dallas isd

Dallas ISD Zoom Meeting Hacked, Graphic Images Shown

The district is working with Dallas ISD police and a formal complaint has been made with Zoom

Zoom Video Communications logo seen displayed on a smartphone
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A Dallas ISD Zoom meeting with parents and seniors was hacked Thursday and graphic images were briefly displayed, according to the district.

The meeting with Yvonne A. Ewell Townville Center students and staff was quickly stopped and restarted without further incident, the district said. Dallas ISD did not say how many people were on the call.

"It's unfortunate the digital platform that many of us rely on to connect students with teachers each day has been compromised through various 'Zoom-bombings,' " the district said in a written response. "We apologize for the graphic images some of our students and families may have seen."

The number of people using virtual meeting services like Zoom, Google Hangouts and Microsoft Teams is on the rise as more and more Americans work from home, but that also means a rise in a issue called ‘Zoom bombing.’

The district is working with Dallas ISD police and a formal complaint has been filed with Zoom.

In the statement, Dallas ISD said it hopes the incident "prompts a stronger review of their security measures."

As COVID-19 restrictions have prompted more people to turn to online video platforms like Zoom, more instances of unwelcome guests entering chats have been reported.

Cyber security experts have cautioned people about what can happen and offered tips to avoid Zoom-bombings.

In late April, Zoom announced it was releasing a new version of the program — Zoom 5.0 — with security enhancements, which the company said would provide resistance against tampering and increase protection for meeting data.

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