Skype patches Android app, reports no security breaches

Internet telephony services provider Skype issued a new version of its Android application that patches a security flaw identified in the previous iteration.

Earlier this week, Skype confirmed reports that its Android app contained a vulnerability that could give criminals access to private user information including names, email addresses, contacts and chat logs by granting malicious third-party Android apps access to locally stored Skype user files. Skype recommends that Android users update their device to the revamped app as soon as possible to protect their private data.

"We have had no reported examples of any third-party malicious application misusing information from the Skype directory on Android devices and will continue to monitor closely," writes Skype Chief Information Security Officer Adrian Asher on the company's blog. "Please rest assured that we do take your privacy and security very seriously and we sincerely apologize for any concern this issue may have caused."

Earlier this year, Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) pulled a host of free applications from its Android Market storefront following reports that the apps were infected with malware. More than 50 Android apps contained the DroidDream malware, which seeks to gain root access to the user's device, collecting a range of available data and downloading more malicious code to the smartphone without the consumer's knowledge or consent. Although Android's open-source ethos is credited as a primary catalyst behind the operating system's enormous growth, malware threats underline the challenges inherent in maintaining an open mobile ecosystem.

For more:
- read this Skype Security blog entry

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