Zoombombing

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 offensive 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; however, 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 against those responsible.

Etymology

The term Zoombombing is a neologism derived from the teleconferencing application Zoom and influenced by the word photobombing.[2] The term had appeared in mid-March 2020 on technology and news websites.[3][4][5] Zoombombing has also been used in reference to similar incidents on other teleconferencing platforms, such as WebEx or Skype.[6]

Methods

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.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10]

Responses

Zoombombings would frequently make the local news for how disruptive they are.[13]

The trolling has caused a number of problems for schools and educators, with unwanted participants posting lewd content to interrupt learning sessions.[5][16][17] Some schools had to suspend using video conferencing altogether.[18] The University of Southern California called Zoombombing a type of trolling and apologized for "vile" events that interrupted "lectures and learning."[19] Zoombombing has prompted colleges and universities to publish guides and resources to educate and bring awareness to their students and staff about the phenomenon.

Criminal use

National authorities worldwide warned of possible charges against people engaging with Zoombombing.[44][45] 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.[46] In San Francisco, a man was arrested after being traced to pornographic videos that were streamed on Zoom.[47] As of May 2020, the FBI has received 195 incidents of Zoombombing involving child abuse,[48] while the United Kingdom's National Crime Agency has reported more than 120 such cases.[49]

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" with pornographic videos on May 6, 2020.[50] The church alleged that Zoom "did nothing" when it tried to reach out to the company.[51]

In November 2020, a Dutch journalist for RTL Nieuws managed to gain access to a secret Zoom meeting of European Union defence ministers. The EU's foreign affairs representative Josep Borrell told him that it was a criminal offense and he should sign off before the police arrived. The Zoombomb was revealed to have been the result of the Dutch defence minister Ank Bijleveld posting a picture of herself that showed the login and a partial PIN.[52]

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

See also

• Photobombing
• Email bomb
• Text message bomb
• Google bombing
• Griefing
• Trolling