It was gathered from the news barely one year ago that Yahoo Messenger was infected by a very serious security bug in the industry. With this development, hackers became conscious and identified the vulnerabilities that cartoon facial expressions on Yahoo Messenger have and therefore exploit it to the disadvantage of the users of the messenger app.
Like the emoticons.xml, the problem occurs as you download an emoticon package. This is due to the fact that hackers get similar access to your computer as you have, immediately you sign into Yahoo Messenger and start using those emoticons. These hackers can end up taking over your computer and install malware.
It is quite frightening, if there is no fix from Yahoo. To avoid falling into the hands of these hackers however, you must make sure that you install an anti-virus program on your computer and keep it up to date. This antivirus protection must be the latest and many of them are free.
Why Yahoo Has Done a Little to Remedy the Situation
There are many reasons for Yahoo not to have responded or remedy this serious security bug. The fact that other alternatives have overtaken the market by storm is the most common reason and these include;
- Social Media sites like Snapchat and Instagram
- Skype
- Text Messages
It is a little wonder that Yahoo Messenger no longer hold as much sway as it once did, because of the aforementioned. However, Yahoo must be aware that it is quite imperative to fix the issue of the presence of serious bugs on one of its most popular features or platforms due to the fact that ample of people continue and have never stopped using Yahoo Messenger. It will be a good thing for you to have a second thought, particularly if you like downloading emoticons and adding them to any Yahoo Messenger that you will send to an acquaintance.
The downloaded emoticons would help you transmit the proper emoticon like smiling, laughing, or crying towards a friend. Nevertheless, you will be offering the hackers access to your device or machine, by downloading some of these emoticons.
The bottom line and the implication of Yahoo Messenger serious security bug is that hackers will take over your computer or machine and install as many malware as they desire. This means that the protective and security measures installed on the machine would be compromised. Hackers expose your machine to the further likelihood of suffering more attacks and damages, by installing as many malware as they wish.
Measures to Take to Prevent this from Happening
- Installing the most powerful and efficient antivirus software on your machine is the best and perfect measure you can take.
- Make sure that the machine has the most recent and most up-to-date version of the antivirus software you have chosen.
- Keep your antivirus program up to date to make sure that it has the powers and capabilities needed to handle even the most recent malware attack from the serious bug troubling Yahoo Messenger.
- Keep away from the temptation of downloading and installing unreliable emoticon packages like emoticons.xml.
- Employ the service of a well-trained technician to scrutinize and treat your machine accordingly, if you suspect that it is compromised.