Pleasant Hill, CA: How to Improve Security with Zoom

Due to the shelter-in-place ordinances many people are working from home and children are being home-schooled. Because of this, Zoom is utilized more than ever before.

Zoom has had a 535% increase in daily traffic on its app download page, and its iPhone app has been ranked as the most downloaded app in the country for weeks according to TheGuardian.com. A lot of Zoom’s popularity is due to its easy user interface and the unlimited free use for one-to-one calls.

However there is a downside, it is being called a “privacy disaster” by security researchers.  New York Attorney General Letitia James sent a letter to Zoom questioning how they were tackling the security matters and consumer complaints, stating that Zoom had been slow to address issues. Zoom’s response was that it “takes its users’ privacy, security, and trust extremely seriously”.

You may already know about the recent “Zoom-Bombing” that has been occurring. This is mainly due to new users not knowing how to use the Zoom platform features, not Zoom’s lack of security. Because of this, Zoom has made their security features more noticeable. New users can now make their meetings more secure. If you are not sure of how to use these features here are some tips:

Click the Security icon located on the left side of the meeting toolbar. This allows you to “Lock Meeting” to more attendees. You will also be able to “Enable Waiting Room” to assess each waiting attendee before admission. The facilitator can also use this menu to control who has the options of screen-sharing, chatting and participant renaming.

More security steps:

There are also steps you can take to tighten security before you launch the application:

1. Zoom and many other platforms have tutorials that show you how to use their safety features. These are usually available on their website as well as YouTube. Many of the features can be set up with a default setting. It will keep your settings until you change them.
2. Use a different meeting number and password for each meeting and only give this information to those who need to attend. This is especially important for recurring meetings.
3. Utilize the Enable Waiting Room feature on the scheduler so that no one enters the meeting without your permission. This can be setup as a default setting.
4. Lastly, be aware of your surroundings.

A few more tips: call from a quiet location where family members cannot be viewed by others in your meeting. your virtual guests. Confirm your camera is angled up at your face and not at your desktop where there may be sensitive information and confirm there is nothing sensitive on the walls in your background.

There are many platforms to choose from: Skype, GoToMeeting, Cisco Webex, and Google Hangouts to name a few.  Each has its own pricing structure, and features suit your needs.

Cantrell’s Computer Sales & Service is open by appointment only M-F 9am-5pm. To schedule an appointment, call us at 925-827-1200.