Skype released Skype 5.1 for Mac OS X this week with a fix for a critical flaw that could potentially let an attacker remotely gain control over your computer. Skype is an online voice, video and text chat service that’s available for most major computer and mobile platforms.
The update also includes a fix for poor video performance on high-packet loss networks, and addresses several bugs.
The security flaw in Skype 5 allowed attackers to send specially crafted messages that planted a file on victim’s Macs. Once the file was in place, attackers could potentially run code remotely without the victim’s permission.
Skype 5.1 is available as a free update via the Skype Web site.