Skype Twitter account hacked, anti

Skype is starting 2014 with a security issue of its own. It appears the official Skype Twitter account has been compromised by the Syrian Electronic Army hackers. The group has taken over the account today, posting several tweets in what appears to be a classic case of phishing. The most recent fake tweet advises Skype's three million followers to avoid Microsoft's email services. 'Don't use Microsoft emails(hotmail,outlook), they are monitoring your accounts and selling the data to the governments. More details soon #SEA.'

The tweet in question has been retweeted over 6,000 times, and has remained online and accessible for nearly two hours. Another tweet posted earlier today, which has since been deleted, said 'stop spying on people,' in a message clearly related to recent NSA accusations. Syrian Electronic Army hackers also compromised Skype's Facebook page and a company blog hosted at Skype's website. Both have since been rectified, and it appears they're also related to account phishing rather than any wider security compromise of Skype's service. While previous high-profile Twitter account compromises have been dealt with swiftly, this particular breach comes on New Year's Day at a time when mangers of the account are likely on vacation. We've reached out to Microsoft for comment on the Twitter hack, and we'll update you accordingly.

Don't use Microsoft emails(hotmail,outlook),They are monitoring your accounts and selling the data to the governments.More details soon #SEA

- Skype (@Skype) January 1, 2014