How to keep your Zoom video calls secure

How to keep your Zoom video calls secure

Zoom security

Like you, I’m angry about a lot of things right now. I absolutely would not believe that one thing pissing me off the most is the privacy and security of video calls.Not everyone is mad, I know. Some feel the fear of getting visually or auditorily violated by a “zoombomber.” For others it’s intense anxiety about the safety of the app their kid is about to use for school teleconferencing, or the one they have to use for work. Maybe your risk of participating in “Meltdown May” increased tenfold trying to pick the most secure video call app, or you need to nail down privacy settings across five different apps, and Googling for help only makes you feel worse.

Don’t give up. Because security and privacy nerds around the world have been going through the same thing as you, and we’ve got solutions.

They all kind of suck

The first thing to understand about the variety of videoconferencing apps is that none of them are great. All of them have security and privacy problems of one kind or another. When you evaluate your choices you’ll only ever be choosing one that is better at some things than the rest. One will be better at security than the others, and one will be better at privacy. Another will be better at all the things you’ll hope it can handle (parties, easy interface, not dropping calls, etc).

“The best tip is that you can only secure what you know. As a host, try to pick one platform and learn its features as well as you can because that will help you set your calls up most securely and help you help your participants stay secure.”

If you don’t get to pick the better app, make sure to choose your settings wisely (see the section below). However, if you do get to pick the app, look at the landscape — it’s changing rapidly right now.
Zoom exploded onto the pandemic scene two months ago with a long list of security problems that the company has been forced to face. Bigger, well-established companies that had teleconferencing apps got slapped awake by Zoom’s simultaneous success at saturation and failure. Zoom is working to fix many security and privacy issues, but like I said, list is long and there remain a lot of serious questions about the Zoom data, and how secure it is at rest.

Now Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and other players like Telegram are all rushing to compete with Zoom’s low bar, and the results are unsurprisingly mixed.
Telegram announced it will “offer secure group video calls sometime this year.” Facebook rushed out Messenger rooms, which looks and acts exactly like Zoom, and we can probably extend those similarities in respect to privacy if not security. We’re all familiar with Facebook’s “take now, apologize later” methodology regarding privacy and personal information, but it’s similar to Zoom’s security foibles in that there’s no end-to-end encryption. Meaning, it’s not truly secure, in the way a FaceTime call would be.

Speaking of FaceTime, this is a very secure option — it can handle up to 32 people in a group video call. Apple’s record and standard-setting with user privacy is well-established. Apple is pretty much the gold standard for privacy and security at this point, though its Group FaceTime rollout was rushed.You can make a Group FaceTime call on Mac desktop, iPhone, or iPad, but if the person or people you need to call or meet with are not on an Apple device, you’re out of luck.
Google is hurrying to bring its business conference tool to the public, and its security standards are extremely high (Meet allows up to 100 people; Google Hangouts still works great but only does up to 10 on video).

A lot of hackers and security researchers highly recommend , though without Zoom’s investors and Big Tech’s PR it’s not anywhere near a household name. You don’t need to download anything, nor do you have to join the service. This open-source app handles up to 75 participants and integrates with Slack, Google Calendar, and Office 365. Ultimately, if you want to go to online video parties with all your security and privacy challenged friends, you’re probably still stuck with Zoom. That’s why settings matter.

Check your settings

Whether you download an app to your desktop or device, or you join a call where an app download isn’t required, the very first thing to do is check all of the settings. Seriously: this is one of the most critically important things you can do to protect yourself from hackers, greedy companies, and any privacy or security mistakes you might make.

Most schools, workplaces, and organizations should have settings guidelines for you. I’ve been reviewing a variety of these and they all vary widely, from  guidance on privacy and security. There are some security features that just aren't enabled by default,” These are features like adding passwords to video conferences, actually enabling E2E [end-to-end] encryption, or some other checkbox that makes things harder, but more secure. But you're not some kind of casual dilettante, and besides, you have secrets to keep. You go and click around in those non-default security options.”
Video conversations are point to point.Encryption is standard. E2E encryption is the gold standard that resists even insiders and national security goons.

There are often security options that are not enabled by default. Enable them, but know they tend to make software clunkier and harder to use.There are always bugs. But, bugs rarely stay secret forever, and patches to bugs are usually released pretty quickly.Take the time to click through all the settings, inspect your user profile, and everything else you can access to see if there is anything you need to change. If something confuses you and you’re not sure what to do, make a note and look it up later to see if you need to take any action.Turn off anything that gives the app too many permissions, allows third-party information sharing, and anything that “makes your experience better” by giving advertisers or partners access to your data. Turn off settings that allow strangers to find you, friend you, join your group or room, or message you. Definitely toggle off anyone’s ability to record you. 

Use passwords on everything.
Does this sound like a bit of work? It is, but your safety is worth it. 

The bad news is that you’ll have to check your settings again eventually; we can’t be safe just checking them once and forgetting about them. Companies can change your settings without our consent or knowledge, and some do: re-check your settings every time the app updates. Zoom requires manual updates, and you must double-check your settings every time you do it.
Finally, event or meeting hosts will especially want to drill down into settings for the safety and security of all participants. Be a good party host: think like an attacker when you go through event and participant settings.


Three key tips are:

• Lock down the meeting room by using passwords and requiring authentication, That way only people you want are on the call.
• Lock down screen sharing. That way only people you want can share their screen.
• Remove unwanted or disruptive participants.

“If you’re doing large calls, consider using webcast instead of video meeting capabilities. These give control only to the host and selected presenters. It can help you keep better control of large meetings. And remember to be careful about clicking on links and opening documents sent to you. Verify via another channel of communication that the sender really did send the link or document to you.”

The future is buffering

The coronavirus lockdown experience is uneven around the world (to say the least). New Zealand didn’t just bend the curve, they crushed it, and now they’re getting to ease lockdown and quarantine restrictions. Some European countries have the sense they’re through the worst of it, and are doing the same. Other countries, like the US, are basically like the “crash positions” scene in Airplane — everyone is freaking out doing something different in extremes that are either hopeful and utterly terrifying.
At least Zoom’s messes might make a lot of people, especially the ones we care about, safer in all this madness.