Skype has confirmed that its VoIP software contains a bug which could result in instant messages (IMs) being sent to unintended recipients. The privacy bug was first reported in the Skype Support Network by a user who, after an update to their Skype client last month, encountered the problem in which some of their messages went to another contact. Following this report, a number of other users also confirmed having experienced the problem.

According to Skype, the privacy problem only occurs following a crash of a user's Skype client during an IM session. When the client is restarted or is logged in as a new user, IM messages entered or sent prior to the crash can, in some cases, be sent to a different IM contact in the user's list.

At this point, Skype is still yet unable to determine how many users are affected by the error but believes that the number is small given the very specific circumstances under which the error occurs.

They are currently working hard to release fixes for impacted clients within the next several days.

The Skype versions impacted include: Skype 5.10 for Windows, Skype 5.8 for Mac, Skype 4.0 for Linux, Skype 1.2 for Windows Phone. All Skype customers are advised to download the latest version as soon as they are notified that any update, including this fix, is available.

[UPDATE July 17, 2012 - 2:00 PM GMT] Hotfixes for Skype for Windows (version 5.10.0.116) and Skype for Linux (version 4.0.0.8) are now available. They can be downloaded from www.skype.com/go/getskype.