Besides this been turned into a personal rant for most the thread has gone seriously off topic.
It's common practice for users to have personal security on their personal computers.
People have to be aware of what files they download and good anti virus programs will scan incoming file transfers, no matter random or not and files even from friends may be infected so it's not a perfect world out there, it's all a learning curve.
Yahoo! do give the user some sense or privacy with them recently removing the follow command and updating how their p2p service works, all to protect you, the user. There is no way to get a IP address of a user just from PMing or chatting in the same room as them, lets clear that up. Some peer to peer connection type service will give the other user your ip but you must accept them first before they can get it, filetransfers, call feature etc.
Some precautions you can take in chat are as follows..
[Encryption]
ELMTree Software - Offers secure communications over the world’s most popular IM networks
Yahoo! Messenger encryption and security software - Encrypt and secure your Yahoo! IM conversations or chats - SimpLite-Yahoo prevents eavesdroppers from reading your personal Yahoo! Messenger conversations.
[Firewalls]
Free Firewall Software - Comodo™ Firewall - Comodo has put firewall through all kinds of sophisticated tests to ensure its firewall powerful enough to ward off these attacks with default settings
Check Point ZoneAlarm - Download & Buy - Most popular free PC firewall product on the market.
Easy-to-use firewall blocks hackers and other unknown threats.
Free Firewall - Download Outpost Firewall Free - Outpost Firewall Free
[Anti Virus]
Antivirus Software - Eliminate Spyware and Adware with NOD32 Antivirus from ESET - ESET NOD32 Antivirus offers superior, comprehensive protection, the fastest scanning throughput, and the least performance impact of any solution.
Free AntiVirus Download for Virus Scan with Comodo AntiVirus™ Software - Eliminates Viruses, Worms and Trojans from desktops and networks.
AVG Free Advisor: Free anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-malware tools - AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition is a free anti-virus protection tool developed by GRISOFT for home use. We invite you to join the millions of satisfied customers worldwide who have downloaded the software and now enjoy the benefits of AVG Anti-Virus Free.
AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic - More than Security - Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic reliably protects your private computer against dangerous viruses, worms, Trojans and costly dialers.
Free antivirus - avast! 4 Home Edition - avast! 4 Home Edition is a full-featured antivirus package designed exclusively for home users
and non-commercial use
Download documentation, updates, and betas for Kaspersky Lab products - This improved easy-to-use solution provides complete antivirus protection that allows you to surf the web safely and keeps your PC free of viruses, Internet and email worms, and Trojans.
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On this note this topic is closed.