A town in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, has issued an apology after an online board of supervisors meeting was “Zoom-bombed.”
Officials of West Norriton Township are working to reassure residents that township data is secure after a brief portion of an online board meeting was disrupted.
The situation happened earlier this week. As officials listened to a presentation, static was heard, almost like a microphone feedback, then a racist slur.
“It was only a couple of seconds, there was some loud noise, apparently something appeared on the manager’s screen and he shut it down,” said Roseanne Milazzo, President of the West Norriton Township Board of Commissioners.
NBC10 obtained footage of the interruption, which had lasted about 52 seconds.
Milazzo said the meeting continued while the Zoom portion was disabled. Now, changes are coming to prevent interruptions.
“In the future, we are going to have someone checking each and every person before they are allowed in,” said Milazzo.
Cybersecurity experts shared the following tips for your next online meeting:
– Use unique meeting IDs / Strong passwords.
– Enable waiting rooms to screen participants before admitting them.
– Restrict screen sharing capabilities to hosts only.
– Lock meetings once all expected participants have joined.
– Avoid sharing meeting links on public platforms or social media.
West Norriton Township shared an apology to it’s facebook page. The message read in part:
“We sincerely apologize to residents who experienced disruptions during the Zoom portion of our recent Township meeting due to a Zoom bombing incident.
We want to clearly address some misinformation that has appeared online: the Township’s data and network were NOT hacked, and no Township systems or information were accessed. Zoom operates as a separate, third-party platform and does not run through the Township’s internal network.
The inappropriate content displayed during the meeting was limited solely to the Zoom session itself. We understand how frustrating and concerning this interruption was and regret the inconvenience it caused to residents, staff, and elected officials.
We are reviewing additional safeguards for future virtual meetings to help prevent similar incidents and appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue to provide accessible public meetings.”
Milazzo said the township wants to ensure the community there is not a threat to the township infrastructure.
“The only reason the township posted a statement on social media was that a former resident was spreading irresponsible, misleading statements about the event, and we felt a responsibility to correct that,” said Milazzo.
Milazzo said any residents with concerns should contact township officials, who are happy to answer questions and help prevent misinformation.
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