An online class in Prince George's County (the county located in the state of Maryland, USA) was interrupted on Thursday after a hacker gained access to the online class and made various racist comments.
The hacker impersonated the student and used a voice‑changing program, saying various racist phrases and threatening to kill them.
In a copy of the video released by CBS 6 News, students can be heard asking the person to stop disrupting their class.
A parent from a public school in Prince George County said that many hacking incidents occurred throughout Thursday.
Prince George's County Public Schools Superintendent Lisa Pennycuff sent the following update to parents and staff:
Prince George's County Public Schools provides a safe learning environment for our students and staff , both individually and collectively. We are concerned about a hacking incident that occurred at one of our schools where offensive language during a live virtual class where students were present.
As we enter the world of virtual teaching, there will be incidents that arise from which we need to learn a lot. When these incidents arise, investigations should be conducted and various measures should be taken.
The school complex is taking steps to ensure that all platforms used for virtual classes by our teachers remain safe for all users. Additional support measures are also being taken for students and teachers which we hope will help prevent future attacks on our school complexes.
As you may have noticed, hacker attacks on online courses have increased recently. The fact that COVID-19 has forced all American schools to conduct their classes online has created an entire “market” for hackers.
