Zoom Is Changing!

 Most of us are trying to figure out how to meet the needs of all our students while meeting the dictates of the school district for conducting classes.  Many districts asked teachers to conduct class using some sort of video conferencing software.

Some went with Google hangouts while others mandated their employees use Zoom .  I've been on webinars that used Zoom and Zoom says the number of meetings has increased from 10 million a day to 200 million per day due to the Coronavirus.  This increase has shown there was a major security problem developed with this program.

First of all, Zoom is easy to use, easy to set up and allows you to have up to 100 people at any one time for free but certain people have discovered they can disrupt meetings by file sharing inappropriate photos or make all sorts of sounds.  As long as the person knows the meeting information, they can get in.  Yes, the moderator can throw them out but they can join with a new id.

It is possible to cut down on this happening to any meeting by making sure the invites go to only those who are expected to attend.  Another way is to require a password to attend the meeting.  The host can change it so only he or she is able to screen share.  The host can also set it up so people go to a waiting room before being admitted to the actual conference, or lock the meeting after it starts so no one else can join.  The final step would be to shut down file sharing

The waiting room feature is a direct result of the the bombing initiated by outside persons.  By shuffling everyone into the waiting room, hosts make sure only those invited to the meeting are admitted.  Furthermore, they've set up a direct link for attendees to come in rather than just using a meeting number or you'll need a password.  This change is also a result of being hacked.

As for other concerns including great encryption, good privacy controls, and excellent security have been voiced by others.  At one point, Zoom was sharing information with Facebook but that has stopped.  In addition, people found there were ways for hackers to spy on people via the built in camera or microphone but Zoom said they've release fixes for this problem.  In fact, according to Zoom, they are focusing on security and privacy issues brought up by the public rather than looking at ways to expand their product.

Specifically Zoom is looking at clearing up its encryption practices, providing fixes for all Mac based issues, eliminating the sharing of data with Facebook, work with security experts to understand and improve security details for all clients, improve its bug finding bounty, and so many other things.  Zoom has indicated they will continue making it's product more secure but in the process it will become more complex to use.

Keep this in mind if you are using Zoom.  Yes, I've liked Zoom for the meetings I've gone to.  It was easy but I haven't used it since the hacking started.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.