Zoom Security – Known Risks and What You Can Do to Stay Safe

Zoom Security – Known Risks and What You Can Do to Stay Safe

Zoom Security

The Leddy Group Tech Support Team has a message to share this week! Our IT Team is sharing helpful information about Zoom, the online communication platform that allows video and audio conferencing and chats, when meeting in person isn’t a good option. Many of us have started to use Zoom during this COVID-19 crisis as it is free, and it’s a simple way to connect with friends, family, and work. The Leddy Group IT Team is a resource that our teams and clients can rely on for being in the know, and ready to help us navigate the apps and tools we use to conduct our business.

With this growing interest in remote meetings, it’s no surprise that they want to encourage us to learn more and be cautious, too. With that in mind, here’s a list of security concerns regarding Zoom. This is a consolidated list of security concerns and what you can do to improve your level of technological safety –

Zoom Bombing – Pranksters and trolls are scanning the internet and social media for open Zoom links. They are joining Zoom sessions and sharing their screen with inappropriate material.  What can you do?

Windows Credentials Can Be Stolen via Zoom – Hackers can post a UNC link in Zoom chat, that if clicked (and proper security settings are not in place on your network) will reveal your Windows username and password to the hacker. UNC links would look something like \\malicious.link\no_clickie.  What can you do?

Zoom is sharing your data with Facebook – This was the case recently for iOS users. Zoom added a software development kit (SDK) from Facebook so that Zoom users could use their Facebook account to login.  This inadvertently was sending users’ information to Facebook even if they did not have a Facebook account.  Zoom has since removed the Facebook SDK.  What can you do?

Zoom Can Hijack Your Webcam and Mic on MacOS – There are two exploits here:

June of 2019: If a hacker can get you to click a web link to join their Zoom meeting, you may unknowingly join the hacker’s Zoom meeting. Your webcam and mic may then be automatically activated based on previous preferences.

April of 2020: Theoretically someone could insert code into the installer of Zoom to not prompt the installer for mic and webcam access and could flag Zoom to run silently – allowing a hacker to remote access your mic and camera (this has been disclosed to Zoom and is awaiting a fix). What can you do?

The Leddy Group’s Tech Support Team is available to help you. When you have questions about working in a remote environment, if you need help with remote video and audio set up, equipment selection or the myriad of other technology options, we have the team that can help. We offer sustainable pricing options that fit your budget with one-time, hourly, weekly or monthly support available. Reach out to IT@LeddyGroup.com for more information.

Be safe out there!

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