How to ensure privacy and security while using Zoom

• Zoom has become one of the most popular video conferencing apps after the lockdown.
• There have been various security issues with Zoom, including Zoom bombing.
• Here are some steps you can take to secure your Zoom meetings.

The Coronavirus pandemic has pushed people to work from home and use video conferencing services to communicate and hold meetings. This has led to a sudden surge in usage of video conferencing apps like Zoom. However, Zoom too has had its fair share of security issues over the past few weeks.

Some of the main issues faced by Zoom users is Zoom bombing, which is basically crashing a digital meeting. If you are hosting a Zoom meeting, here are some measures that you can take to ensure that your meetings are conducted properly.

How to secure your Zoom meetings

Do not use ‘Personal Meeting ID’

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One of the first things that you need to do is to disable the use of personal meeting ID for instant meetings. Using a personal meeting ID could allow pranksters who know the ID to disrupt your meetings. You can use a random generated ID by following the below steps –

• Login to your Zoom account and click on ‘Profile’.
  
• Now, click ‘Edit’ near the ‘Personal Meeting ID’ section.
  
• Then, uncheck the box and click on ‘Save Changes’.

Update your Meeting Settings

There are several options available in the meeting settings section that allow you to secure your online sessions.

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1. The first thing that you need to do is change the ‘Audio Type’ to ‘Computer Audio’.
   
2. Then, disable ‘Join before host’ so that the other participants cannot join a meeting before you do.
   
3. Then, disable the two options for ‘Use Personal Meeting ID’.
   
4. Enable the option for ‘Only authenticated users can join meetings from web clients’.

1. Now, enable the option for ‘Require password when scheduling’ new meetings and instant meetings.
   
2. Check the option for ‘All Meetings using PMI’ in ‘Require a password for PMI’.
   
3. Disable the option for ‘Embed password in meeting link for one-click join’.
   
4. Enable the option for ‘Require password for participants joining by phone’ so that users who join by phone are asked to enter a numeric password.
   

It is important to mute participants when they join a meeting. In the same section, enable the option for ‘Mute participants upon entry’.

Disable file transfer and screen sharing

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1. If you do not file transfers, disable this setting as it can be used to share inappropriate content.
   
2. The next thing that you need to do is allow only the host to share their screen during a meeting.

Stop users from renaming themselves and disable rejoining

1. Disable the option for ‘Allow removed participants to rejoin’. Once you remove a participant from the meeting, they are not allowed to join again.
   
2. Then, disable the option for ‘Allow participants to rename themselves’. This prevents users from changing their name during the meeting.

Enable waiting room

You can enable a waiting room so that only those users that you allow can join the meeting.

See also:

Zoom and Google Hangouts banned by large companies and government organizations

Researchers found and bought more than 500,000 Zoom passwords on the dark web for less than a cent each

Zoom-bombing has become a popular form of trolling during quarantine. In many cases, it may be illegal, according to experts.
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