Zoom Security: How to configure

Zoom is one of the most popular video meetings and conference room solutions that provide simple and innovative video-first unified communications. But in the past few days, there have been issues. Zoom has come up with remedial features and plugged the gaps to address threats.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, most of the meetings and conferences are happening online thus platforms like Zoom and Cisco Webex, etc have seen a tremendous jump in conducting conferences, remote meetings and imparting education across the world.

A few people are looking for Zoom alternatives but if you don’t want to switch and continue with Zoom only then configure your Zoom meeting in the right manner.

A comprehensive, graphical configuration setting has been prepared by CyCord Center for secure use of the Zoom platform. By enabling/disabling these settings you can prevent unauthorised entry in the conference room, prevent an authorised participant and can avoid DOS attack.

You can easily make these changes by logging into users' zoom account at the website or installed application at PC/Laptop/Phone and also during the conduct of the conference. However certain settings are possible through certain mode/channel only. For instance, lock meetings can be enabled by an administrator only when the meeting has started.

Zoom Security Configuration Through the website

1. Visit the zoom website: https://zoom.us/ and log in by entering your account credentials

2. Three important and useful links are shown in red boxes, profile, setting and personal meeting ID

3. Click profile-> edit button in front of personal meeting ID shown in the above diagram and un-check the box is shown below and click save changes.

4. Click the setting on the home page and keep on scrolling down the window and make necessary configuration as shown in figures below. Only important ones are marked in red boxes and others could be anything

Zoom Security Configuration Through App

1. Zoom meeting App, when launched, looks like this:

2. Update your App: First and foremost important thing is to update your Zoom App:

• click menu -> navigate to check for update -> click

3. Set a password for personal meeting ID and enable waiting

• Click edit in meeting as shown below

• Check password box, enter a strong password, check to enable waiting window, etc. desirable settings are shown in red boxes and click save

4. Avoid conducting a meeting by using the Personal Meeting ID (PMI).

Clicking on start as shown below will start a meeting with a personal meeting ID and password set by the user as shown above. In this case PMI: 3452161630 and password: Sc@3Q*

The problem in using personal meeting ID is that with PMI and password is fixed. It does not automatically change with every new meeting.

5. Conduct a new meeting with randomly generated ID and password instead of a fixed one as shown above

• Click on the home

• Click New Meeting drop-down as shown below

• Un-check use My Personal Meeting ID (PMI), if not already done

• Click new meeting icon to start a new meeting

• Once Meeting has started, you will see your meeting ID and password by clicking the left top icon below. it will be random and change with every new meeting.

6. Scheduling a meeting with randomly generated ID and password

• Click schedule as shown below

• The window as shown below will open up

• After clicking advanced Options shown in the above window following expansion will open and do setting as shown below.

6. Lock the meeting session, once all attendees have joined

• Once meeting is in progress, control bar looks like this

• Click Security and click on Lock Meeting, if all your participants have joined. you can enable the waiting room from here also. you can also disable share  screen by users from here

Miscellaneous tips:

• Don't use your personal meeting Id (PMI) to host the event, instead use randomly generated meeting IDs for each event.

• Don't share your link on a public platform, instead share randomly generated meeting id and password for every new meeting session/schedule. It makes it much secure and difficult to leak.

• If you are admin, remember to end the meeting, don't just leave the meeting.

• Sign out of your account when not in use.