Hacking of Video Conferencing and How to Protect Yourself

Hacking of Video Conferencing and How to Protect Yourself

Video conferencing is crucial in today’s business world, where we have integrated offices across the world and people working remotely. One question we receive a lot when offering cybersecurity in Miami is how to protect yourself and/or your business from video conference hacks.

Threats of Video Conferencing Hacks

Zoom is the first company that comes to people’s minds when they talk about video conferencing. Over 300 million people per day use Zoom, and this figure is old and likely much higher in 2022 than it was two years ago.

“Zero-click” vulnerabilities and “Zoombombing” are two of the most common ways that hackers get into a conference call that they shouldn't be a part of.

However, every platform has its security risks and flaws that may allow a hacker to infiltrate a video conference. Protecting against these threats often comes down to the user or the person holding the conference.

The platform that you use should already have end-to-end encryption, which helps prevent your conference data from being accessed.

It's up to you to take your protection even further by following these key tips:

1. Random Meeting IDs

Never reuse meeting IDs or use a personal meeting ID. Instead, generate a random meeting ID to help keep your meeting ID secure. Zoom has a walkthrough that will teach you how to generate unique meeting IDs.

Businesses or any serious conferences should never take place on your personal meeting ID.

2. Password Protect Your Meetings

Administrators can and should set passcodes for meetings. A passcode is a basic way to protect against a potential hacking scenario. Your passcode should:

  • Not be reused
  • Contain letters, numbers and symbols

Users will need to input this code to watch your video, but it’s a small price to pay for ensuring that your conference is never hacked.

3. Disable Non-host Sharing

Non-hosts should not have the option to share a conference. You can take this a step further by ensuring that only authenticated users can join your meeting. Additionally, you can lock a meeting once all of the participants join to keep unwanted users from joining the conference.

4. Multi-Factor Authentication User Accounts

Speaking of users, if you require video conferencing in your place of business, be sure to request that all employees enable multi-factor authentication on their accounts. When you have this security setting in place, it:

  • Prevents hackers from easily accessing user accounts
  • Adds an additional layer of protection to user accounts
  • Reduces the risk of Zoombombing and similar practices

Users should be prompted on how to follow best practices, such as creating a unique password and enabling high-end security features, such as multi-factor authentication.

There are just a few of the many security measures that you can take to protect your video conferences from potential hacks and security threats. You also want to maintain basic security measures, such as updating apps, operating systems and enabling real-time virus and malware protection.

If you’re in need of a cybersecurity company in Miami to help you protect against potential video conference hacking, contact us to see how we can help.