Social:Zoombombing

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Short description: Unwanted intrusion into video conference calls
Internet meme portraying a Zoom meeting with an unwanted intrusion

Zoombombing or Zoom raiding[1] is the unwanted, disruptive intrusion, generally by Internet trolls, into a video-conference call. In a typical Zoombombing incident, a teleconferencing session is hijacked by the insertion of material that is lewd, obscene, or racist in nature, typically resulting in the shutdown of the session or the removal of the troll. The term is especially associated with and is derived from the name of the Zoom videoconferencing software program, but it has also been used to refer to the phenomenon on other video conferencing platforms. The term became popularized in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced many people to stay at home, and videoconferencing came to be used on a large scale by businesses, schools, and social groups.

Zoombombing has caused significant issues in particular for schools, companies, and organizations worldwide. Such incidents have resulted in increased scrutiny on Zoom as well as restrictions on usage of the platform by educational, corporate, and governmental institutions globally. In response, Zoom, citing the sudden influx of new users due to the COVID-19 pandemic, took measures to increase security of its teleconferencing application. Incidents of Zoombombing have prompted law enforcement officers in various countries to investigate such cases and file criminal charges for those responsible.

Procedure

The term "Zoombombing" is derived from the teleconferencing application Zoom,[2] though the term has also been used in reference to similar incidents on other teleconferencing platforms, such as WebEx or Skype.[3] The increased use of Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic as an alternative to face-to-face meetings resulted in widespread exposure to hackers and Internet trolls, who exploit and work around the application's security features.[2] In various forums such as Discord and Reddit, efforts have been coordinated to disrupt Zoom sessions, while certain Twitter accounts advertise meeting ids and passwords or meeting links (allowing users to instantly join a Zoom meeting instead of entering the credentials required to access a meeting) for sessions that were vulnerable to being joined without authorization.[4] At educational institutions, some students were "actively asking strangers to Zoombomb or 'Zoom raid' their virtual classrooms to spice up their isolated lessons" and facilitating the raids by sharing passwords with the raiders.[5] CNET pointed out that simple Google searches for URLs that include "Zoom.us" could bring up conferences that are not password protected, and that links within public pages can allow anyone to join.[6] Hackers and trolls also look for easy targets such as unprotected or underprotected "check-in" meetings in which organizations meet with their employers or clients remotely.[7]

While a Zoom session is in progress, unfamiliar users show up and hijack the session by saying or showing things that are lewd, obscene, or racist in nature.[8] The compromised Zoom session is then typically shut down by the host.[2][9] Many of those successful in disrupting sessions have posted video footage of those incidents to social media and video sharing platforms such as TikTok and YouTube.[8]

While it is believed Zoombombing attacks are mainly orchestrated by external hackers and trolls, many are also orchestrated internally from within their respective organization or entity.[10] Some view Zoombombing as a continuation of cyberbullying by teenagers, particularly after schools were shut down due to the pandemic.[11]

Responses

Zoombombing has caused a number of problems for schools and educators, with unwanted participants posting lewd content to interrupt learning sessions.[9][12][13] Some schools had to suspend using video conferencing altogether.[14] The University of Southern California called Zoombombing a type of trolling and apologized for "vile" events that interrupted "lectures and learning."[15] Zoombombing has prompted colleges and universities to publish guides and resources to educate and bring awareness to their students and staff about the phenomenon.[16] Zoombombing has left online lectures vulnerable to the intrusion of people looking to inflict harm. These crimes have brought attention not only to the lack of security on videoconferencing platforms, but also the lack in the universities. According to an article from The Guardian , the University of Warwick, in the midst of a rape-chat scandal, received criticisms for its weak cybersecurity.[17]

Zoombombing affected twelve-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous and other substance abuse and addiction recovery programs who were forced to switch to online meetings. Concerns arise from causing undue stress to an already vulnerable population and video recording which can break anonymity.[18][19] Some bombers reference the drug-of-choice for recovery members, such as alcohol, in an attempt to emotionally trigger the participants of the meeting.[18]

The problem reached such prominence that the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned of video-teleconferencing and online classroom hijacking, which it called "Zoom-bombing."[20][21] The FBI advised users of teleconferencing software to keep meetings private, require passwords or other forms of access control such as "waiting rooms" to limit access only to specific people, and limiting screen-sharing access to the meeting host only.[20] Given the number of incidents of Zoombombing, New York's attorney general initiated an inquiry into Zoom's data privacy and security policies.[22] U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate into the matter, accusing Zoom of engaging in deceptive practices regarding user privacy and security.[23]

Amid concerns about Zoombombing, various organizations banned the use of Zoom. In April 2020, Google banned the use of Zoom on its corporate computers, directing employees to instead use its video chat app Google Duo.[24] The use of Zoom was also banned by SpaceX, Smart Communications, NASA, and the Australian Defence Force.[24] The Taiwanese and Canada governments banned Zoom for all government use.[25] The New York City Department of Education prohibited all its teachers from using the platform with students, and the Clark County School District in Nevada disabled access to Zoom to its staff.[26] Singapore's Ministry of Education briefly banned all teachers within the country from using Zoom[27][28] before lifting the ban three days later, adding extra security features.[29] Some Zoombombers have shared their side of the story, claiming they aren't trying to cause harm. They claim it is a form of protest in response to the extensive amount of work given from teachers. Not all incidents are malicious, as many have shared some new pop culture, such as memes and TikToks, to bring some relief and fun during the pandemic.[1]

Zoom CEO Eric Yuan made a public apology, saying that the teleconferencing company had not anticipated the sudden influx of new consumer users and stating that "this is a mistake and lesson learned."[30][31] In response to the concerns, Zoom has published a guide on their blog on how to avoid these types of incidents.[32] On April 7, 2020, Zoom implemented user experience and security updates to the application. Such updates include a more visible "Security" icon for users to see and use, suppression of meeting ID numbers,[31] and a change in the default settings to require passwords and waiting rooms for sessions.[33] On April 8, 2020, Zoom announced that it had formed a council of chief information security officers from other companies to share ideas on best practices, and that it had hired Alex Stamos, former chief security officer of Facebook, as an adviser.[34] Zoom released its 5.0 version in April 2020 with security features that include AES 256-bit GCM encryption, passwords by default, and a feature to report suspicious users to its Trust and Safety Team for possible misuse.[35][36] In May 2020, Zoom announced it had temporarily disabled its Giphy (frequently used as a tactic in zoombombing) integration until security concerns could be properly and fully addressed.[37] On July 1, 2020, Zoom stated it had released 100 new safety features over the past 90 days, including end-to-end encryption for all users, turning on meeting passwords by default, giving users the ability to choose which data centers calls are routed from, consulting with security experts, forming a CISO council, an improved bug bounty program, and working with third parties to help test security.[38][39]

Criminal use

National authorities worldwide warned of possible charges against people engaging with Zoombombing.[40][41] On April 8, 2020, a teen in Madison, Connecticut, was arrested for computer crime, conspiracy, and disturbing the peace following a Zoombombing incident involving online classes at Daniel Hand High School; police also identified another teen involved in the incident.[42] In San Francisco , a man was arrested after being traced to pornographic videos that were streamed on Zoom.[43] As of May 2020, the FBI has received 195 incidents of Zoombombing involving child abuse,[44] while the United Kingdom 's National Crime Agency has reported more than 120 such cases.[45]

Notable incidents

St. Paulus Lutheran Church in San Francisco filed a class-action lawsuit against Zoom after one of its Bible study classes was "Zoombombed" on May 6, 2020.[46] The church alleged that Zoom "did nothing" when it tried to reach out to the company.[47]

In 2022, an online event hosted by the Italian Senate's Movimento 5 Stelle and broadcast live to Senato della Repubblica was interrupted by roughly a minute of a 3D animated Final Fantasy VII pornographic parody, displaying the character Tifa Lockhart in the middle of sexual intercourse.[48][49] Overlapping the content's original audio was a man speaking English with a thick Italian accent stating, "I used to be a sex offender, but now I am a kindergarten teacher."[50]

An eastern Kentucky man, Brian Adams, of Paintsville, faced about multiple federal charges in a connection with an digital racist threat, which interrupted a Harvey elementary school's video conference class during the COVID-19 pandemic. He allegedly crashed a class Zoom conference on October 14, 2020 and targeted the Laureate Academy class, which has 414 students, about 67% of were Black, on the report of to the National Center for Education Statistics for "Zoombombing" because of its racial demographics. It does not specify how Adams gained access to the online conference.[51]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lorenz, Taylor; Alba, Davey (3 April 2020). "'Zoombombing' Becomes a Dangerous Organized Effort" (in en). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/03/technology/zoom-harassment-abuse-racism-fbi-warning.html. "“Zoombombing” or “Zoom raiding” by uninvited participants have become frequent" 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Marotti, Ally (2020-04-02). "Zoom video meetings are being interrupted by hackers spewing hate speech and showing porn. It's called 'Zoombombing.' Here's how to prevent it.". Chicago Tribune. https://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-coronavirus-zoombombing-20200401-wf2pvzqhbngitankuokvinvk2m-story.html. 
  3. ↑ Holmberg, Shannon (2020-04-20). "Zoombombing, Location Tracking, and Contact Tracing, Oh My! Data Privacy & Cybersecurity During the COVID-19 Pandemic". https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/zoombombing-location-tracking-and-13976/. 
  4. ↑ Cimpanu, Catalin (April 2, 2020). "The internet is now rife with places where you can organize Zoom-bombing raids" (in en). https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-internet-is-now-rife-with-places-where-you-can-organize-zoom-bombing-raids/v. 
  5. ↑ Conklin, Audrey (2 April 2020). "'Zoombombing' is an inside job? Meeting codes shared on Twitter". https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/zoombombing-codes-raids-twitter. 
  6. ↑ Hodge, Rae (April 21, 2020). "Zoombombing: What it is and how you can prevent it in Zoom video chat". https://www.cnet.com/how-to/zoombombing-what-it-is-and-how-you-can-prevent-it-in-zoom-video-chat/. 
  7. ↑ Brazzano, Rebecca (2020-06-10). "Zoombombing, Sexting and Revenge Porn, Oh My!". Law.com. ALM. https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2020/06/10/zoombombing-sexting-and-revenge-porn-oh-my/. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Kan, Michael (April 2, 2020). "Were You Zoom-Bombed? Video of It May Now Be on YouTube, TikTok for All to See" (in en). https://www.pcmag.com/news/were-you-zoom-bombed-video-of-it-may-now-be-on-youtube-tiktok-for-all-to. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Xia, Roxanna; Blume, Howard; Money, Luke (2020-03-25). "USC, school districts getting 'Zoom-bombed' with racist taunts, porn as they transition to online meetings". Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-25/zoombombing-usc-classes-interrupted-racist-remarks. 
  10. ↑ Lu, Donna (2020-09-30). "Most Zoombombing is not done by external hackers – they're inside jobs". https://www.newscientist.com/article/2255550-most-zoombombing-is-not-done-by-external-hackers-theyre-inside-jobs/. (Subscription content?)
  11. ↑ Dalbey, Beth (2020-09-17). "'Zoom Bombing' Is A Pandemic Thing; It's Also A Bullying Thing". https://patch.com/us/across-america/zoom-bombing-pandemic-thing-it-s-also-bullying-thing. 
  12. ↑ Redden, Elizabeth (March 26, 2020). "'Zoombombers' disrupt online classes with racist, pornographic content". https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/03/26/zoombombers-disrupt-online-classes-racist-pornographic-content. 
  13. ↑ Anderson, Nick (2020-03-25). "'Zoombombing' disrupts online classes at University of Southern California". The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/03/25/zoombombing-disrupts-online-classes-university-southern-california/. 
  14. ↑ Whittaker, Zack (March 26, 2020). "School quits video calls after naked man 'guessed' the meeting link" (in en-US). http://social.techcrunch.com/2020/03/26/norwegian-school-whereby/. [yes|permanent dead link|dead link}}]
  15. ↑ Wolford, Brooke (2020-03-25). "'Zoombombing' is the new way to troll online. Here's how to protect your video chat". https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article241513761.html. 
  16. ↑ McKenzie, Lindsay (2020-04-03). "'Zoombies' Take Over Online Classrooms". Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/04/03/zoombombing-isn%E2%80%99t-going-away-and-it-could-get-worse. 
  17. ↑ Batty, David (2020-04-22). "Harassment fears as students post extreme pornography in online lectures" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/apr/22/students-zoombomb-online-lectures-with-extreme-pornography. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Sparks, Hannah (April 2, 2020). "Trolls crash Zoom Alcoholics Anonymous meetings: 'Alcohol is soooo good'". https://nypost.com/2020/04/02/trolls-crash-zoom-aa-meetings-alcohol-is-soooo-good/. 
  19. ↑ Denise Royal (April 5, 2020). "Alcoholics Anonymous members find support online during coronavirus pandemic". https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/05/us/alcoholics-anonymous-coronavirus-online/index.html. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Setera, Kristen (30 March 2020). "FBI Warns of Teleconferencing and Online Classroom Hijacking During COVID-19 Pandemic" (in en). https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/boston/news/press-releases/fbi-warns-of-teleconferencing-and-online-classroom-hijacking-during-covid-19-pandemic. "people turn to video-teleconferencing (VTC) platforms to stay connected in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, reports of VTC hijacking (also called "Zoom-bombing") are emerging" 
  21. ↑ Andone, Dakin (2020-04-02). "FBI warns video calls are getting hijacked. It's called 'Zoombombing'". https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/02/us/fbi-warning-zoombombing-trnd/index.html. 
  22. ↑ Hakim, Danny; Singer, Natasha (30 March 2020). "New York Attorney General Looks Into Zoom's Privacy Practices" (in en). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/30/technology/new-york-attorney-general-zoom-privacy.html?partner=IFTTT. "Over the last few weeks, internet trolls have exploited a Zoom screen-sharing feature to hijack meetings and do things like interrupt educational sessions or post white supremacist messages to a webinar on anti-Semitism — a phenomenon called “Zoombombing.” [...] “We appreciate the New York attorney general’s engagement on these issues" 
  23. ↑ Bond, Shannon (2020-04-03). "Senator Asks FTC To Investigate Zoom's 'Deceptive' Security Claims". National Public Radio. https://www.npr.org/2020/04/03/826968159/senator-zoom-deceived-users-over-its-security-claims. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Vigliarolo, Brandon (2020-04-09). "Who has banned Zoom? Google, NASA, and more". https://www.techrepublic.com/article/who-has-banned-zoom-google-nasa-and-more/. 
  25. ↑ "Taiwan joins Canada in banning Zoom for government video conferencing". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2020-04-07. https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/taiwan-zoom-video-conference-1.5524384. 
  26. ↑ Strauss, Valerie (2020-04-04). "School districts, including New York City's, start banning Zoom because of online security issues". The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/04/04/school-districts-including-new-york-citys-start-banning-zoom-because-online-security-issues/. 
  27. ↑ Elangovan, Navene (April 10, 2020). "MOE suspends use of Zoom for home-based learning after hackers hijack classes" (in en). https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/moe-suspends-use-zoom-home-based-learning-after-hackers-hijack-classes. 
  28. ↑ Farrer, Martin (2020-04-11). "Singapore bans teachers using Zoom after hackers post obscene images on screens". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/11/singapore-bans-teachers-using-zoom-after-hackers-post-obscene-images-on-screens. 
  29. ↑ hermesauto (2020-04-13). "Singapore schools to resume use of Zoom for home-based learning with additional safeguards in place" (in en). https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/schools-to-resume-use-of-zoom-for-home-based-learning-with-additional-safeguards. 
  30. ↑ "After Zoom calls hacked with racial slurs and pornography, CEO admits "mistake"". CBS News. 2020-04-02. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/zoom-bombing-calls-hacked-racial-slurs-pornography/. 
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Billings, Kevin (2020-04-08). "Zoom Announces New Security Changes In Response To Hacks And 'Zoom-Bombing' Incidents". International Business Times. https://www.ibtimes.com/zoom-announces-new-security-changes-response-hacks-zoom-bombing-incidents-2955269. 
  32. ↑ "How to Keep the Party Crashers from Crashing Your Zoom Event". 2020-03-20. https://blog.zoom.us/wordpress/2020/03/20/keep-the-party-crashers-from-crashing-your-zoom-event/. 
  33. ↑ Peters, Jay (2020-04-03). "Zoom adds new security and privacy measures to prevent Zoombombing". The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/3/21207643/zoom-security-privacy-zoombombing-passwords-waiting-rooms-default. 
  34. ↑ Singer, Natasha (8 April 2020). "Zoom Rushes to Improve Privacy for Consumers Flooding Its Service". New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/08/business/zoom-video-privacy-security-coronavirus.html?action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article. 
  35. ↑ "90-Day Security Plan Progress Report: April 22". Zoom Video Communications. 2020-04-22. https://blog.zoom.us/wordpress/2020/04/22/90-day-security-plan-progress-report-april-22/. 
  36. ↑ "'Zoombombing' targeted with new version of app". BBC News. 2020-04-23. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52392084. 
  37. ↑ Lyons, Kim (2020-05-25). "Zoom has temporarily removed Giphy from its chat feature" (in en). https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/25/21269506/zoom-disables-giphy-gifs-chat-security-facebook. 
  38. ↑ Peters, Jay (1 July 2020). "Zoom promises its first transparency report later this year". The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2020/7/1/21310130/zoom-transparency-report-update-ceo-security-program. 
  39. ↑ Cruze, Danny (2 July 2020). "Zoom released 100 new security features in 90 days". Live Mint. https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/zoom-released-100-new-security-features-in-90-days-11593681306833.html. 
  40. ↑ "Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement Warn Against Teleconferencing Hacking During Coronavirus Pandemic". April 3, 2020. https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmi/pr/federal-state-and-local-law-enforcement-warn-against-teleconferencing-hacking-during. 
  41. ↑ "Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement Warn Against Teleconferencing Hacking During Coronavirus Pandemic" (Press release). United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. 2020-04-03. Retrieved 2020-04-11.
  42. ↑ Murdock, Jason (2020-04-09). "Connecticut Teen Arrested for Allegedly 'Zoom Bombing' Virtual High School Lessons and Using 'Obscene Language and Gestures'". Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/connecticut-teenager-arrested-zoom-bombing-high-school-virtual-class-police-1497075. 
  43. ↑ "SF Man Traced From Zoom Streaming Activity Faces Child Porn Charges" (in en-US). May 9, 2020. https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/san-francisco/sf-man-traced-from-zoom-streaming-activity-faces-child-porn-charges/2287372/. 
  44. ↑ "FBI Issues Warning To Public After Reports Of 'Zoombombing' With Child Abuse Being Displayed During Virtual Meetings". WCCO-TV. Minneapolis. 2020-05-20. https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/05/20/fbi-issues-warning-to-public-after-reports-of-zoombombing-with-child-abuse-being-displayed-during-virtual-meetings/. 
  45. ↑ "More than 120 cases of child abuse Zoombombing in UK being investigated". The Irish Times. 2020-05-18. https://www.irishnews.com/magazine/technology/2020/05/18/news/more-than-120-cases-of-child-abuse-zoombombing-in-uk-being-investigated-1943449/. 
  46. ↑ Tyko, Kelly (2020-05-15). "California church files class action lawsuit against Zoom after bible class 'Zoombombing'". USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2020/05/14/zoom-class-action-lawsuit-zoombomb-pornographic-images/5182609002/. 
  47. ↑ Kelley, Alexandra (2020-05-14). "California church sues Zoom over 'Zoombombing' pornography incident". The Hill. https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/equality/497853-california-church-sues-zoom-over-zoombombing-pornography. 
  48. ↑ "Porn video inserted into M5S Senate online event - English" (in en). 2022-01-18. https://www.ansa.it/english/news/politics/2022/01/18/porn-video-inserted-into-m5s-senate-online-event_85b49960-edda-404e-a513-7f1394cc8a0a.html. 
  49. ↑ Zaid, A'bidah (2022-01-20). "Tifa Lockhart Final Fantasy Pornography Interrupts Italian Senate Proceedings" (in en-US). https://geekculture.co/tifa-lockhart-final-fantasy-pornography-interrupts-italian-senate-proceedings/. 
  50. ↑ Kaonga, Gerrard (2022-01-20). "Italian Senate meeting interrupted by lewd "Final Fantasy" video" (in en). https://www.newsweek.com/italian-senate-meeting-zoom-final-fantasy-porn-maria-laura-mantovani-video-1671170. 
  51. ↑ Bubnash, Kasey (2022-07-06). "Racist 'Zoombombing' of Harvey fifth-grade class leads to federal indictment" (in en). https://www.nola.com/news/courts/racist-zoombombing-of-harvey-fifth-grade-class-leads-to-federal-indictment/article_29896f5e-fcc6-11ec-bea0-4f93f1867884.html. 



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