PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Zoombombing: It’s a term you probably didn’t know you had to worry about until recently.
But with social distancing recommendations forcing so many of us to work from home during the coronavirus pandemic, Zoom conference calls have become the latest target for hackers.
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“With more Floridians than ever before working from home and holding virtual meetings, a new trend called Zoombombing is emerging,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said in a news release Monday. “Zoombombing occurs when hackers hijack internet video conferences, like those offered by the fast-growing platform Zoom. These hackers often present inappropriate, offensive material or otherwise disrupt the conference.”
Moody provided a list of tips to avoid having your meetings infiltrated:
- Create separate passwords for each virtual meeting;
- Establish a Zoom waiting room for meeting participants
- Lock down the meeting once everyone invited to attend has joined
- Do not publicly post meeting links on social media or any other public forum
“It is not a joke, and what is even more concerning is more children are susceptible to this privacy hack as students are now using video conferencing to learn virtually to obey the statewide stay-at-home order issued to stop the spread of COVID-19,” the attorney general added.
Last week it was reported that a man gained access to the online learning session of an Orlando-area public school class and exposed himself.
Orange County responded by saying that Zoom is not a supported application for that school district and asked its teachers not to use it for class instruction.
Government leaders are also using the platform to host virtual news conferences.
Moody’s office says it has “reached out to Zoom to learn more about its encryption efforts and other proactive steps the company is taking to better protect its users.” Anyone who believes they are the victim of hacking or a COVID-19 related scam is urged to contact the Florida Attorney General’s Office at 1(866) 9NO-SCAM or MyFloridaLegal.com.
More security information from Zoom can be found here.