Zoom Zoom Bombing (2020)

When the world went into lockdown in early 2020, Zoom went from a niche business tool to a household name overnight. But along with its meteoric rise came a new digital nuisance: Zoom bombing.

Remember when your neighbor’s kid crashed that town hall meeting, or how a yoga class suddenly turned into a chaotic mess of trolls shouting profanities? That was Zoom bombing in full swing. The phenomenon highlighted just how unprepared we were for the rapid shift to online life.

Zoom bombing, simply put, refers to the unwanted intrusion of random people into Zoom calls, often to share inappropriate content or cause disruptions. Early victims included virtual classrooms, remote business meetings, and even social events like weddings. While some intrusions were innocent pranks, others revealed significant security concerns, especially for schools and businesses handling sensitive information.

?? How Did It Happen ?

The surge in Zoom bombing during early 2020 wasn’t a coordinated conspiracy, but rather a perfect storm of factors:

• Publicly Shared Meeting Links: People often shared Zoom links on social media without thinking of the potential risks.
• Lack of Password Protection: Many meetings were set up without passwords or had easily guessed meeting IDs.
• Poor Screen Sharing Controls: Anyone who joined could often share their screen without restriction.

These oversights were enough for opportunistic pranksters (and worse) to disrupt virtual gatherings on a large scale.

?? How Zoom Fought Back

To combat the wave of intrusions, Zoom quickly rolled out a series of security updates:

• Default Password Protection: Passwords are now automatically set for most meetings.
• Waiting Rooms: The “waiting room” feature became standard, allowing hosts to approve attendees before they join.
• Limited Screen Sharing: By default, screen sharing is now restricted to hosts only.
• Meeting Lock: Once a meeting starts, hosts can lock it, preventing anyone else from joining.

These changes drastically reduced Zoom bombing incidents, but the need for users to adopt security best practices remains essential.

??? Your Zoom Security Checklist

With virtual meetings here to stay, it’s crucial to stay vigilant. Here’s how to keep your Zoom sessions secure:

1. Enable Passwords for all meetings, even casual ones.
2. Use Waiting Rooms to screen participants before they join.
3. Limit Screen Sharing to the host, unless necessary.
4. Lock Your Meeting once all intended participants have arrived.
5. Avoid Publicly Posting Links; share them directly with intended participants.

These steps can make the difference between a smooth meeting and an unexpected intrusion.