Due to the coronavirus outbreak, video calling app Zoom surged in the number of users worldwide. However, with the high demand among people, the US federal officials are warning of a new potential security concern which they are calling Zoombombing.
According to CNN, several users reported the cyber harassment that they faced after their calls were hijacked by strangers. They also reported that they are facing hateful language from unidentified individuals and trolls.
The issue has become so prevalent that the FBI had to issue a news release to warn people of the threat. As per the release, the FBI has received many reports of video calls being interrupted by pornographic and/or threatening language and hate images.
A spokesperson for Zoom said that the company is aware of the recent press release and appreciates all the efforts that are taken to raise awareness on how to prevent these cyber attacks.
As per the company, on March 20th, it began actively educating zoom users on how to protect their meetings and help prevent incidents of harassment.
Both Zoom and the FBI have shared some steps to ensure the security of video calls and protect users from potential trolls and hackers. They recommend users conduct their meetings in a private room that requires a password and gives control to the admin to decide who’s allowed in the call.
They also recommend users to avoid sharing the meeting link on public forums and limit screen sharing to the call’s host.
While the company is still working on the issues, we would recommend users to take extra precautions while using the service. However, if you are looking for alternatives, here are a few options that you may like.