Does Skype cause viruses?

[JediJohnnie]

I was considering getting Skype, but every time I tried to download it, my Avast anti-virus keeps saying it's a virus risk. Does anybody know if Skype causes viruses? Is it ok if I download it, or is there too much of a risk?

[schoolvan]

I don't know I never got one when I had it, I had it for maybe 2 or 3 years  I don't use it anymore so I uninstalled it.

[jkhanson]

I have had Skype for years.  I use it a lot for business; sometimes for personal use.

You can chat live or use the video feature to see the person you are talking to.

[michele2042]

I've also had it for years.  Only used it a few times around holidays, our son lives thousands of miles away.   Never had any issues with it.   Don't use it as much anymore.

[oldbuddy]

I use Skype every day and never had a problem with any virus. I use the last portable version 5.5 so there is nothing to install. In fact I can load the program on a USB Thumb drive and run it on any Windows computer I need to.

[debidoo]

For almost two years skype was the only phone capability we had.  Couldn't afford anything was barely making it and we never had any problems with it.  Now that was about three years ago so I don't know if anything changed or not.

[hkckk5]

Have not used Skype in quite a while. But in the past when I did I don't remember having any issues with it. I do know others who use Skype and heard no complaints from them.

[snuggleycutejc]

I have skype on my phone, works. I don't have it on my computer but I could. I really don't know if it could have viruses. Good luck with yours.

[countrygirl12]

I do not think it causes viruses.  There are some programs that your virus protection will try to block but they are actually safe.

[nmbrown863]

I don't think so. I don't personally use it but my sisters both live in different states and use it often. They have never had issues with it.

[notriko_mu]

I have  not had a problem with Skype.

[lmrbean]

I have used Skype frequently for over 4 years and at least once a week for the past year since I am now a grandmother. I have never had it cause a virus. It is not blocked by my anti-virus software, which it very dependable.

[ktheodos]

I have never had issues with it-though I barely use it.

[bleyd]

I haven't used it but i know a lot of other people that do. I haven't heard about it causing a virus.

[lvstephanie]

I have never heard of anyone getting viruses from Skype. I'm sure if the software had a security risk, Skype wouldn't have lasted as long as it has, nor would it be used by so many people. I'm guessing that Avast sees that Skype establishes a network connection to another person perhaps using a port that is not commonly used in other programs, so it may think that it is just opening a backdoor to your system that hackers would be able to get into, hence the security warning. But I wouldn't worry that it actually poses a security risk.

The only other thing that I can think of that sets off your AV program is that the download was compromised and malware was inserted into the download stream. If there is a checksum, you can use that to ensure that you downloaded an uncorrupted file.