Zoombombed: How to keep uninvited guests from intruding your video conferences
Almost everything that people do have turned digital because of the quarantine rules that have been implemented worldwide due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Most people now study and work from home. Classes and meetings are being held via video-teleconferencing (VTC) platforms such as Zoom.
Source: Google Play
The Zoom Cloud Meetings App
However, the new popular teleconferencing application has been plagued with several potential privacy and security issues, and among them is the most-talked-about Zoombombing.
Source: Pexels
Zoombombing incidents are on the rise
What is Zoombombing?
Zoombombing happens when hackers and internet troll, or the so-called 'zoombombers,' break into your video conference call and disrupts it by showing pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language.
Many Zoombombing incidents have been reported in the United States. One of which was the incident in a Massachusetts-based school's online class, in which an unidentified individual was able to access their Zoom meeting, and then yelled profanity and revealed the teacher's home address in the middle of the class.
The rising numbers of Zoombombings have forced New York City's Department of Education to ban the use of Zoom in all online classes.
How to prevent Zoombombings:
1. Keep your meetings or online classes private.
Zoombombers won't be able to access your Zoom meetings if they're not public. So, make them private by either requiring a meeting password or by using the 'Waiting Room' feature to control the admittance of guests.
2. Don't use your Personal Meeting ID for a meeting.
You should instead generate a per-meeting ID that is exclusive to a single meeting.
3. Do not share the link of your Zoom teleconference publicly on social media.
Send the link only to those who need to participate in the meeting or class. This way, unwanted guests wouldn't be able to hijack your Zoom video call.
4. Manage screen-sharing options.
Go to the host controls at the bottom of your screen, and click the arrow next to 'Share Screen'. Then, click 'Advanced Sharing Options' and go to 'Who can share'. Finally, click 'Only Host' and close the window.
5. Make sure you are using the updated version of Zoom.
This will enable you to use any security update that they may have added recently.
As with any online activity, constant precaution should be taken in order to ensure that your personal info won't be compromised and that you wouldn't fall victim to embarrassing or despicable acts online.
So, follow the tips above for a safe and productive Zoom meeting next time.
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