix: Cannot send SMS from contact menu in Chat window
• bugfix: Updated Internet Explorer and Firefox plugins
• bugfix: ActiveX objects cannot be created in eBay tab
• bugfix: SkypeCheck did not work on clean 3.0 install

Skype has come a long way in the past 2.5 years that I’ve been using it and I only see more good things to come from the Skype development team.

I’ve got pretty much all my clients, friends and family using it now and with all the cool new phones and accessories they have for sale, Skype is becoming a really good solution for many home and business VOIP users.

I just wanted to let all my technology friends and readers know that Skype 3.0 has officially come out of beta.

So what does that mean? You should go download the latest version which as of this post is version 3.0.0.190 released moments ago.

The Skype development team has really improved the User Interface with this latest release which I’m really enjoying since I’m using Skype a lot more these days for online communications with friends, family and clients all over the World.

They’ve also done a lot of bug fixes and added some new features and improved on others.

Here is a brief list of some of the things added or improved with this release that I’ve noticed:

• Rich Mood Messages
• Connection Wizard
• API: rich mood messages
• API: public chat support
• API: FILE TRANSFER object
• Video quality improvements on low bit rate
• Updated Extras Manager
• Updated Internet Explorer and Firefox plugins

Skype has really come a long way in a very short amount of time and over the past year or so since I’ve really started to use it, I’ve got over 100 friends, family members and clients all using it now as a main source of communication for Instant Messaging and online phone calls.

Yay technology. W00t!

If you use Skype and you’re not on my contact list yet, be sure to drop me a message so we can exchange information.

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – Online marketplace eBay Inc. is set to detail on Tuesday how it plans to combine its Skype Web telephone-call service into its core U.S. auction business, executives said on Sunday.

“We will have some news on Tuesday about Skype,” John Donahoe, president of eBay’s Marketplace unit, told an audience of software developers at the company’s annual developer conference in Las Vegas.

Newsweek magazine reported on Sunday that the company plans to encourage eBay sellers to embed Skype calling links into auction pages in a few product categories, including cars, real estate and diamond solitaire rings.

So-called “click to call” features through which eBay customers can contact sellers directly via text message, voice or video conference have been a main selling point of eBay’s acquisition of Skype in October for as much as $4.2 billion.

This is pretty exciting news as I’ve been an eBay user since 1998 and a Skype user for about 1.5 years. Having a way to talk directly with a buyer or seller on Ebay will make transactions go much smoother I think.

Email’s are nice but having real time communication with someone is a lot better and sometimes people don’t want to give you their phone number, so now having Skype part of eBay, that helps solve a communication block.

Side note, eBay Live starts tomorrow in Las Vegas and goes through Thursday. There should be some good things coming out of this years conference!

AOL is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the AIM buddy list, touting it as “the original social network.”

To commemorate the event, they’ve produced a Flash timeline that illustrates the evolution of AIM from 1989 to today.

In 1989 AOL introduced consumer instant messaging (IM), pioneering a trend that would change the face of online communications. In addition to email, consumers can now send and receive real time text communications, previously available only on private networks.

In 1996 the AOL Buddy List feature launched on the AOL 3.0 service. This AOL innovation revolutionized IM by letting AOL members organize their “buddies” and see who was online and able to receive messages, jump-starting America’s most powerful online community. While aspects of the feature have been copied by others, AOL’s Buddy List network supports the nation’s largest IM community.

It’s amazing to think how far technolgy has come in the past 10+ years. I’ve never been an AOL Internet client but I’ve been using the AOL Instant Messaging service for a long time. I still use it now along with Skype, and Google Talk.

If you’d like to IM with me sometime, contact me and I’ll give you my AOL IM, Skype or Google Talk screen names.