phake out

[tech]

posted by tom / October 15, 2005 /

So: first steps. Go download Skype. Install it — and if it asks whether it should handle Skype hyperlinks, be sure to click "Yes". Register a username, then go buy some SkypeOut credit. This is what lets you make calls from Skype to the plain old telephone service (POTS). You can buy as little as ten euros' worth, and at two cents a minute it should last for quite a few meetings.

Go ahead and give your cell a test call to make sure it's working. Remember that Skype is an international product, so you'll have to prefix the number with a "+1" for US phones. An example number would be "+12025551234". Assuming that the call went through, let's move on to scheduling it.

First, check that your system is set up to support Scheduled Tasks (yes, I'm assuming that you're using Windows). Go into Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Services and find "Task Scheduler". Verify that its Startup Type is "Automatic" and its Status is "Started". If not, double click on it and adjust its properties to match those settings.

Now go back to your Control Panel and find the item labeled "Scheduled Tasks". Double click on "Add a New Scheduled Task" and click "Next", then "Browse". Navigate to "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer" and choose "IEXPLORE.EXE". On the next screen, select "One Time Only", then specify the time at which you'd like your phone to ring. The next screen will ask for the information of the user account that'll be responsible for running Skype. It should auto-populate with your current username, so just enter the password you used to log into the computer and you should be fine. On the final screen of the wizard, check the box that says "Open advanced properties for this task when I click Finish". Then, you know, click Finish.

IEXPLORE.EXE is the executable for Internet Explorer. We're using IE because Skype hooks itself into your web browser. The idea is that people can put links like these on their websites to allow other people to easily call them. Instead of the traditional "http:", these links begin with "skype:". There's a similar system for AOL Instant Messenger, EDonkey and countless other programs. It's a nice idea, and meshes well with our nefarious purposes.

So, you should now have an advanced properties window open. The "Run" box's contents will look like this:

"C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE"

We need to add the URL that we want IE to open. But — this is important — it needs to go outside the quotes. So the new contents of the "Run" box should look like this:

"C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE" skype:+12025551234?call

One more thing. Back in the Scheduled Tasks window, right click on your just-created task and select "Run". This'll provide a handy test. More importantly, it'll let us change a setting in Skype, which normally asks before using your SkypeOut credit on links that could have been initiated by malevolent Javascript. Just click the "Don't Ask Me Again" checkbox, or whatever the equivalent is, and tell Skype to allow the call. In the future these types of calls will go through without asking for confirmation.

That's it! You can now cause a ring at a time of your choosing (provided that your computer and phone are both on, of course). You'll have to fake a conversation, of course, but that shouldn't be too hard. Skype should detect when you hang up, so your SkypeOut credits won't be wasted. Each call should cost you a fraction of a cent (or whatever Skype rounds it up to). Good luck, and let me know if you want to grab a drink during the next team-building seminar.