By Tanya Smith-Cartwright
tscartwright@tribunemedia.net
A MEETING of experts on COVID-19 analysis was disrupted on Friday when the video messaging service used was interrupted with gay pornography.
The University of The Bahamas was using Zoom for the forum on a scientific analysis of mathematical models to assess the COVID-19 outbreak in The Bahamas.
The meeting started on schedule at noon but was soon interrupted with the first presenter, Dr Danny Davis, the university’s director of institutional strengthening, only ten minutes into his presentation.
Instead of the scientific analysis, screens were showing gay pornography.
Dean of Graduate Studies and Research Dr Vik Nair, a professor of sustainable tourism, alerted those attending. “We’ve been hacked! End the meeting, end the meeting,” he said.
Not realising what happened, Dr Davis eventually apologised and shut down the meeting.
The forum was also intended to present information on the impact of structural weaknesses in Bahamian society on the country’s COVID-19 response.
Zoom has been widely used after the coronavirus outbreak for video conferencing – but a number of incidents of “Zoom-bombing” have taken place in which other people join in video meetings and disrupt them.
The software manufacturers released a new security update this week, Zoom 5.0, in an attempt to tackle concerns.
Comments
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 12 months ago
"The forum was also intended to present information on the impact of structural weaknesses in Bahamian society on the country’s COVID-19 response"
Well @Tal, there you go...
ohdrap4 3 years, 11 months ago
Lol . Lol. They better upgrade the virus software.
Well_mudda_take_sic 3 years, 11 months ago
One can only begin to imagine the extent to which the many unsecure computer systems throughout our government have been comprised. And the cost of the fraud going on as a result must be astronomical. Just start thinking about the many shortcomings of the Public Treasury's computer systems alone!
Clamshell 3 years, 11 months ago
At first I thought it was just a video demonstration of the economic situation: “We’re takin’ it up the @ss!!”
Porcupine 3 years, 11 months ago
Very good one.
SP 3 years, 11 months ago
Why are sicko gays and alphabet people determined to expose their abominable unnatural desires to the rest of us?
Everyone else is also supposed to have the freedom of sexual preference they were fighting for, not just these crazed deviants who insist on forcing their demented lifestyle on normal people.
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 11 months ago
It has nothing to do with sickos really. The hackers are probably very ordinary (as technical professionals go) people who like to pull practical jokes. The reaction in the news article is exactly what they were going for. Disruption, pandemonium etc etc.They get off on making the headlines. hey mom look, I made the news!
Clamshell 3 years, 11 months ago
Exactly. Gay people didn’t do that. Morons did that.
ohdrap4 3 years, 11 months ago
This might just illustrate how schools in the Bahamas invest so little in IT.
Teachers in many instances have to purchase their own supplies and the situation is now augmented where these supplies include computers, cameras and video software. Teachers also have to pay for adequate internet connection.
God forbud sonething fails and you have to wait 5 days for a cable bahamas visit.
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