A class of Georgia middle school students doing remote learning were exposed to pornographic images, officials confirmed.
Twenty students at Veterans Memorial Middle School in Columbus were watching a social studies lesson when their Zoom session was interrupted with inappropriate images, WTVM reported.
“It happened around 10:20-ish in her social studies class,” Mitch Zamora, a parent of one of the students, told the television station. “She said she saw what looked like the exorcist’s face and thought someone was just playing a joke, trying to scare her. But then, she heard a foreign language and saw a picture of a naked woman’s body and her bottom part.”
School began in Muscogee County on Aug. 17, according to the district’s website.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation Cyber Crimes Center has labeled these instances as “Zoom bombing,” which is when someone hacks or enters a virtual Zoom meeting without permission and then either says or does something inappropriate, WTVM reported.
Charles Kicklighter, assistant special agent at the Charge Georgia Cyber Crimes Center, said reports of the hacking have nearly doubled since last year.
“There is an increase in cyber tips involving children,” Kicklighter told the television station. “You can’t say it’s all because of COVID, but it is certainly a factor.”
The Muscogee County School District acknowledged the hack in a statement.
“The District is aware of a recent incident where inappropriate content was shared to a class via Zoom,” the statement said. “This incident is under investigation and we will implement additional safety protocols to ensure we continue to provide a safe learning environment with minimal disruptions. We encourage parents to connect with their students about safe practices during virtual learning: Do not share personal information, login credentials, or passwords.”