Baidu link spam in Skype exposes need to secure your account

Many Skype users have recently reported seeing spam messages with links to Baidu or LinkedIn recently, and it appears the issue isn't a small one. As reported by The Verge, hackers have managed to breach Skype accounts to send spam even when the accounts have been "secured" with Microsoft's two-factor authentication.

Microsoft confirmed the problem in a statement to The Verge, noting that Skype itself was not breached, but hackers obtained account credentials by other means:

    "Some Skype customers have reported their accounts being used to send spam," says a Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to The Verge. "There is no breach of Skype security, instead we believe criminals are using username and password combinations obtained illegally to see if they exist on Skype. We continue to take steps to harden the login process and recommend customers update their Skype account to a Microsoft account to benefit from added protections such as two-factor authentication."