About Yahoo Booter Programs:
Aside from general chat, sexual innuendo, bots and annoying spam, Yahoo! Chat users today are also familiar with a common occurance known as booting, when a Yahoo! Messenger user kicks a chat room participant out with a specialized program.
Yahoo booters, while effective in doing their job of booting users off the Yahoo! Messenger service, can lead to serious consequences for the software user and have led to a growing debate over their use.
How Do Yahoo Booters Work?:
When a Yahoo Booter program is used, the victim's computer is sent massive amounts of packets, computer files with complex code which slow the PC down. As more packets arrive, IM windows flood the victim's desktop until either the user is kicked off Yahoo! Messenger, or the computer freezes.
Are Yahoo Booters Illegal?:
Yahoo booters are not illegal to possess, but can lead to your banning from the IM service if you are reported using booters, according to the Yahoo! Messenger Terms of Service. Furthermore, in some cases, law enforcement, including and not limited to the FBI, may investigate and result in criminal charges.
What are Some Good Yahoo Booters?:
While I do not approve of, condone or encourage the use of Yahoo booters, for educational purposes, I will provide that Yahoo-Owned offers an educational focus on how booters work, including a Yahoo booter from which you can test on a pre-determined bot, not a live Yahoo! Messenger user.
How Can Yahoo Users Protect Themselves from Booters?:
Yahoo anti-booter programs, and independent Yahoo! Messenger clones exist to help protect innocent users from being kicked by a booter program. I highly recommend the following anti-booters for Yahoo! Messenger: