Cybersecurity Zoom. There are some threats in using the world’s favorite cloud-based video conferencing today. What are these?
Due to the rise of COVID-19, most of us are pushed to work from home. As a result, there was a surge in the use of Zoom for team meetings.
Before the pandemic, there were 10 million users on Zoom. But once the virus hit the world, Zoom’s users bloated up to 300 million.
Yet, this rise also out Zoom into the spotlight. It has highlighted some of its privacy issues. What are these? And how can you keep out of harm’s way?
Let us dig deeper into that in this article.
Cybersecurity Zoom: Threats
Installation Issues
A few times, Zoom’s installation was found questionable. One version of its installer came out to be not an official release.
It came from a non-Zoom website. The alarming thing is that it contained malware. Also, on another version, it bypassed some security controls on Mac. Leaving out final user consent.
Encryption
First up, encryption. Zoom claimed that it had its video call data encrypted from “end-to-end” (E2E). Meaning, even Zoom cannot get into the data at any given time.
But later on, Zoom admitted that that is not the case. What they had was transport encryption. Meaning, Zoom can access unencrypted video and call data.
So, Zoom can decrypt Zoom meetings. They can also send this over to the Chinese government. Which sounds bad news for those meeting about government secrets.
Zoom Meeting ID Weakness
Another issue lies within their Zoom Meeting IDs. Experts found it possible to make use of how Zoom makes URLs for a meeting. Then, use it to eavesdrop on one.
So, if you do not enable “Require Meeting Password”, then your meeting is at risk. That is also true if you do not turn on Zoom’s Waiting Room.
Hackers can easily generate that nine, ten, or eleven digits Meeting ID. Then, eavesdrop on your meeting.
So, what are some ways to protect yourselves and your meeting?
Cybersecurity Zoom: Best Practices
To keep safe from these threats, you will need to follow some best practices in using Zoom. Here are some:
- Update your Zoom app every time an update rolls out. This will help patch up any issues.
- Do not use your Facebook account to sign in.
- Always use the Waiting Room feature to check who is entering your meetings.
- Use a new Meeting ID every time. Do not reuse the same ones for all your meetings.
- Always protect your meetings with a password.
- Manage all meeting participants. Ensure there is only one host to control the meeting. Like controlling the camera, mute or unmute, screen-sharing, and more.
- Only allow participants that are logged in to Zoom. Be wary of participants with vague names. Like “Huawei Nova 2i” or whatnot.
- Use Zoom via a web browser. It gets updated faster. Also, it does not require the same amount of permissions the desktop app asks.
So, are you ready to use Zoom in the safest way possible?
