Yahoo Messenger comes with stealth settings that allow a user to appear to be off-line to both anyone looking at Yahoo profiles or anyone looking at buddies on a friend's list. However, employing an invisible hack will over-ride those settings and allow the hacker to see who really is logged onto Yahoo Messenger.

How the Yahoo Messenger Invisible Hack Works

Hacking Yahoo Messenger requires software that will over-ride the code built into the Yahoo servers to manage the instant messaging functions on the Yahoo network. There is actually more than one piece of software available. Some versions work with the older and current version of Yahoo Messenger. Other software removes the stealth status of an online user. Some software packages actually allow the hacker to actually take over accounts and use them to send spam messages.

Uses of the Invisible Hack

The immediate benefit of being able to reveal the online status of Yahoo Messenger users is obvious to persons trying to generate business with spam instant messages. Once the stealth settings are overridden, additional software (not the invisible hack software) can be used to blast out spam instant messages to a larger audience, all in the hopes of getting immediate attention from someone. Persons who believe they are invisible will think they are still invisible and are less likely to report or respond with an angry return message.

In more severe cases where the identity is actually used to send out the mass spam messages, using the identity of a third party creates another layer of anonymity for the hacker. Persons will find it much harder to track down who actually initiated the instant messages. Thus, the chances of getting into trouble with legal authorities are slimmer than with other methods of spamming.

A less egregious or illegal reason people use the Yahoo Messenger Invisible Hack is to monitor the status of friends and acquintances. For instance, if they believe a friend or acquintance is online, but is attempting to avoid them, they may use the hack to see if the person really is logging on or off.

Yahoo Countermeasures for the Invisible Hack

Yahoo has made some headway in offering protections in each new version of Yahoo Messenger to reduce the effectiveness of hacking software. Persons who use Yahoo Messenger should consider upgrading to the latest version to avoid being targeted by those who use the hack. In addition, forwarding suspicious instant messages to Yahoo may help them to develop further protections.