Register your users
One way to dissuade hackers and make Zoom more secure is to require the participants to register for the meeting upon entering. They will need to make a password as well. To enable this feature, tick the box next to Registration. If the meeting you are scheduling is recurring, you can choose whether the participants need to register each time or enter based on a one-time registration.
Require a Password
Having your meeting password protected is your best and easiest way to protect your meeting. Once you’ve made a password, you may not want to embed the password in your invitation because anyone who gets their hands on the invitation will also have the password. Send the password separately to your participants.
Don’t let others join before you do
The “Join before host” feature allows a participant to join the meeting before you officially start it. It’s disabled by default, but check the tick box just in case.
Use the Waiting Room
Using a “Waiting room” is a backup in case someone has obtained the link and password to your meeting. The waiting room keeps participants in this holding area until you approve their participation.
Use Unique Meeting ID
Each Zoom user has a default meeting ID they can use, and if someone gets ahold of that number, they could use it to enter any meeting you have. Choose to use a random Meeting ID instead.
Added security during meetings
Once your meeting is underway, there are a few other options you can enable or disable for more security to make Zoom more secure.
Lock the meeting
When your meeting is underway and you are sure all the participants are there, you can lock the session. Click the Security button at the bottom of the Zoom video window and select the “Lock meeting” option at the top of the box.
Remove Participant options
Also, there are options for the participants to share their screens or chat in the security box. You can remove these privileges as you see fit. Removing the opportunity to share screens will make it almost impossible for a guest to share an inappropriate video or image. Eliminating chat will take away the chance for one guest to bully or be improper with a particular participant.
What to do if unwanted guests appear?
No matter how much security you put into place, it is always possible for someone determined to get into your meeting to do so. Be vigilant, and if you notice someone misbehaving, use one (or all) of these measures to take care of the problem.
Mute them
If someone is just causing a disruption, or if their background noise is causing a distraction, you can find their name on the participant list and click the microphone to mute them. They’ll still be in the meeting, but they cannot be heard. You can mute their video, too, if what they are doing is distracting.
Send to the waiting room
You can also take someone from the meeting and place them back in the waiting room, giving them a virtual Time Out. Click “Manage participants” at the bottom of the screen, then hover your mouse over the person’s name and click more. Select “Put in waiting room.”
Remove them
You can remove someone from the meeting entirely, too. Use the same menu you use to send people to the waiting room but choose Remove. After, lock down the meeting if it wasn’t already so they cannot return. Unfortunately, we know that if someone wants to get into your meeting and has the skills to do it, they can. However, if you take as many precautions as possible, you can make Zoom more secure, and you can enjoy Zoom calls to keep in touch with family, friends, and colleagues. Zoom also comes with plenty of features you should try. You can also use Skype for your video conferencing if you are concerned about Zoom’s security issue.
