'Zoom bombers' attack CMS online classes
Reports of profanity, pornography after pranksters hack into classes by impersonating students; Principal warns of 'unsafe environment'
This article was published in The Charlotte Ledger e-newsletter on August 21, 2020. Find out more and sign up for free here.
Hackers reported at Myers Park, Ardrey Kell, Butler, Community House Middle
(Photo courtesy of Glenn Carstens-Peters/Unsplash)
School leaders are struggling with expletive-filled “Zoom bomb” attacks during live class instruction, where outsiders surreptitiously join a class Zoom and broadcast inappropriate videos or spout as much profanity as they can before a teacher can log them off.
The Ledger’s teen sources have reported a number of such incidents at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, such as one Ardrey Kell High School homeroom class disrupted two mornings in a row by a Zoom bomber who logged in (with the camera disabled) under the name of a student already logged into the class and repeatedly said the “n” word.
At Butler High School, a parent said her child witnessed a student mooning a class during a Zoom lesson.
And in a Myers Park High School class on Tuesday, several Zoom bombers screamed obscenities, played porn videos and cursed out the teacher, saying things like “Can you suck my d—?” a student said. They also filled the chat with inappropriate comments.
The teacher tried to mute them but they kept unmuting themselves, the student said. The teacher shut down the Zoom session and relaunched it four times, but the pranksters found a way to get in every time. Eventually, the teacher gave up.
During the next class, the teacher used a “waiting room” and verified that participants were on the roster before they joined the Zoom. That helped, the student said, but one prankster still managed to get in (probably by impersonating an enrolled student) and started playing pornographic videos. Fortunately, the teacher was able to hide/mute that student and continue teaching.
Brian Slattery, the new principal of Community House Middle School, issued a robocall to parents Wednesday night asking for their help:
Students are coming into class under false names and creating huge disruptions. The teachers are now taking some precautions in order for your students to be safe. They will only admit students who are using their first and last name into the Zoom. They will utilize a waiting room setting as well as controlling mute settings and chat settings. I would also appreciate it if our parents also discussed with their students the importance of not posting Zoom links on social media such as TikTok. It has created an unsafe environment and we want to make sure that all the students in our live Zoom classes attend Community House Middle School and belong in that class.
Ardrey Kell High School principal Jamie Brooks has been sitting in on the Zooms of classes that have been targeted in previous days, so she can take down information about the incidents, try to identify the bombers and alert administrators.
Asked about the CMS policy for disciplining Zoom bombers, a CMS spokeswoman told the Ledger on Thursday: “Students who are not adhering to appropriate behavior will be addressed by the school and appropriate disciplinary action will be issued.”
Zoom security is an issue worldwide, with many companies prohibiting employees from discussing company information on the platform because of fears that outsiders could be lurking.
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