Is Zoom Safe Or Not

Lockdowns and social isolation measures enacted by various governments due to the coronavirus outbreak have moved many businesses online. A few months ago, many of us had never heard of Zoom. Almost overnight, it has become one of the most popular video-conferencing options. People have begun to use Zoom for meetings, webinars, and even social gatherings. Its customer base has skyrocketed from 1.9 million active users a year to 2.2 million in just one month.  This sudden surge in users has led to major security issues.

In July 2019, a researcher disclosed that Zoom had a bug that opened up webcams. This bug stayed in place even after the software was uninstalled. More issues have since been uncovered including iPhone user data being sent to Facebook. Another bug was found that permitted attackers to eavesdrop on private conferences.

Because Zoom is so easy to use, it has also been easy for people to exploit the app. “Zoombombing” is when trolls or hackers interrupt or derail a meeting. Attackers have succeeded in removing attendees from meetings, spoofing messages from users, and hijacking shared screens.

The company has assured its users that it has fixed most of these bugs. To tackle security breaches, Zoom has also introduced some new features in its update. Passwords are now mandatory for all meetings. Waiting rooms are turned on by default. This means that it might take a bit longer to join a meeting but that is a very small price to pay for privacy and security. To prevent Zoombombing, the company has made screen sharing privileges accessible to ‘host-only’ by default.

Users can also take some measures by which the platform will become safer. For example: Be careful with your meeting password. Don’t share it on social media. Avoid downloading the app if it is possible to use the desktop version. Enable waiting room option and screen the people that enter. Although there are some security issues with the Zoom app, it works relatively well. It is very easy to use. For a free service, it has many useful features. If precautionary measures are taken, Zoom can be used safely.

You can watch the video below for a more visual understanding.

Explified