Zoom Security Tips

With the coronavirus pandemic forcing millions of people to work, learn, and socialize from home, Zoom conferences are becoming a default method to connect. And with popularity comes abuse.

However, security researchers started speaking out about security lapses in the program, the new trend of “Zoombombing,” and crashing public meetings with obscenities and worse.

The founder and CEO of Zoom has apologized to the video conferencing app’s millions of users after coming under fire for a host of privacy issues at a time when it has emerged as a vital social and professional lifeline for many.

“We recognize that we have fallen short of the community’s — and our own — privacy and security expectations,” Eric Yuan said in a blog post on Wednesday. “For that, I am deeply sorry.”

Here are few tips for Zoom where you can make your meetings not only virtual but also private and secure:

• Make sure meetings are password protected (more on thais here)
• When possible, don’t announce meetings on social media or other public outlets. Instead, send messages only to the participants, using email, text, or via your favorite messaging app
• Disable the Join Before Host setting so that organizers can control the meeting from its very start.
• Use the Waiting Room option to admit participants. Read more here
• Adjust the screen share options immediately. Read more here
• Be aware of everything that’s within view of your camera

Finally, virtual meetings need to be managed differently than in-person ones. If you just transfer your standard meeting playbook to your video calls, the result will likely be less engagement and an inefficient use of your team’s time.