Many have commented that a talented team in China has reverse engineered the Skype protocol and that soon they will license the application code. Some of them have gone on to suggest that Skype can neutralize the effect by opening their protocol. I am not sure that that is a good idea. Earlier studies have attempted to get some understanding of Skype, the application. In this context, the study by Philippe Biondi and Fabrice Desclaux is noteworthy. They point out that a set of renegade nodes can create a havoc in the Skype network including intercept voice traffic (slide 103). Another critical thing is that Skype “fully trusts anyone who speaks Skype” (slide 113). Since Knaves can enter the village, I suspect that Skype has a major problem in their hands, protestations notwithstanding.
Posted by aswath at July 15, 2006 12:48 AM