With all the hoaxes, myths, and urban legends related to Yahoo.com, it is hard to trust any information when it comes to shut downs, possible viruses or complications. The latest rumor is that Yahoo Messenger is shutting down but this one is not another hoax.

Yahoo wants to focus on the latest Messenger

According to Yahoo, with the release of Yahoo Messenger 9, the company is shutting down all previously released versions of Yahoo Messenger. Yahoo says that by shutting down all other Yahoo Messengers, they can better supply their customers with better malware and spyware protection, tech support, and virus protection. With so many different versions of Yahoo Messengers still active it hinders tech support and customer care in that technicians must first identify which version you are using. This requires them to navigate to another set of troubleshooting guidelines, as each version is not the same. With only one version active, the design and technical support teams can better protect against spyware and malware in that they will only need to design and implement one security patch if the need for such arises. Also with only one version activated, with the new security enhancements it will already be protected from well known viruses that are still affecting previous versions. This will ensure far better virus detection and protection in terms of e-mail attachments and browser privy viruses.

Source:

Why is Yahoo Messenger Shutting down

Information About the Discontinuation of Yahoo! Messenger Versions: 6, 7, and 7.5