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January 07, 2005

Andy reports major bug in Skype Voicemail!

Skype Voicemail users please see: SAM - Skype® Answering Machine

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Posted by jeff on January 7, 2005 03:43 PM | Permalink

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Comments

This is not a security flaw -- this is a feature! : - )

It is just as if you were sitting in my office and an incoming POTS call is picked up by my 20 year old answering machine. If the volume is up everyone in the secure space (my office) can hear the recording. Solution: Mute the answering machine.

Remember how folks used this feature to screen calls -- "Hi it's Sally, if you are there please pick up". We just need to learn how to use these new tools. When you have a meeting you mute your answering machine -- that should be the default.

Andy Abramson posted this as a Skype security flaw as if it were a programming memory leak -- no it is just the mixing of your voice on the speaker.

I will leave my Skype/SAM running in my hotel room while I am at CES today -- just need to mute the speakers so I don't scare housekeeping -- and have my messages overheard!

The bigger issue is that this implied flaw is from the Skype/SAM combo created by Skype publishing their API. I would hate to see Skype shut down their API which is already creating many new products such as the Siemens handset and also the Actiontec gateway just announced at CES this week.

Just my thoughts on a cold night in Las Vegas.

/PBM

Posted by: Peter Macaulay at January 7, 2005 10:44 PM

I was on the conference call taking place at the time Andy called and I would just point out that the version of SAM my colleague was using was Beta software (the version in use was 0.9.30, the then-current release) and that this is a documented known bug (http://www.freewebs.com/skypeansweringmachine/help.htm#33418068): "2) SAM answers incoming call even though user is in an active outgoing call. You get a audio mixture of the current call, SAM and the incoming caller." I am not diminishing the importance of Andy's point, merely adding context.

Posted by: Andrew at January 7, 2005 07:20 PM