Avoid unpleasant surprises by configuring Zoom’s advanced settings so that no intruders can pollute your video meetings without your knowledge.
The obligation to telework for many employees has caused the downloads of videoconferencing applications to explode.
Among the programs most used today in the professional sphere, Zoom, the video meeting application has won over a significant number of new users. But not all of them use Zoom for productivity purposes. Taking advantage of the new success of these applications, trolls and other hackers have found a new hobby: suddenly showing up in a meeting (also called Zoom bombing), to insult or share pornographic content while exploiting the screen sharing function.
To avoid these inconveniences, there are a number of good practices to adopt, and parameters to modify in the program. Here’s everything you need to know to secure your video meetings in Zoom.
1. Don’t share a meeting link on social media
It might sound like common sense, but sharing the URL to join your video meeting on social media might not be the idea of ​​the century. Visible to everyone, a meeting URL will allow anyone to click on it to join a video conference, without you being able to prevent them.
Because to create a meeting, the host must launch it on his computer, and share a link or a meeting identifier with his invitees so that they can join the video call. So always opt for direct sharing of the link or the identifier by means of an e-mail, SMS, or private instant messaging.
2. Do not use your personal meeting ID
There are two ways to create meetings in Zoom: from a virtual room created randomly for each meeting, with a new login for each session, or from a personal meeting room using your Personal Meeting ID (PMI).
So remember to check, from the New meeting drop-down menu, that the Use my personal meeting ID (PMI) option is disabled.
This unique identifier is linked to your account. And once it is known to your closest collaborators, they only have to enter it directly in Zoom to join the video call. If you use it, do it with caution, and only share it with your trusted contacts.
3. Configure a password to join the meeting.
By default, Zoom does not configure a password to join a meeting. You will therefore have to go to the advanced settings of the application to activate the option.
To do this, from the Zoom window, click on the icon representing a toothed wheel at the top right to enter Settings.
In the window that appears, General tab, click Show more settings. Zoom should open the service’s web interface. Log in to your account to access all of your advanced account settings.
Scroll through the settings and, if you haven’t already, turn on the Request password when scheduling new meetings and Request password for instant meetings options.
People who try to access the meeting by manually entering their username in Zoom will have to enter the associated password to enter.
4. Disable the integration of the password in the link to join in one click
When password protection is enabled, Zoom encrypts it and automatically embeds it in the meeting link to allow your invitees to join the meeting with one click.
Disable this option to force people with the access link to enter the password. And if by any chance intruders manage to get their hands on the meeting URL, they will not be able to access it.
5. Activate the waiting room
This is arguably the best option for blocking unexpected intrusions into a meeting. It allows you to manually validate the entry of each participant in the meeting.
The option is again in the advanced settings of Zoom, accessible from the web interface.
6. Limit screen sharing to the meeting host
To avoid posting inappropriate content, during your meeting it is best to take the initiative and limit screen sharing to the meeting host only.
Scroll through the advanced Zoom settings until you reach the Screen Sharing section. To the line Who can share? Select Host only and save the changes.
7. Disable annotation and remote control tools
As the host, when you share your screen or desktop, users in the meeting can add annotations, use a whiteboard, or remotely control the shared screen.
If you don’t need them, turn off these three options, Annotation, Whiteboard, and Remote Control.
8. Disable file transfer
Hackers who manage to gain access to your meeting will not hesitate to share malicious files through the file transfer module built into the instant chat built into the meeting.
To prevent participants from being able to transfer files, turn off the File transfer option, or restrict it to only certain types of files.