The usual most popular instant messaging networks are the most vulnerable as they send your information and conversations over the web with little to no security in place. They send their data without any sort of hack proof encryption free and clear. This allows for people to hack your accounts all that much easier. In this way you can have malware or Trojan viruses send to your computer, tablet, or smartphone. You would not likely even know that you had gotten the virus in this way. This also applies to it being easier for people, not just the government, to tap your conversations or to steal your account and/or identity. Why put yourself at risk in the first place by using unsecured instant messaging?
When you use a secure instant messaging service you have better peace of mind that you are safe from attack. The people you talk to can also have this assurance that when you send them a message authentic and it came from you directly and not some unknown third party. You have the benefit of encryption to protect you from others seeing your messages as well as hacking into the account. Deniability keeps others from sending your clients and friends strange advertisements or forging conversations you never made so that they can't trick people into revealing information that shouldn't be known.
Your secrets and privacy are important and they are not things that you would desire to have out in the open. Instant messaging when unsecured can be an all to easy gateway to people hacking and infecting your computers and networks. The best way to prevent it all in the first place is to make sure that your are using an effective secured instant messaging client for all of your online conversations.
