Security concerns with video conferencing app Zoom during BARC's media briefing

The Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), which was hosting a virtual conference to inform people about TV and smartphone consumption trends amid the lockdown, was forced to stop the briefing midway because of the "hacking" episode.

Lockdowns across the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which have forced professionals in the service sector across the world to work from home, have resulted in the app being the most popular way of conducting meetings.

Zoom has seen a spike in downloads and usage, but experts have been repeatedly pointing out to security risks with the app.

The Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In), the national agency to combat cyberattacks and guarding the cyberspace, said the unguarded usage of the digital application can be vulnerable to cyberattacks, including leakage of sensitive information to cyber criminals.

"The Zoom meeting platform got hacked and as a result, we had to end the meeting urgently," said an e-mail from the organisers.

According to reports, there were 600 users on the conference when the incident happened.

The hackers are likely to have had taken over the controls resting with the hosts, defaced the slides which were being shown and played various videos, according to the reports.

In its advisory, CERT-In has suggested some measures for enhancing the security of Zoom meetings including keeping the Zoom software patched and up-to-date and always set strong, difficult-to-guess and unique passwords for all meetings and webinars.

The BARC conference has been rescheduled for a later time in the evening.