How do I use them without having the danger of having the account hacked?
Yeah…good luck.
I have never saw a hacker targetting Escargot.
and depsite some very shady looking msn hacks from 2008-2010. no one hacked both escargot and msn.
Just because MSN Messenger 1.0-4.7 use MD5 authentication DOESN’T mean that you will be hacked necessarily. Someone would have to use a dictionary of words/phrases/combination of letters, MD5 hash it, and compare that hash with your password hash to fully gain access to your Escargot or your account. 
so I can use it without being afraid of being hacked?
Basically, yes. 
But still, be wary.
<sarcasm>
Good lord, what a relief!
</sarcasm>
What’s your problem? Honest question.
Oh, wait! I understand everything now!
I’m not saying that MD5 is a secure hashing algorithm and thus it is OK to create an account for those type of MSN clients with that ingrained into your mind. I’m saying that as long as you are aware that there are risks that are not 100% going to happen but are possible, you can create an account for those types of systems without crying in fear about beefing up the MSN 1.0-4.7 authentication security, which is not possible because it’s MD5.
So in short, as long as you are aware of the risks of MD5 authentication and don’t let it get to your head, go ahead and create that MD5-based MSN account!
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