Zoom-bombing - Taking actions to secure your meetings

Zoom-bombing - Taking actions to secure your meetings

Due to reports from other schools around the country about an increase in Zoom-bombing incidents Technology Services would like to take this opportunity to review with you the steps you can take to keep your Zoom meetings safe and what to do in the event of a Zoom-bombing of your meeting.

Zoom security settings for hosting secure meetings

• Never share Zoom meeting information (links, passwords, URLs, meeting ID or other meeting details) publicly on websites of social media.
• Do not use or share your Personal Meeting Room ID (PMI) unless you are using it with colleagues or students that you know very well.
• When scheduling a meeting in advance, let Zoom automatically generate a Meeting ID for each meeting, instead of using your Personal Meeting Room ID (PMI).
• When scheduling a meeting in advance, make sure to require a password/passcode for the meeting and/or turn on the waiting room.  These may seem inconvenient, but will help keep out unwanted participants.  Both would be the safest option.
• When posting links for classes or meetings that you have scheduled, do not post the links/URLs and the password together.  Send the password in a separate email or communication with those that will attend.

Taking preventative measures at the beginning of your Zoom meeting

From the security button at the bottom of the Zoom screen:

• You can turn on the option for having a waiting room, even if you did not set that option when setting up your meeting.
• You can lock the meeting once everyone joins that is supposed to be there.  If someone drops out and tries to join again, you will have to open the meeting to allow them to rejoin.
• By default, only the host and co-host can screen share content.  You can allow participants to share their screen if needed, and then turn this option back off when the participant is done.
• You can turn the option on and off to allow participants to unmute themselves.  If this option is turned off, the only way a participant can contact you or ask a question is through the chat feature.

If someone does make it into your meeting and begins to disrupt the meeting with unwanted screen sharing or sound through their microphone, under the Security button, click Suspend Participation Activity.  This will disable all screen sharing, turn off all participants’ microphones and cameras and lock the meeting.  This will give you time to decide your next actions.  

Once all activity has been cut off, you can go through and remove the participant that should not be in the meeting, or that is causing the disruption.  Then you can allow participants to unmute themselves and start their video cameras again and continue on with your meeting.

We hope you have found this information helpful and useful.  If you have any questions or need further help with security issues/setting, please feel free to contact us through our website, https://mwsu.mojohelpdesk.com, email us at helpdesk@missouriwestern.edu, or call at 816-271-4555.