Skype has disabled its password-reset feature after hackers discovered a security hole in the video-chat service that allows almost anyone to change a user 's password and take control of their account . Skype said `` a small number of users '' may have been impacted . The company is investigating the problem . `` Early this morning we were notified of user concerns surrounding the security of the password reset feature on our website . This issue affected some users where multiple Skype accounts were registered to the same email address , '' Skype 's Leonas Sendrauskas said in a posting Wednesday . `` We suspended the password reset feature temporarily this morning as a precaution and have made updates to the password reset process today so that it is now working properly , '' he added . `` We are reaching out to a small number of users who may have been impacted to assist as necessary . Skype is committed to providing a safe and secure communications experience to our users and we apologize for the inconvenience . '' The issue was posted on a Russian forum two months ago , but did not become widely known until it gained traction recently on Reddit and was confirmed by The Next Web , a tech-news blog . To exploit the flaw , all hackers need to know is a victim 's e-mail address tied to his or her Skype account . They then can use that e-mail address to create a new account , and minus a few steps , use a password-reset token to gain access to the user 's account and lock out its original owner . Staffers at The Next Web said they reproduced the attack , step-by-step , and managed to access the Skype accounts of a writer and an editor ( with their permission ) , using only their e-mail addresses . The issue could have exposed Skype instant messages and users ' personal details , including date of birth . Read more : Digital spying and your e-mail .
Hackers discover security hole in Skype that allows outsider to access a user 's account . Skype has suspended its password-reset feature temporarily as a precaution . The issue was posted on a Russian forum and then gained traction on Reddit .