Ok, let’s take a step back, relax and make your meeting secure. Any meeting URL can be shared, any platform can be hijacked. The market has asked that we make it easy for guests to join from a URL. We got what we asked for. Go to join.zoom.us and try any random 9 or 10 digit number – EVENTUALLY you will find a meeting to hijack.
Users are demanding and resist learning how to use video conferencing, though they will facetime the crap out of cats and grandkids just fine. The video conferencing industry made it easy to join by demand. This means UNWANTED guests can join if you make your link public or reuse your link.
In a nutshell, stop the nutjobs. You have control. People are bored and once we all go back to work, this problem goes away, sort of.
Take these simple steps.
- Change your meeting ID regularly, or use a meeting ID that expires.
- Add a password and change it.
- Keep your meeting ID for convenience and recurrence, but rotate/modify passwords.
- Moderate and facilitate your meeting, have a cohost to help
- Stream and chat – not everyone needs to be on camera or should be on camera.
- Invite via a calendar so you can control who gets the invite, stream via listen-only services if you want to reach a large audience (like a webinar service).
- Some services allow for a reception role, a moderator that person then adds and lets the new person enter
- Put your meeting in Do Not Disturb – lock it down once started.
Data Security Concerns?
- End to end encryption is possible on any platform, including Zoom. This just makes it harder for people to join from non-AES encryption enabled devices.
- Open Loop or Closed Loop? – How is your bridge connecting- build your own bride to your scale in your data center. Law firms do it. Medical facilities do this. The Government does this – but it comes with a price. Video conferencing started as a closed-loop ecosystem for the few who could afford it, and we’ve made it cloud to democratize access.
- Data collection and meeting details for customer care- they all do it, but what is collected, where does it go, who sees it? Zoom sending data to developers in China – fine, but is this the xenophobic line we are drawing then? We rely on China and others for so much more than video conferencing – and we enjoy cheap goods in a global supply chain, should we be surprised data is sent to China? No. Do we have to settle for this- HECK NO- and many video providers are far more careful about what data is being collected. Zoom has committed to fixing this and with the vast resources they have, they will.
As with most things IT, video conferencing security issues start with company policy (if there even is one) and get amplified when services are deployed to end-users. End users can fix this far more quickly than Zoom can.
Check out our video on running great meetings without unwelcome interruptions.
About Perfect Video Conferencing:
Founded in 2009 by Randy N. Marcotte and John Killcommons, Perfect Video Conferencing was born of a commitment to integrity and partnership and the desire to create a boutique brand based on white-glove service to its customers.
What started as a simple conversation about shared values evolved into Perfect Video Conferencing. Those seeds of dedication to innovation and customer satisfaction has moved PVC from a shining star in a clouded sky of VARs to our own constellation of VAP – Value-Added Partner.
As our industry evolves, we continue to innovate and forge relationships in order to provide our customers with the most up-to-date unified communications solutions backed by the most customer-focused support, remaining true to those inspirations that are at our foundation.
