Zoombomber crashes Fresno State session with child porn, professor confirms

Fresno State students and faculty were exposed to child pornography earlier this week when someone Zoombombed an online meeting, a university official confirmed.

The incident happened around 3 p.m. Monday during a Zoom conference hosted by the college’s Media, Communications and Journalism Department, Professor Betsy Hays told The Fresno Bee.

The host immediately ended the session. Police and the IT department were notified, Hays said.

A similar incident played out for faculty at Bakersfield College on the same day, according to BakersfieldNow. Bakersfield police are still investigating that incident.

It is unclear if the two incidents are connected.

Reports of Zoombombing have been on the rise since more people have been working from home amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Zoom released a security update on Tuesday, according to Forbes, which will help catch Zoombombers. There are updated security features and an option to report a user.

Universities are aware of the problem on the popular videoconferencing app. Fresno State has posted tips and best practices for avoiding disruption while using Zoom, which includes sending invitations directly to participants and requiring a password.

This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 12:28 PM.