United States Attorney William M. McSwain warned the community about the potential for hackers to invade and disrupt videoconference meetings that are taking place as Americans use video-teleconferencing (VTC) platforms to conduct online meetings during the coronavirus pandemic. “In the weeks following the coronavirus outbreak, videoconferencing platforms have become a part of daily living, used in a variety of ways ― from conducting online classes, to hosting extended family gatherings, to holding large corporate meetings,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “Unfortunately, we have also seen an uptick in video hacking, where cyber actors hijack VTC meetings and cause a variety of harms, from showing inappropriate images to making death threats. Hackers beware: this behavior is not funny in any way and will not be tolerated.” As individuals continue to engage in online learning and social and business meetings during the pandemic, law enforcement recommends exercising due diligence and caution and encourages users to take the following steps to mitigate videoconferencing threats.
