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Preventing Zoom-bombing, or video hacking
Authorities are trying to crack down on hacking into video conferencing. Zoom is one of the largest providers of video conferencing services and has added a
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - A man gained unauthorized access to a Florida class being held virtually on Zoom and exposed himself, the district said.
FOX 35 News obtained a letter sent to teachers from Orange County Public Schools that explained the incident.
It said that during an online Zoom instructional session, someone gained unauthorized access and exposed himself to the class.
They assured the teachers that both law enforcement and school administration have handled the situation. They encourage that teachers use only district-supported applications for video-conferencing, as not every available application has been vetted and may not meet district standards for protecting student and teacher data.
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The district then said that to avoid unauthorized access to your virtual classroom, consider using the "waiting room" option in the Big Blue Button to ensure that those who enter the virtual session are supposed to be there.
"Thank you for continuing to provide meaningful instruction during these unprecedented times," the letter closed on.
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Earlier this week, the FBI warned the nation of so-called "Zoom-bombing," or video hacking, as more people have turned to video-teleconferencing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The bureau has received multiple reports of conferences – and in some cases, online classrooms – being disrupted by pornographic, hateful images or threatening language.
For example, a high school in Massachusetts reported that someone dialed into the classroom while a teacher was conducting an online class, the FBI said. The individual shouted profanities before leaving.
A spokesperson for Zoom told Fox News that the company has taken the security of its meetings seriously and was “deeply upset to hear about the incidents involving this type of attack.” The company added that it encouraged users hosting large, public group meetings to review settings for their safety and report incidents to its support team so it could “take appropriate action.”
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When using Zoom for online classrooms, the FBI said that teachers are advised to making meetings private and require a password or use the waiting room feature to control the admittance of additional people.
Links to a teleconference or classroom should be sent directly to individual participants and never be publicly available on a social media post.
Lastly, those managing a conference in Zoom should change the screen sharing option to “Host Only.”
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