Coronavirus Schools: Naked, Obscenity-Screaming Man Zoombombs Berkeley Virtual Classroom

BERKELEY (CBS SF) — Berkeley school officials have indefinitely suspended all online video classes after a naked man hacked into a Zoom instruction session, exposed himself to students and began to scream obscenities, officials said.

In a letter sent to parents late Wednesday afternoon , Berkeley schools superintendent Brent Stephens said the incident took place on Tuesday.

As result, Stephens said, all video online instructions would be placed on hold.

Stephens told parents that the teacher had taken all the necessary security procedures to make sure the breach did not happen.

“What is especially troubling about this incident is that it appears that the teacher followed all the current guidance about security precautions in Zoom,” he wrote. “Still, the intruder obtained the credentials for the meeting and was able to gain access to the session. It is simply unacceptable to ignore a risk of this significance.”

According to published reports, school districts in New York, Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas have also suspended their use of the Zoom platform over the last 2 weeks over security and control concerns.