Zoom will soon turn on passwords and meeting lounges by default for all users, free and paid, in a bid to prevent “Zoombombing,” the current trend in which irresponsible and uninvited people disrupt meetings and share shocking content.
Quoted from the page of The Verge, these default settings will add steps to the process of joining the meeting – a process that Zoom did not previously do in order to make it easier to use to help spur growth. The changes will take effect from April 5.
Passwords in Zoom are already turned on by default for new meetings, instant meetings, and meetings you participate in with meeting IDs, while what’s new starting April 5 is that passwords are turned on for Zoom meetings that were previously scheduled.
Next, you have to wait in the new virtual waiting room for permission from the host to join the meeting. The host can select people to enter individually from the lounge or all at once.
“We always strive to provide our users with a secure virtual meeting environment. Effective April 5, we enabled a password and virtual lounge by default for our Free Basic and Single Pro users. We strongly recommend that all users apply a password to all meetings. them, “Zoom said in a statement to The Verge.
Zoom’s usage skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic as people turned to free video conferencing services to stay connected with their friends, family, colleagues and even teachers.
However, the increased usage has also made the platform a target for hacks, jokes, and harassment, often through “Zoombombing.” The security issue is serious enough that US law enforcement is now warning there will be serious legal implications for the “Zoombombing” perpetrators.
Zoom’s new default protection addresses other security issues with the platform. Some time ago, security researchers have developed an automated tool that can identify 100 Zoom meeting IDs that are not password protected in one hour, and extract information about the meeting.
Zoom’s new default password policy hopes to prevent similar scanners from finding meeting IDs and personal information in the future.
