ZA SECURITY ALERT: "Skype 3.0 Extras Manager is trying to access the Internet"

Why is Skype 3.0.0.198 on WinXP trying to access
"Skype Extras Manager" (129.6.15.28)?
Should we ALLOW or DENY these requests from the new Skype?
Why or why not?

My ZoneAlarm personal firewall software went bonkers when I installed the
new Skype 3.x software on Windows XP this week. Basically, I received all
the "usual" warnings about Skype wanting to access the trusted zone, the
Internet, etc.

But with Skype 3.0, there is a NEW warning:
Skype Extras Manager is trying to access the Internet
Application: skypePM.exe
Destination IP: 129.6.15.28

Should we ALLOW or DENY this Skype 3.0 request?
What are the ramifications of each decision?

Thanks!

Re: ZA SECURITY ALERT: "Skype 3.0 Extras Manager is trying to access the Internet"

on 29 Dec 2006, something possessed Robin Colleen Moore to write:

> Why is Skype 3.0.0.198 on WinXP trying to access
> "Skype Extras Manager" (129.6.15.28)?
> Should we ALLOW or DENY these requests from the new Skype?
> Why or why not?
>
> My ZoneAlarm personal firewall software went bonkers when I installed
> the new Skype 3.x software on Windows XP this week. Basically, I
> received all the "usual" warnings about Skype wanting to access the
> trusted zone, the Internet, etc.
>
> But with Skype 3.0, there is a NEW warning:
> Skype Extras Manager is trying to access the Internet
> Application: skypePM.exe
> Destination IP: 129.6.15.28
>
> Should we ALLOW or DENY this Skype 3.0 request?
> What are the ramifications of each decision?
>
> Thanks!
>

I'm not familiar with Skype, but if it popped up when you installed it
from a reliable source, than perhaps this is just an Extras Manager that
mentions whatever plugins or addons are available for download, which
would require it to connect to a server. Perhaps someone else with
Skype could shed more light on this.

Regards,

Will

Re: ZA SECURITY ALERT: "Skype 3.0 Extras Manager is trying to access the Internet"

Hi!

Skype search, on-line, if an update exist.

Consequently, this function has another usage:
paranoiac-security-detection.

Sorry, he found... you !


--
@-salutations

Michel Claveau

Re: ZA SECURITY ALERT: "Skype 3.0 Extras Manager is trying to access the Internet"

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Re: ZA SECURITY ALERT: "Skype 3.0 Extras Manager is trying to access the Internet"

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Re: ZA SECURITY ALERT: "Skype 3.0 Extras Manager is trying to accessthe Internet"

Robin Colleen Moore wrote:
> Why is Skype 3.0.0.198 on WinXP trying to access
> "Skype Extras Manager" (129.6.15.28)?
> Should we ALLOW or DENY these requests from the new Skype?
> Why or why not?
>
> My ZoneAlarm personal firewall software went bonkers when I installed the
> new Skype 3.x software on Windows XP this week. Basically, I received all
> the "usual" warnings about Skype wanting to access the trusted zone, the
> Internet, etc.
>
> But with Skype 3.0, there is a NEW warning:
> Skype Extras Manager is trying to access the Internet
> Application: skypePM.exe
> Destination IP: 129.6.15.28

This is where 129.5.15.28 points to, which is NIST.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=National+Institute+of+S tandards+and+Technology+&btnG=Google+Search

You can use Arin Whois and find that out be entering the IP in the
search box.

http://www.arin.net/index.shtml
>
> Should we ALLOW or DENY this Skype 3.0 request?
> What are the ramifications of each decision?

That's for you to make that determination if it's legit or not.
It's on you to make contact with Skype or NIST and find out what is
happening. It's on you and no one else. It's your machine and no one
else's machine.

On the other hand, you can uninstall skypePM.exe if you don't want it
running, according to this.



Is it possible to turn off/disable the 'do more' option and not have the
skypepm process running?


Yes, just delete it,( Progam Files\Skype\Pluin Manager folder and run
the uninstall.exe) and next time you download, (save run screen) go to
options and untick that feature)



I suggest you get on the phone and talk to Skype or contact them by
email. It's on you as to what you're going to do. The buck stops with you.

Re: ZA SECURITY ALERT: "Skype 3.0 Extras Manager is trying to access the Internet"

"Robin Colleen Moore" wrote in message
news:ogcn3wuhdry0.dtlw9fnebqlk$.dlg@40tude.net...
> Why is Skype 3.0.0.198 on WinXP trying to access
> "Skype Extras Manager" (129.6.15.28)?
> Should we ALLOW or DENY these requests from the new Skype?
> Why or why not?
>
> My ZoneAlarm personal firewall software went bonkers when I installed the
> new Skype 3.x software on Windows XP this week. Basically, I received all
> the "usual" warnings about Skype wanting to access the trusted zone, the
> Internet, etc.
>
> But with Skype 3.0, there is a NEW warning:
> Skype Extras Manager is trying to access the Internet
> Application: skypePM.exe
> Destination IP: 129.6.15.28
>

Apparently SkyPE is trying to reach an NTP (Network Time Protocol) server:

129.6.15.28
time-a.nist.gov
Host unreachable

129.6.0.0 - 129.6.255.255

National Institute of Standards and Technology
100 Bureau Drive Stop 8953
Gaithersburg
MD
20899-8953
United States



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Re: ZA SECURITY ALERT: "Skype 3.0 Extras Manager is trying to access the Internet"

On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 07:42:42 GMT, William wrote:
> perhaps this is just an Extras Manager that
> mentions whatever plugins or addons are available

I found out what the Skype 3.0 message was trying to tell me.

It is used only with the apparently OPTIONAL "Tools" "Do More" command.
Under that command are the following ......
* Share Whiteboard with Sketch Pad
* Animated Video Calls with Crazy Talk
* Share Applications with Unyte
* Record Calls with Pamela
* Analysis Stress with KishKish
* eMotive Ringjacker
* Personalize Radio with Last.fm
* Chinese Checkers
* Backgammon
* Organize My Extras
* Get Extras

I have set ZoneAlarm to always DENY these requests as I have no time for
dribble.

Hopefully this post will help the next Skype user too.

Re: ZA SECURITY ALERT: "Skype 3.0 Extras Manager is trying to access the Internet"

On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 10:49:03 GMT, B. Nice wrote:
> You have decided to intstall/run Skype - which means you have decided
> to trust the Skype program. Then why don't you just let it do what
> it's designed to do instead of worrying about ZA alarms?
> If you don't trust Skype, use something else.

Without being too direct, I would say your attitude needs a serious
adjustment in my very humble opinion.

You TRUST every program you install? That's incredulous.

Do you know what RealPlayer is doing behind your back? Do you realize that
Adobe Acrobat phones home constantly? Do you suspect that almost every
program you install has the potential to report back to the maker your
day-to-day actions?

You're obviosly not a security expert if you trust every program you choose
to install to do what IT thinks is the right thing to do.

nuff said

Re: ZA SECURITY ALERT: "Skype 3.0 Extras Manager is trying to access the Internet"

On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 10:51:33 GMT, Mr. Arnold wrote:
> That's for you to make that determination if it's legit or not.
> It's on you to make contact with Skype or NIST and find out what is
> happening. It's on you and no one else. It's your machine and no one
> else's machine.

I've determined the program (skypePM.exe) is optional.
Worse, it provides features I don't want and don't even know what they are
as listed in a previous post.

I've permanently denied this program from accessing the trusted zone, from
accessing the Internet, and from being a server.

I post this so that the next Skype user can benefit from the information.

Re: ZA SECURITY ALERT: "Skype 3.0 Extras Manager is trying to access the Internet"

On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 12:54:04 +0100, Drake wrote:
> Apparently SkyPE is trying to reach an NTP (Network Time Protocol) server:

The wierd thing is that the time is not one of the (very many) items in the
drop-down list for the Skype 3.0 Tools->Do More listing.

Re: ZA SECURITY ALERT: "Skype 3.0 Extras Manager is trying to accessthe Internet"

Robin Colleen Moore wrote:
> On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 10:51:33 GMT, Mr. Arnold wrote:
>
>>That's for you to make that determination if it's legit or not.
>>It's on you to make contact with Skype or NIST and find out what is
>>happening. It's on you and no one else. It's your machine and no one
>>else's machine.
>
>
> I've determined the program (skypePM.exe) is optional.
> Worse, it provides features I don't want and don't even know what they are
> as listed in a previous post.
>
> I've permanently denied this program from accessing the trusted zone, from
> accessing the Internet, and from being a server.
>
> I post this so that the next Skype user can benefit from the information.

I'll lay dollars to a donut that program will beat ZA to the punch, get
out to the Internet and make contact. It will happen when you boot the
machine and logon, because ZA is not an integrated part of the XP O/S.
If ZA was an integrated part of the O/S and it's not, then the O/S would
not allow any TCP/IP connections by programs, until such time the O/S
started ZA, which it can't do as the O/S does not have any dependencies
waiting on ZA.

What you should be doing is either removing the program off of the
machine by deleting it or if the file system the O/S is using is NTFS,
then you go to the O/S and set the program's permissions to not
(execute) - not run period.

The buck stops with the O/S and not ZA.

Re: ZA SECURITY ALERT: "Skype 3.0 Extras Manager is trying to access the Internet"

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Re: ZA SECURITY ALERT: "Skype 3.0 Extras Manager is trying to accessthe Internet"

Robin Colleen Moore wrote:

> You're obviosly not a security expert if you trust every program you choose
> to install to do what IT thinks is the right thing to do.

Not only that, there are folk on this forum that profess to be security
experts, that are running Thunderbird 1.0.7 - 15 critical security fixes
behind the current issue!

Jim Ford

Re: ZA SECURITY ALERT: "Skype 3.0 Extras Manager is trying to accessthe Internet"

Jim Ford wrote:
> Robin Colleen Moore wrote:
>
>> You're obviosly not a security expert if you trust every program you
>> choose
>> to install to do what IT thinks is the right thing to do.
>
>
> Not only that, there are folk on this forum that profess to be security
> experts, that are running Thunderbird 1.0.7 - 15 critical security fixes
> behind the current issue!
>

Not only that, you got people running around in the NG needing to nit
pick. Apparently, this person doesn't seem to know that a program and
the machine have to be put into a position to be attacked.

One place I am currently working, they are still running a version of
IE 6 that's three years old and I don't know that last time it was
updated. I don't even know when the last time XP Pro on the machines has
been updated with security fixes, although they do take care of those
servers. The XP Pro machines and IE itself are NOT being attacked due
to this, because IT has a big old proxy setting there blocking user
access to damn near everything on the Internet, even though most of its
end-user base jobs are to be on the Internet, dealing with out side
clients, with the solution. Its end-user base is educated on the use of
computers in a work environment and everything is locked down. Those
users go where IT wants them to go and nowhere else.

I'll give you a little hint on this too, I am running a version of XP
Pro on this laptop that's not a legal copy and has NOT received a
critical update and in ages. It's not being attacked because it has not
received the updates, because the machine is NOT put into a position to
be attacked.

Again, the program and the machine have to be put into a position to be
attacked. If neither one of them are in that position, then your point
here is moot.