Zoom is rolling out version 5.0 this week, addressing some of the privacy and security issues experienced last month. The new update comes with a security icon that gives you options to add and remove participants, restrict screen sharing, and to chat in meetings.
Some of the privacy issues included Zooms default settings, which don’t encourage passwords for meetings. Also, allow participants to share their screen the randomly generated user ID numbers, which are easy to guess, allowing anyone to join any meeting. Another case is the Zoombombing phenomenon, where pranksters would join zoom calls and broadcast crafty videos or even pornography content.
Zoom has since adjusted some of these settings for education accounts to enable privacy while other users have to tweak settings for more privacy. It has also improved some of its encryption and upgrading to the AES 256-bit GCM encryption standard, which is an improvement for the transmission of meeting data.
Zoom 5.0 also introduces new control features, such as data routing. The administrator can now choose the region of the servers used for meetings. In that, users can control which data center regions will handle meetings. Earlier on, some users raised concerns claiming that some of the sessions seem to have been routed through servers in China.
“I am proud to reach this step in our 90-day plan, but this is just the beginning. We built our business by delivering happiness to our customers. We will earn our customers’ trust and deliver them happiness with our unwavering focus on providing the most secure platform,” said Eric S. Yuan, CEO of Zoom.
“We take a holistic view of our users’ privacy and our platform’s security,” said Oded Gal, CPO of Zoom. “From our network to our feature set to our user experience, everything is being put through rigorous scrutiny. On the back end, AES 256-bit GCM encryption will raise the bar for securing our users’ data in transit. On the front end, I’m most excited about the Security icon in the meeting menu bar. This takes our security features, existing and new, and puts them front and center for our meeting hosts. With millions of new users, this will make sure they have instant access to important security controls in their meetings.”
Zoom 5.0 user experience & controls
Zoom 5.0 offers new security features in the meeting menu bar on the host interface to enhance security.
Hosts will be able to “Report a User” to Zoom via the Security icon. They may also disable the ability of participants to rename themselves. For education customers, screen sharing now defaults to the host only.
The new version allows a host to keep participants in individual virtual waiting rooms before they enter a zoom meeting. The option is now on by default for education, Basic, and single-license Pro accounts. All hosts may now also turn on the Waiting Room while their session is already in progress.
Passwords are now set by default to all those accessing cloud recordings aside from the meeting host and require a complex password. For administered accounts, account admins now can define password complexity. Other improved settings include secure account contact sharing and dashboard enhancement options.
