Skype has shut down its password reset tool after a massive security hole has been found whereby a hacker would only need to know your email address to access your account.

The flaw was posted on a Russian forum two months ago, saying that any of the applications over 600 million users could be easily hacked using the email address tied to their Skype account. Until Skype's reaction the hacker would then be able to lock the original user out of their account by resetting their password.

Microsoft, the company that owns the software application, has released a statement saying,

"We have had reports of a new security vulnerability issue. As a precautionary step we have temporarily disabled password reset as we continue to investigate the issue further. We apologise for the inconvenience but user experience and safety is our first priority."

This is not the first time that holes in Skype's security have been exposed. Earlier this year a flaw was revealed that allowed hackers to lookup anyone's IP address and thus discover the city or country in which they are using the service.

Microsoft recently announced that they will be ditching Windows Live Messenger in favour of Skype as their main messaging service in March next year.

Written and presented by Alfred Joyner