--- title: "Parent-Teacher Messaging App Hacked to Send Mom and Dad Horrifying Images" description: "The popular parent-teacher app Seesaw was hacked, and bad actors sent a horribly explicit, NSFW meme to unassuming users." date: "2022-09-16" modified: "2022-09-16" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/parent-teacher-messaging-app-hacked" categories: - "Cybersecurity" - "Future Society" - "Hacking" tags: - "cybersecurity" - "data breach" - "hackers" - "the digest" --- # Parent-Teacher Messaging App Hacked to Send Mom and Dad Horrifying Images ![The popular parent-teacher app Seesaw was hacked, and bad actors sent a horribly explicit, NSFW meme to unassuming users.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Do Not Click Users of the popular parent-teacher app Seesaw were in for a truly shocking surprise this week. The app was [reportedly hacked]() by bad actors, who used the tech's messaging feature to send horribly explicit, NSFW memes to unassuming parents. "DO NOT OPEN ANY 'BITLY' LINKS sent in Seesaw as a message from another school family," read one Illinois school district's [warning message](). "DELETE THE MESSAGE IMMEDIATELY without opening as it contains inappropriate content." https://twitter.com/KeeneyvilleD20/status/1570044476676247552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Eembeddedtimeline%7Ctwterm%5Escreen-name%3AKeeneyvilleD20%7Ctwcon%5Es1 ## "Um ???" According [to *NBC News*](), the hack occurred on Wednesday morning, when parents in many different states started flagging the offensive message to their school districts. For gravitas' sake, we should probably inform you that the message sent was sphincter-forward "goatse" meme. (We will not link.) "Um ???" one recipient of the arresting image wrote in a group chat, [according to *Vice*](). Breaching Seesaw is no small dice — [per its website](), the app is used in over 75 percent of American school districts, and hosts roughly 10 million users every month. In a statement to *NBC*, Seesaw representatives confirmed that individual accounts — rather than the tech's administrative suite — were breached. Basically, the hackers were able to obtain some username and password information, then take over a number of user profiles and use them to send the offensive messages. ## Teaching Moment All in all, this is a pretty open-and-shut [cybersecurity case](). Our sincerest apologies to any parents or teachers who received this classic Internet shock-spon, but in the spirit of all that Seesaw represents, we'd like to turn this into a cybersecurity learning moment: for the love of all things holy, please don't click any random links, and use a password manager, strong passwords, and two-factor authentication. "Seesaw Messages is back up and running for all users," Seesaw tweeted earlier today, adding a blue emoji heart. As you might expect from users of a parent-teacher app, the announcement's [first response]() was someone asking for technological assistance. **READ MORE:** [*Popular school messaging app hacked to send explicit image to parents*]() \[*NBC News*\] **More on cybersecurity:** [*Ceos Exposed for Using Shockingly Stupid Passwords*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()