Security Measures for Zoom Meetings

As many Americans try to navigate this new normal of social distancing, we find ourselves with a lot of Zoom conference call invites. It's helping to keep people in touch and maintain business during this global pandemic.

There are a handful of security steps everyone should be taking to protect their privacy during calls, especially if the calls are professional in nature. There is an increase in Zoom-bombing, which is when unauthorized people hack into your meeting and it puts privacy and confidentiality at risk.

Here is a set of steps that experts suggest we all take to ensure Zoom meetings are secure, because a completely secure one is only attainable if all of the participants on the call have acted. We’ve also attached a Zoom Security Guide for your use as you protect your system:

Don’t fall for Zoom-themed malware. Believe it or not, scammers have created fake Zoom client installers. Make sure you only download the software from Zoom’s official site https://zoom.us. If you believe you may have downloaded fake software, immediately uninstall the application and run a full antivirus scan of your computer to detect any presence of malware.

Stay up-to-date on every update. Whether it’s on your computer, smartphone or network, constant updates and patches to your operating systems, firewall, apps and anti-virus software are what keep your computer and its data secure. It’s imperative that you follow the instructions specific to each program to check for updates frequently.

Change your security settings within Zoom. The basic defaults of Zoom and other software programs are set low in security to make the program easier for beginners.

Here are just a few of the setting changes I’ve made on my end to ensure any Zoom meetings I attend are secure:

• Enable waiting room. This is a virtual waiting room that holds participants right before a meeting but with no communication. I can then admit each person into the meeting if they belong.
• Require meeting password. This automatically generates a password that I can send out to all participants so only those invited can join (no Zoom-bombers).
• Prevent participants from saving chat. This makes sure all chats during the meeting are kept secure and can’t be shared with other audiences.
• Disable participant screen sharing. This prevents the screen from being highjacked (or Zoom-bombed) during a meeting.
• Disable file transfer. Turning this off avoids the unintentional sharing of documents.
• Don’t share your Personal Meeting ID (PMI). Keeping my PMI private guarantees that others can’t use my PMI to access meetings in progress.
• Lock meetings once everyone has joined. This keeps the meeting secure.

Use general web-based precautions. Remember that Zoom is web-based and requires Internet access to participate. All of the same precautions you’ve been directed to take whenever you’re online should also be taken every time you’re on Zoom.

I hope these tips will leave you feeling more confident in the security of virtual meetings. If you are interested in discussing any of these points in more detail, contact Iron Point today.