Arlington Conservation Committee Meeting 'Zoom-Bombed'

ARLINGTON, MA — A remote Conservation Commission meeting was "Zoom-bombed" April 2. Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine told YourArlington about 30 people joined the public call and "began to display disturbing images on the screen and saying disturbing things on the call." Town officials believe the group was part of a larger effort to crash 10 meetings of boards and commissions in the area, the site reported.

The term has gained mainstream usage since the coronavirus moved public meetings online. It refers to an instance where one or more people disrupt a public Zoom videoconference, typically to say or show something inflammatory.

The FBI's office in Boston issued a warning last month after seeing an increase in reports of "Zoom-bombing." In once instance, a Zoom-bomber interrupted an online Massachusetts high school class to shout a profanity and the teacher's home address. An online meeting at another Massachusetts school was interrupted by someone who displayed swastika tattoos.

"The FBI has received multiple reports of conferences being disrupted by pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language," the FBI said in a news release. "As individuals continue the transition to online lessons and meetings, the FBI recommends exercising due diligence and caution in your cybersecurity efforts. The following steps can be taken to mitigate teleconference hijacking threats."

The FBI recommends password-protecting online meeting and said organizers should not publicly share links to meetings on social media. Once the meeting is underway, hosts should make sure participants cannot share screens without the meeting organizer's approval.

Officials told YourArlington they have enacted additional security measures for online meetings.