The popular video conferencing app, Zoom, is currently being investigated by the FBI for being bombarded by hate, porn, and threatening messages during teleconferencing meetings. FBI's Boston office on Monday received multiple reports of the video conference service being disrupted by pornographic images and/or threatening language.
Cybersecurity Threat Amid Coronavirus Lockdown
As an increased number of businesses, schools, and universities use the video conferencing app, Zoom, to stay connected during the work-from-home situation, the FBI has warned people of the possible porn material being popped up during their video meetings. At the same time, reports of hacking have started emerging nationwide.
Slammed by the U.S. FBI and cybersecurity for lack of user privacy, video meeting app Zoom is being targeted by hackers to disrupt virtual classrooms and teleconferencing with hate and profanity.
In late March 2020, a high school in Massachusetts was reportedly targeted by an unidentified hacker who dialed into an online classroom and yelled profanities at the teacher before revealing her address.
Soon after this incident, another school in Massachusetts also reported its Zoom-powered classroom being accessed by another individual who displayed swastika tattoos while being visible on the video camera.
What should users do?
As individuals and companies transition to online platforms for classes and meetings, the FBI recommends users follow strict due diligence to avoid such incidents. At the same time, Zoom also urges its users to make the chats private to avoid potential hackers from hacking into their chatrooms.
Zoom offers video and screen sharing to up to 100 participants at the same time.
The FBI has also warned to not make meetings and classrooms public on Zoom. The users should keep meeting rooms password-protected and use the waiting room feature to control the participant access.
At the same time, users are also advised to not share the link to their classroom or teleconference via public social media posts. Instead, the link should be provided directly to the intended participants. Also, manage the screen-sharing feature by switching to "Host-Only" option.
