Research from VeriSign (Quote, Chart)and Info-Tech Research Group said security risks surrounding increasingly-popular Internet phone software could put networks at risk and should be addressed.
Ross Armstrong, senior research analyst at Info-Tech, is also urging businesses to ban the use of free Voice over IP software provider Skype in the workplace -- especially if they already have similar policies regarding the use of peer-to-peer technologies.
Skype usage in the enterprise, he said, is in many ways similar to the steady growth of public instant messaging (IM) services the past couple years. The real danger, he said, is if Skype is downloaded and used in an enterprise as an unsanctioned software application.
While Armstrong said he has not seen any Skype vulnerability exploits in the wild, he pointed to vulnerabilities that have been patched in Skype. Last month, the company reported two high-risk security bugs.