Everyone Using These Tools Should Consider How Secure They Are
With the rapid transition to work from home environments…it’s no wonder that the use of web meeting technologies has grown exponentially. Everyone using these tools should consider how secure they are as revelations about Zoom have highlighted potential risks. With an easy to use interface and widespread availability, Zoom is one of the more popular platforms for hosting web meetings. Despite the companies inferred offering of end-to-end encrypted connections, recent events have highlighted security and privacy gaps that would not exist if the traffic were truly encrypted:
- Using the chat utility to communicate with other participants can expose critical information – including your windows user ID and password
- Malicious players are guessing meeting numbers or obtaining them from public postings allowing them to inject disruptive audio/video postings into active meetings (Zoombombing)
- Recorded video meetings (retained by Zoom) can be viewed and shared if requested by the government or local law enforcement agencies
- User profile information (meeting access times, device model, phone carrier, etc.) from iOS (Apple) and Android (Google) devices users have been shared with Facebook
- Malicious users can access meetings and install software that allows remote access to the computer audio and video channels
High Likelihood of Hosting or Participating in a Zoom Web Meeting
With the popularity and abundance of Zoom licenses there is still a high likelihood that you will either host or participate in a meeting. Listed below are some tips for improving security and limit exposure when using this platform:
- The host has the option of adjusting the screen sharing settings. They’re hidden but on the general Zoom settings app window, there is an option for screen sharing. Click it and select Advanced settings then configure Zoom to only let the Host share the screen.
- Assume that everything is being recorded, so don’t say anything or add text to a chat window that is confidential or should not be openly shared
- Another option is to lock a meeting after confirming that everyone who needs to join has joined. From the desktop application, select Manage Participants, More, and then Lock Meeting. Just ensure everyone expected has arrived, as they won’t be able to get in once this setting is triggered.
Your Computer Resources Could be at Further Risk
It’s important to note that the ease of use and reliability are all good reasons why Zoom is so popular, but all participants should be aware that information shared during these meetings may not be secure and your computer resources could be at further risk. As always if you have any questions about this or other security questions, please feel free to contact us directly.