Skype
Skype was Microsoft's app for voice calls, video calls, messages and file sharing; it retired in May 2025. It’s made by Microsoft, based in the United States.
Criminals have used its name in fake downloads or scams, so get it only from its maker.
What it is
People used Skype for individual and group calls, messages and sharing files. Microsoft retired it on 5 May 2025 and directs users to Microsoft Teams Free. Skype for Business is a separate product.
On a Mac, Skype requested camera and microphone access for calls. Screen Recording permission let it share your screen with people on a call.
Skype was an established Microsoft app, but it is now retired. Microsoft says Skype is no longer available, so an old installation is no longer a current option for family calls.
Who makes it
Microsoft is a technology company founded in 1975, based in Redmond, Washington, which acquired Skype in 2011. Its legal name is Microsoft Corporation. Its website is microsoft.com.
Microsoft makes other software with flaws that attackers have used. Its page in Companies lists them.
Is it the real one?
Every Mac app carries a signature from the developer who made it. Apple checks who the developer is before handing out the certificate, and macOS refuses to open an app whose signature has been tampered with.
HARD hasn’t yet recorded the signature on a real copy of Skype. Its Mac app shows who signed the copy you have.
Its bundle ID, the name macOS knows it by, is com.skype.skype.
Fakes. In March 2024, Zscaler reported a fake Skype download site in a campaign spreading remote access malware. The site offered Windows and Android downloads.
What it connects to
In normal use, Skype talks to these places on the internet. A firewall that asks before apps connect, like the one in HARD’s Mac app, will show them.
| Address | Why |
|---|---|
skype.com | Historical Skype network traffic. |
relay.communication.microsoft.com | Historical Skype network traffic. |
skypeassets.com | Historical Skype network traffic. |
What it can see
macOS asks you before an app can use these. You can change them any time in System Settings → Privacy & Security.
| Permission | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| Camera | To send video during calls. |
| Microphone | To send your voice during calls. |
| Screen Recording | To share your screen during a call. |
Security record
Problems with Skype or Microsoft in the last three years, newest first. Keeping the app up to date covers the ones that were fixed.
| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ZDI disclosed a Skype flaw involving outdated Chromium that could let a malicious page or file run code, and reported that Microsoft had issued an update. | ↗ | |
| Attackers exploited flaws in Microsoft's SharePoint Server to break into servers and deploy ransomware; Microsoft released security updates for supported versions. | ↗ | |
| Microsoft fixed CVE-2024-21411, a Skype for Consumer flaw that could let malicious links or images run code. | ↗ | |
| Microsoft reported that attackers used stolen corporate emails to access source code repositories and internal systems, with investigation and security work still under way. | ↗ |
References
- Microsoft Support: Skype retirement support.microsoft.com
- Microsoft: Moving from Skype to Microsoft Teams microsoft.com
- Facts About Microsoft news.microsoft.com
- HDW Sec: Local Skype Security Flaw, including Mac bundle identifier and permissions hdwsec.fr
- QA Higher Education: Skype user guide qahighereducation.com
- Netify: Skype domains and network information netify.ai
- Zscaler: Remote access malware distributed through online meeting lures zscaler.com
- ZDI-25-770: Microsoft Skype Chromium Remote Code Execution Vulnerability zerodayinitiative.com
- Microsoft: Active exploitation of SharePoint vulnerabilities microsoft.com
- CERT-EU: Critical Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Products, March 2024 cert.europa.eu
- Microsoft: March 2024 update on the Midnight Blizzard attack microsoft.com