Zoom Bombing Considered Illegal Now?

By Anthony Berrios

Blog Post #18

Apparently “zoom bombing” isn’t considered quality YouTube content for the millennial masses anymore as the FBI hasn’t found it as comical. Recently the FBI has stated that they are cracking down on the issue and warned that web conference hijackers could face jail time.

According to the authorities, “anyone who hacks into a teleconference meeting can be charged at the state and federal level. Charges can include the disruption of a public meeting, computer intrusion, using a computer to commit a crime, hate crimes, fraud or transmitting a threatening communications. There are punishable by fines and even imprisonment, according to the FBI.”

“You think Zoom bombing is funny?  Let’s see how funny it is after you get arrested,” stated Matthew Schneider, United States Attorney for Eastern Michigan in a Friday public statement.  “If you interfere with a teleconference or public meeting… you could have federal, state, or local law enforcement knocking at your door.”

So obviously the FBI is getting sick of having to deal with these Zoom issues. Although a lot of Zoom bombings can be considered funny there are plenty of instances where this may not be the case. There is currently a real problem with people giving away meeting information, Zoom accounts being hacked, and credentials being shared on the dark web (see post #17). This can be a real problem for major companies and schools across the country.