With current stay-at-home orders coming from most states in the U.S., people are communicating through apps like Zoom. However, the newfound advanced usage has introduced hackers into space.
The FBI has issued an official warning about using Zoom. A new form of harassment known as “Zoombombing”, in which someone can hijack video calls and post hate speech, offensive images, and pornography.
According to reports, Zoombombers have disrupted an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting in New York, online classes nationwide, and much more.
Zoom has skyrocketed in popularity due to schools using it to keep students active. Also, employers have turned to it as an effective communication tool while out of the office.
The company said 200 million people used the app on a daily basis in March. This is up from only 10 million in December 2019. However, this has created a new way for intruders to disrupt life.
“The FBI has received multiple reports of conferences being disrupted by pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language,” the FBI’s Boston bureau said.
New York Attorney General Letitia James sent a letter to Zoom asking about its privacy protection and security precautions.
In addition, the website Motherboard found that Zoom was sharing data with Facebook. It even shared data on people who weren’t Facebook users.
Zoom admitted that was a mistake on its part, however, the company now faces a class-action lawsuit.
“We recognize that we have fallen short of the community’s – and our own – privacy and security expectations,” said Zoom CEO Eric Yuan in a blog post.
“For that I am deeply sorry, and I want to share what we are doing about it.”
