From Rickrolling to Zoombombing

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In 2008, the interactive video game company, Take Two, announced the release of Grand Theft Auto IV, a highly anticipated event in the world of gaming. The trailer, leaked prior to its release, generated so much online traffic that it broke the Internet. Many eager fans were unable to stream or download the promotional video, and as result, one of the most popular memes of all time was born. A prankster on the popular video game chat board, 4chan, tricked unwitting suspects by hyperlinking the supposed trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV to the YouTube video of Rick Astley’s 1987 hit song, “Never Gonna Give You Up.” Rickrolling, as it came to be known, was born.

Internet lore says that Rickrolling wasn’t an original idea. Like most creative endeavors, it evolved from an earlier prank called duckrolling. The concept was less viral for obvious reasons – instead of Rick Astley’s trademark moves and upbeat earworm, the targeted parties were presented with an image of a duck on wheels accompanied by a more obscure musical selection, The Pickard Song by DarkMateria. The clear winner emerged.

A defining quality of the Internet meme is, of course, its transformation over time. Memes morph as people modify and share them and as technology advances. Today, with so many people working from home and connecting online, the potential for shenanigans is even greater. Videoconferencing platforms, and Zoom in particular, have been used for business meetings, social gatherings, medical visits, and therapy groups. With so many people accessing this popular platform every hour, users are sitting ducks for those with bad intentions. Enter Zoombombing, the practice of invading a public or private meeting over the Zoom platform to broadcast offensive or disruptive content. Whereas Rickrolling was (mostly) harmless and fun, Zoombombing is anything but. In fact, it’s now become a criminal act to intrude on public or private meetings. Federal prosecutors and the FBI are warning would-be hackers that the legal implications of Zoombombing are real.  

We’ve assembled a few good resources about Zoombombing, focused specifically on recent developments in the law. We also link to two articles with tips for protecting your meetings from uninvited guests to lessen your own chances of being Zoombombed. If you are the victim of a teleconferencing attack, report the incident to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. Stay safe!

Links

Zoombombing and the Law (Reason)

Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement Warn Against Teleconferencing Hacking During Coronavirus Pandemic (United States Department of Justice)

Who’s Zoomin Who? (National Law Review)

Protect Yourself

How to stop trolls from taking over your Zoom call (The Verge)

Security tips every teacher and professor needs to know about Zoom, right now (ArsTechnica)

Where There’s a Will, There’s a Wayback Machine: Ransomware Hits the TEXas Judiciary online

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If your bookmark for the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure on the Texas Courts Website no longer links you to the source you are seeking but instead gives you a 404 error, or if you’re searching for your favorite Research Guide on the Texas State Law Library website but the page is timing out, you may wonder why. On May 8, the Office of Court Administration, the IT service provider for the appellate courts and state judicial agencies within the Texas Judicial Branch, identified a serious security issue, which was later determined to be a ransomware attack. OCA was able to shut down the branch network, including websites and servers, to prevent further harm.

While the server problems are being addressed, a temporary website is providing access to coronavirus information including emergency orders, court guidance, and electronic hearing procedures. The latest Court news and other updates, including the statement released by the OCA, are also available on the temporary page, along with the @txcourts Twitter feed. The OCA took care to address concerns about essential services such as eFile Texas and reSearchTX, which, they explain, are cloud-based services unaffected by the ransomware attack. The courts and judicial branch agencies are continuing operations and ensuring that the filing of court documents will continue without interruption. If you need to access the resources on the original version of the website, follow the steps below.

Access the original Texas Judicial Branch website as it was captured by the Wayback Machine on April 10, 2020.

Access the original Texas Judicial Branch website as it was captured by the Wayback Machine on April 10, 2020.

Here’s the Hack

  • Go to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine website.

  • Type this URL into the search box: TXCOURTS.GOV

  • The page has been captured hundreds of times since 2012, and as most recently as April 10, 2020. Choose that date on the calendar.

  • Select one of the timestamp options, and you will link to the original Texas Courts homepage where most, if not all, of the webpages — including the PDFs they link to — are available.

Access, for example, the Texas Rules of Evidence. Download any number of forms, including Orders of Nondisclosure. As long as you access the site via the Wayback Machine, you will be able to view all captured pages. (What is the Wayback Machine? Learn more here.)

Hopefully, the Texas Judiciary and our good friends at the Texas State Law Library will be back up and running smoothly again soon! If you’re missing the State Law Library’s chat reference feature, try the link at Harris County Law Library, where we’ve partnered with the TSLL to provide real-time chat services. Your reliable State Law Library reference staff is available and continuing to provide services. We wish the OCA much luck in the investigation, remediation, and recovery of IT services for the Judiciary and the Texas State Law Library.

State Law Library and Harris County Law Library Launch Partnership to Expand Digital Services

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 29, 2020

Today, the Texas State Law Library and Harris County Law Library announced a new partnership to expand digital services for all Texans. Beginning on Law Day, May 1, 2020, law librarians from both institutions will work together to offer expanded chat services in English and Spanish Monday through Friday. Anyone who needs assistance with legal research can contact a law librarian through either libraries’ website to access expansive collections of digital resources.

“We are excited to expand access to legal information with our partners at the State Law Library,” Harris County Law Library Director Mariann Sears said. “Each library has unique resources to support self-represented litigants, attorneys, and the judiciary. Through this partnership, we can make more of those resources available to help ensure continued access to justice as we stay home and work safe.”

Following guidance from the Supreme Court of Texas and public health officials, both law libraries suspended in-person services in March and expanded virtual services to support remote work by attorneys, judges, and self-represented litigants. Expansion of real-time chat services will further assist the legal community to work remotely following the Supreme Court’s extension of its emergency order through June 1, 2020, allowing Texas courts to postpone hearings and encourage remote participation in proceedings.

“This partnership is a great opportunity for the State Law Library to serve more Texans, especially in Harris County,” Texas State Law Library Assistant Director Amy Small said. “With a third of the Texas legal community and the state’s busiest courts, the Houston metro area has the most potential users of the State Law Library’s expansive digital collections. Working with law librarians at the Harris County Law Library and drawing on their expertise will help us connect more Texans with needed legal resources.”

The new partnership will serve as a pilot program with the goal of expanding opportunities for collaboration between Texas’s network of public law libraries. Law libraries that are interested in participating are encouraged to contact the State Law Library.

About Chat References Services

Law librarians at the Texas State Law Library and Harris County Law Library will offer real-time reference services in English, Spanish, and Farsi, Monday through Friday, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., beginning on Friday, May 1, 2020. Visit either library website to access the chat interface and to learn more about digital services.

About the Texas State Law Library

The Texas State Law Library is a public law library that serves the legal research needs of the Texas Supreme Court, the Court of Criminal Appeals, the Office of the Attorney General, other state agencies and commissions, and the citizens of the state. Located in Austin, Texas, the State Law Library offers services and digital collections to all Texans through its website at https://www.sll.texas.gov.

About the Harris County Law Library

The Harris County Law Library opened in 1915 and has continued to serve Harris County’s legal information needs for more than a century. After joining the Office of Vince Ryan, Harris County Attorney, in 2011, the Law Library greatly expanded its technology offerings and services to the public. Today, the Law Library receives more than 60,000 visitors each year, 90% of whom are not lawyers. To learn more about services and digital collections, visit the Harris County Law Library Virtual Reference Desk at https://www.harriscountylawlibrary.org.