Zoombombing

The unwanted, disruptive intrusion, generally by internet trolls, into a video conference call, in which a teleconferencing session is hijacked through the insertion of lewd, obscene or otherwise offensive material, typically forcing the session to shut down or the intruder to be removed. The term, a neologism blending the Zoom videoconferencing platform's name with photobombing, first appeared in technology and news coverage in mid-March 2020 and is also applied to similar intrusions on other platforms such as WebEx or Skype. It became widespread as the COVID-19 pandemic drove a surge in videoconferencing use by businesses, schools and social groups; intruders coordinated raids through forums such as Discord and Reddit, and some social media accounts advertised meeting IDs, passwords or direct join links for vulnerable sessions. The wave of incidents prompted increased scrutiny of Zoom's security, led several educational, corporate and governmental institutions to restrict or reconsider use of the platform, and drove Zoom itself to add security features in response to the influx of new users. Law enforcement in multiple countries has investigated zoombombing incidents and filed criminal charges against those responsible.