Does ZOOM Present Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities? During the pandemic, many people have been forced to change their habits. Working from home has become the norm, with employees relying on teleconferencing technology to stay in touch. In this area, one of the most popular companies is Zoom. But is it safe for you to use?
Encryption Issues
One of the biggest security issues faced by Zoom is the lack of a secure encryption system. It was initially claimed that the service would offer end-to-end encryption for your call. This approach meant that no-one, not even Zoom, would be able to intercept the communication to find out what you were talking about. However, it was later discovered this type of encryption would only be available for paid members.
To make matters worse, some people have had their calls routed through China. Unlike some other countries, the Chinese laws around access personal data tend to be more relaxed. Because of this, security experts have warned that Chinese officials might be able to force Zoom to decrypt these calls.
Does ZOOM Present Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities? All About Zoom Bombing
Another issue is that Zoom calls might be able to get intercepted by unwanted parties, known as “Zoom Bombing”. In some cases, this can be done as a relatively harmless prank. However, there are other cases where the unwanted user has caused serious problems, such as displaying adult content or trying to get access to private company information. The biggest concern about Zoom bombing is how easy it is, with people able to join your private meeting in a few clicks.
Privacy Policy Concerns
There are also some concerns about the amount of data that Zoom is collecting and how it will be used. For example, it’s believed that they will be able to store personal information, in the same way that Facebook and Google do. However, Zoom might be able to take things one step further. This can include collecting customer content, which might be video transcripts and images that you shared on the app. These might be getting generated automatically. It’s unclear exactly how this information will be used by Zoom. It’s also believed that they might be sending some data to Facebook, even if you don’t have an account with the social media giant.
Zero-Day Exploits
Another potential security concern for Zoom is the recent sale of zero-day exploits on the dark web. These are vulnerabilities that the company doesn’t know about, making it harder to find and fix. It’s believed that these will be able to use on both Mac and Windows. Concerningly, it’s believed that one of the exploits will allow the hacker to gain remote access to the computer, allowing the hacker to see confidential information.
Does ZOOM Present Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities? Our Conclusion
Because Zoom is one of the most popular video conferencing packages in the world, it makes a prime target for hackers. This is an even more lucrative opportunity thanks to COVID-19, which has increased the user base dramatically. As we’ve seen, there are several potential cybersecurity concerns associated with using the app. So, you might either want to choose a new app or take some extra preventative measures to make sure that your online communications are kept secure.
