Zoom hackers’ vile child abuse images

CYBER hackers infiltrated a charity’s video conference and broadcast ‘graphic’ child sex abuse.

Horrified staff alerted police after the footage appeared during a Zoom meeting about mental health.

Some of those who saw the ‘very disturbing’ images have accepted an offer of counselling from the hacked charity, Highland Third Sector Interface, in Dingwall, Ross-shire.

Police Scotland is investigating a series of similar incidents, known as ‘Zoom bombing’.

A source said: ‘The images were very disturbing. It was graphic, sexual and it did involve children.’

Millions of people are using Zoom during the Covid-19 pandemic.

But there has been a rise in reports of hackers hijacking calls and broadcasting offensive material.

Last month, Olympian Duncan Scott’s Scottish Swimming workout for children was invaded by porn hackers and an Angus Council public meeting was also a target.

Highland Third Sector Interface called police immediately after the disturbing incident on May 6.

A spokesman for the charity, which supports community groups, clubs and other organisations, said the hack attack happened at the start of the meeting of more than 30 people.

She said: ‘It is distressing. We won’t be using Zoom again.’

An email sent by the charity to contacts said that staff were ‘significantly upset’.

The charity also said it would stop using Zoom because it ‘would not be willing to put future meeting participants at risk through the use of a platform that appears to be particularly targeted by individuals deliberately intent on inflicting upset, trauma and harm to others’.

Police Scotland said it was making inquiries into the incident.

Zoom, used by an estimated 300million people daily, said in a statement: ‘This incident is truly appalling. We are looking into this specific incident to ensure appropriate action is taken.’

US-based Zoom has seen the number of its users soar during the pandemic. Even the UK Government has used it for Cabinet meetings, although intelligence agencies have warned that it could be vulnerable to surveillance.