A Handy Guide To Secure Zoom Meetings

 

With millions locked inside and increases dependency on online apps to work from home and video conferencing the use of zoom has increased so much. Bringing with it zoom bombing. The practice of uninvited users crashing into the otherwise private online conversation.

Zoom has sorted 200 million daily users from 10 million in less than 3 months. The platform which was brought up with a intend as business oriented teleconferencing instrument but rapidly became global video hangout and saw multiple reports of strangers gaining access to an invite or meeting number generated by the platform.

One such zoom bomb happened to Neil Albrecht chief executive director of Milwaukee election commission during a video conference to find a solution on late absentee balance, unknown hackers took over show religious videos, disturbing pictures and words.

The privacy issues snowballed into even bigger cyber security concerns. Cyber security researchers have found codes and data sharing of users with Facebook. Lack of end to end encryption and routing of some traffic to China. Researchers say that zoom bombing problems could have been prevented if meeting host have taken few steps to secure it.

Zoom has updated its software and has given host more security options to reduce the risk of Zoom bombing.

Hence here are few things one should keep in mind before using the app and to ensure security aspect of the private meeting.

 

1. Know All About Zoom Package Deal

There are different types of zoom account, each with different features and privileges. Forexample, free meeting for a group call for 3 to 4 people is for 40 minutes and the other is free-unlimited one to one meeting. Whatever the setting is, the host should be well versed with the features and security steps to prevent any disturbance later.

2. Don’t Share Zoom Details

This is a very important step for ensuring safety of you zoom meeting. One should never ever share the meeting link on any public forum as it makes it more vulnerable to get hacked.

Sharing link on any public platform makes it easier for zoom bombers to share it on groups or among people with the specific intention of Zoom bombing or causing other problems. Hence it is better for us to take as many precautions as we can beforehand.

3. Be Watchful for Meeting IDs

 The idea behind this step is that if one is using meeting ID to host an online public conference one should not use personalised id rather should use a randomly created id and password. This will keep you personal space and information secured.

4. Set a Password on the Meeting

Zoom now provide the option to set a password by default, it is important for user to set a personalized meeting password.

5. Set a Waiting Room

This is again a crucial default setting provided by zoom app as its latest security measures. It is a feature through which host can keep a check on who can enter in that private meeting. While setting the meeting one can enable the option of “wating room”. When someone clink s one the zoom meeting link they enter in virtual waiting room from where only host can admit the person in meeting.

6. Restrict Number of Participants

Before a meeting is set up a person know the turn out of the audience and accordingly can set a limit to number of participants. This is a good practice as one can monitor that the meeting does not get overcrowded.

7. Lock Your Meeting

This is an interesting a useful feature provided by zoom app as a part of security concerned in which the host of the meeting, after the limit of meeting is reached, can lock the meeting so that no one enters in between and hamper the ongoing conference.

 

 

Written by - Shalaka Pathak

Edited by – Adrija Saha