How to Change Zoom’s Default Security Settings
Once you know your Zoom app is up-to-date (see instructions further down in this article), then you can begin to tweak and adjust the default security settings to further increase the security of your application.
Adjust Zoom Security Settings When Scheduling a Meeting
The settings you just adjusted are default settings. These will remain set for every meeting that you schedule, unless you change them. There are also some settings you can tweak when scheduling a meeting to improve Zoom security. Alternatively, you can select the Require a password when scheduling new meetings option to turn it on. In that case, a password is generated when the meeting is scheduled and participants are required to enter that password to join the meeting. You can make these changes in the Zoom app or on the Zoom website. The images included below are specific to the app.
How Secure is Zoom Video Conferencing?
One of the issues users have experienced is other people hijacking meetings—called ZoomBombing—and then screaming obscenities, showing pornography, and exhibiting other nuisance behavior to disrupt meetings. ZoomBombing is possible, in some cases, because of a security flaw in older versions of the Zoom application. You can also select or deselect other options that meet your requirements for the meeting you are scheduling. Zoom, like many applications, is installed with a set of pre-defined defaults that determine some of the security level of the application. Also, like many applications, the default settings are designed to make the program easier to use for the majority of users. What that means for you is that many security features that would help protect the security of your calls are turned off. It’s easy to turn those features on, though, once you know where they are and what they do.
Make Sure You’re Using the Correct Zoom Site
Before you get started, make sure you’re accessing the correct Zoom site. The official address for Zoom is https://zoom.us. If you have visited or downloaded software from any other zoom site, then you are at risk of having installed fake software on your system that could put your security at risk. You should immediately uninstall the application and then run a full antivirus scan to ensure your system has not been infected by malware.
How to Make Sure Zoom is Updated
The first step you’ll need to take to ensure your Zoom is secure is to update it to the most recent version available. Here’s how to make sure you have the most up-to-date version of Zoom possible:
A Final Note on Zoom Security
As with any application, Zoom security is only as good as the hosts and participants that use it. Be sure you’re meeting your responsibility when using the Zoom app or Zoom on a mobile device or on the web. Here are some tips:
Make sure you have a firewall and appropriate computer security in place and active. Keep your computer, firewall, antivirus, and network up-to-date.Be careful who you share your meeting invites with, and request that participants whom you invite to meetings also not share the meeting invites.If possible, hosts and participants should use a VPN to increase security while using Zoom (or doing anything online).
Finally, keep in mind that Zoom is web-based. Whether you’re using it from your computer or a mobile device, internet access is required to conduct and participate in Zoom calls. As such, use the same caution you would use with anything that you do online.
