AOL AIM gets hacked - users redirected...

Couresty of internetnews.com:

While it is not so surprising that this happened, it does bring up the bigger issue of general IM security.

What would happen if an IM network gets taken over by hackers?
What would happen if those hackers changed the network to send code to exploit those people's computers?
What can we do to protect ourselves, if we use IM programs, from these issues? (Yes, I know about Trillian - but the protocols used by these networks can be a problem too - see below)
Should we lobby someone to have the IM networks increase their security and go over their network code and protocols to make sure the protocols themselves are secure?

Just asking some questions - feel free to answer (or ask more).  

-javacool