What info do hackers get??

As far as I know, one cannot get crucial information using the messenger or in private room.

Yes it’s true that in some situations, you can have your IP address known. It’s not really a secret information (It just like a telephone number). If someone has you number, he can bother you (with your IP address, if he is good enough, he can perturbate you tha’s true, ex: by flooding some ports of your computer…)

Where it can be annoying, it’s in the case there are some malicious programs in your computer (there also are called “trojan horses”) the open some holes by where hackers can attack you.

I see you asking me : “How may malicious progz be on my PC ?” Simple ! They are mostly spread by attached files in emails. or by some untrustwhorthy files that you may download on the net.

But if you tell me that you’ve got a Firewall, then probably you’re out of danger. I say “most probably”, because some trojans can fool the firewallor desactivate it !

At this time, there is no known (known by me, at least ! But I’m nothing :D) backdoors using a vulnerability of Y!M. So be careful while you’re on the net and on Yahoo!Chat, but don’t worry too much !