[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
As workers adapt to remote work amid the COVID-19 outbreak, it is turning many people to look for an easy to use video conferencing solution. Zoom video is an obvious first choice for many people looking to start a video meeting, easy to set up and generous free membership make it an attractive option. Since 2011, Zoom has done well to attract new users, thanks largely to word-of-mouth, \u201cviral\u201d adoption among employees, rather than top-down software rollouts often mandated by IT departments. As Jonathan Leitschuh discovered, there are some serious privacy and security issues<\/a><\/strong> to take into account with Zoom.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n As Leitschuch discovered, Zoom set up a local server on a Mac device that allowed the program to bypass security features. When this was ethically disclosed to Zoom, Leitschuh claims that Zoom delayed acting on the vulnerability and did not discuss what he had found until 18-days before the end of the 90-day non-disclosure “grace period.” Then, on June 24 “after 90 days of waiting, the last day before the public disclosure deadline,” Leitschuh says that Zoom simply deployed a “quick fix” he had suggested to the company three-months earlier. It would almost seem as though Zoom was somehow making use of the exploit and reluctant to promptly patch as you would generally expect a software vendor to act.<\/p>\n More recently (yesterday actually) security researchers Jasvir Nagra and Scott Helme noticed some odd third party scripts running that seemed to contradict the security policy. As Helme tweeted<\/a>, the 50million club website is rather interesting indeed. A Google search on the same domain points to listings warning people of pop-ups by 50million club that are a social engineering attack to display fake error messages stating that your computer is infected with malware. It is not certain if Zoom is aware that they are trusting what looks to be a malicious URL.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Latest” _builder_version=”4.17.6″ hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”How can people ensure video conferencing is secure and private” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Security, privacy, and ease of use shouldn’t have to be a trade-off for having online meetings. The Microsoft Teams offering with Office 365<\/a> is another popular choice, although our support team is well aware of known issues with Teams<\/a><\/strong> that make it a challenge for many organizations to adopt. After doing some research and testing out some more secure video conferencing tools, I found some that are open source which allows you to move the instance from another provider if you wish. With open source there is also the option to customize the source code to suit individual needs or comply with legislation such as GDPR or HIPAA. There are also no limits on how long your video should be, whereas with Zoom calls are limited to 40 minutes.<\/span> Here are some alternatives to Zoom…<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n This Zoom vulnerability is bananas. I tried one of the proof of concept links and got connected to three other randos also freaking out about it in real time. https:\/\/t.co\/w7JKHk8nZy<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/arOE6DbQaf<\/a><\/p>\n — Matt Haughey (@mathowie) July 9, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Security vulnerabilities with Zoom<\/h3>\n
Odd security policies allowing any third party and malicious scripts<\/h3>\n
Since publishing this post, there have been several developments with Zoom<\/h3>\n
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How can people ensure video conferencing is secure and private<\/h3>\n
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