Zoom privacy risks: The video chat app could be sharing more information than you think - CNET - 2. Unsecure Desktop Apps
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- 5 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Use Zoom Anymore
Is it dangerous to download zoom.www.makeuseof.com
But perhaps no service has prospered more during the pandemic than Zoom , which has seen its global daily active users skyrocket 67 percent since the start of the year. Teachers are experiencing disruptive although not criminal behavior where users broadcast pornographic, racist, or otherwise vitriolic content, leading the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Boston office to issue warnings about the video conferencing software.
And people , companies, and outlets have shared stories of unwanted intruders in, primarily, public Zoom meetings.
Enough users have complained that Zoom has since updated its blog with tips and tricks to protect yourself. Yes—as long as you exercise some caution. Set up a password for participants to verify their entry before entering. You can report unwanted activity, harassment, and cyberattacks to Zoom directly. Just like any web-based platform, Zoom collects information on its users, but it also allows others to collect information on you.
This can set up situations that may put you and your privacy at risk. Zoom has since fixed the video vulnerability. Interestingly, the tool that exposed the flaw allows anyone to manipulate and validate meeting ID codes, which means if someone has a tool like this, they could drop in on any valid meeting at any point in time.
It's even possible for bad actors to use software to guess your meeting ID number. Trent Lo, a security engineer with CenturyLink, and members of SecKC , a cybersecurity enthusiasts meet-up group in Kansas City, Missouri, have developed a software program called zWarDial that can predict Zoom meeting IDs, which are between nine and 11 digits.
The program can identify meeting IDs correctly about 14 percent of the time, leading it to find up to meetings per hour. Once it finds an active meeting, the program can determine the meeting link, date and time, who the meeting organizer is, and the meeting topic. As a result, use extra caution in meetings by setting up a password for your Zoom call. For an additional security step, use Zoom in a web browser rather than launching the application, recommends Electronic Frontier Foundation Director Eva Galperin.
The host of any Zoom call may have more powers than you think—especially if that person has a corporate account. To protect yourself:. If you see a small red dot, yes, the call is being recorded. Recorded content should be stored on a secure server to protect from unwanted and unauthorized use of video content.
You can use a virtual background to avoid sharing unnecessary information about your personal space, such as books, posters, windows, or any other details that give off information about your preferences, habits, or the location of your home. Type keyword s to search. This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Related Stories. Kristina Libby Kristina Libby is a professor at NYU, the host of the forthcoming cyberwar podcast Threat Matrix, and a consultant, author, and innovator in emerging technology.
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Is it dangerous to download zoom.We Asked A Cybersecurity Expert To Explain How To Safely Use Zoom
For school classes, after-work get-togethers, or even workplace meetings that stick to routine business, there's not much risk in using Zoom. Kids will probably continue to flock to it, as they can even use Snapchat filters on Zoom. The web browser version gets security enhancements faster and "sits in a sandbox" to limit security problems, notes antivirus company Kaspersky opens in new tab.
When you click a link to join a meeting, your browser will open a new tab and prompt you to use or install the Zoom desktop software. But there's a smaller link to "join from your browser. That will make Zoom-bombing much less likely. We've put the most recent Zoom issues up top and separated older problems into those that are unresolved, those that have been fixed and those that don't fit into either category.
A security researcher from Google's Project Zero discovered a security flaw in which the Zoom Client for Meetings and Zoom Rooms for Conference Room software fail to properly check the installation version during the update process. As Zoom's server and its client server use different XML parsing libraries, a hacker could send a specific message to force the target client to download an older version of Zoom to launch attacks using vulnerabilities that have since been patched.
This security flaw was patched with the release of Zoom version 5. Updating to the latest version of the videoconferencing software will protect you from any attacks exploiting this flaw. Following reports from multiple Mac users who said their microphones stayed on even after Zoom meetings had ended , Zoom pushed out a patch that was supposed to fix the problem. It didn't quite work. Another patch a month later finally did turn the microphones off.
Make sure your Zoom desktop client on Mac is updated to version 5. You may have to install the update "manually" by downloading it directly from the Zoom website opens in new tab. Zoom's client software for Windows and Mac personal use now lets you enable automatic updates opens in new tab , which means you'll get all the latest crucial security fixes as soon as they come. Even better, the new feature lets you choose a "fast" or "slow" lane for less urgent updates, meaning that you can choose whether to get all the latest features and risk a little instability, or to proceed at a steady pace with maximum reliability.
Automatic updates will probably be enabled by default soon for all new and existing users. As a result of a settlement in a class-action lawsuit relating to some of the privacy and security issues detailed earlier on this page, anyone who used Zoom between March 30, and July 30, is entitled to a cash payout. It might not be a lot of money per person. To file a claim, read the fine print at ZoomMeetingClassAction. Tom's Guide cannot guarantee that you will get anything.
Zoom has patched three serious flaws in some of its enterprise video-conferencing software, the worst of which could have let an attacker penetrate a company's internal server system. The following enterprise Zoom applications are vulnerable and must be updated, per a report from Positive Technologies opens in new tab : Meeting Connector Controller up to version 4. Regarding consumer software, Zoom has fixed a security flaw in Zoom Client for Meetings for Windows, which needs to be updated to version 5.
That's according to the Zoom Security Bulletin opens in new tab page. Zoom announced that beginning Nov. Anyone running software older than that will be prompted to update their software. This affects all Zoom software running on all supported platforms except for Zoom Room Controller software, at least for now. Zoom disclosed several security issues opens in new tab that had been fixed in later versions of Zoom's desktop clients and plug-ins for Microsoft Outlook for both Windows and macOS.
The flaws ranged in severity from low to high, with some allowing remote code execution — i. All were patched by at least Zoom Client for Meetings 5.
Zoom announced that it planned to roll out end-to-end encryption opens in new tab to Zoom Phone opens in new tab , its paid cloud calling service for Pro, Business or Enterprise accounts. The end-to-end encryption will be an option for one-to-one Zoom Phone calls. Zoom announced via its Zoom Security Bulletin opens in new tab that the remote-hacking flaw demonstrated at the Pwn2Own competition in April had been fixed.
Zoom reached a tentative settlement in a federal class-action lawsuit that alleged the company skimped on security, misled users and shared user personal data with third parties without notification or consent. Enterprise and government Zoom account holders are not part of this litigation.
Known class members will be notified by email or regular mail that they can file a claim, and others will be able to use the website www. Zoom has released a " simpler, clearer opens in new tab " privacy policy that reflects the fact that the online meeting service has "shifted from a primarily enterprise-focused product to one that is also used broadly by individuals" during the COVID pandemic.
The updated privacy policy includes more details about who can "see, save and share" Zoom meeting content, and the kinds of data that Zoom collects from users' devices. You can read the full updated Zoom privacy "statement" here opens in new tab. In a blog post, Zoom announced that it had added privacy notifications opens in new tab to the latest version of its desktop client software.
The notifications appear in the in-meeting chat window as a button labeled "Who can see your messages? It added that future updates would include notifications when a meeting host or participant uses a Zoom transcription or scheduling app during a meeting. Two researchers demonstrated at the Pwn2Own contest that they could remotely take over Windows PCs and Macs by using at least one previously unknown vulnerability in the Zoom desktop application.
Fortunately, the only people who fully understand how this exploit works are the two researchers and Zoom itself, which is working on a fix. The chances of this attack being used "in the wild" are low, but if you're concerned, use the Zoom browser interface instead during meetings until this is fixed.
Zoom lets meeting participants share all of their computer screens, part of their screens, or just specific application windows with other people in the same meeting. Two German researchers discovered that for a brief moment, the entire screen may be visible even when the Zoom user sharing the screen intends only part of the screen to be. Any participants recording the meeting would be able to freeze frames during playback and view potentially sensitive information. Zoom said it was working to fix the issue, but at the time of this writing, the flaw was still present in the latest version of the Zoom desktop client software for at least Windows and Linux.
Keybase, an encrypted social-media verification system and chat app bought by Zoom in May , had a serious flaw opens in new tab that preserved images in online directories even after the user had deleted them. The flaw was reported to Zoom in early January , and a Keybase software update to fix the flaw was released later that month.
A new study conducted by researchers at Boston University and Binghamton University found that efforts to stop "Zoom bombing," such as requiring passwords or making attendees stew in "waiting rooms," often won't work. That's because many attacks are carried out by "insiders" who are already authorized to be in the meetings. The "only effective defense" against such insider attacks, the paper argues, is to create "unique join links for each participant.
Plagued by an epidemic of Zoom-bombing during city-assembly meetings, the city of Juneau, Alaska is exploring ways to outlaw the practice.
Police in Alaska's capital have had a hard time tracking down the Zoom bombers. The city hopes that by making the practice illegal, it can compel Zoom to turn over information identifying the digital miscreants.
In a bombshell announcement, the U. Department of Justice opens in new tab said it had issued an arrest warrant for former Zoom executive Jin Xinjiang, aka Julien Jin, who until recently had served as the liaison between Zoom and the Chinese government.
The U. Jin is thought to be residing in China. Jin allegedly had help from unnamed co-conspirators who created fake email accounts and Zoom accounts in the names of known Chinese dissidents "to fabricate evidence that the hosts of and participants in the meetings to commemorate the Tiananmen Square massacre were supporting terrorist organizations, inciting violence or distributing child pornography.
The Dept. The DoJ announcement and arrest warrant opens in new tab refer only to an unnamed "Company-1" as Jin's employer, but in a blog post, Zoom admitted that it was the company opens in new tab and that it had been conducting its own investigation after it received a subpoena from the U.
The post further explained that Jin had been hired by Zoom in October as part of an agreement with the Chinese government, which in September had "turned off our service in China without warning. The price of getting Zoom turned back on in China was to hire "an in-house contact for law enforcement requests" — i.
Zoom service was restored in China in November , and the Dept. Zoom admitted that Jin "shared or directed the sharing of a limited amount of individual user data with Chinese authorities," and that the information of "fewer than ten The Better Business Bureau opens in new tab is warning Zoom users that scammers are trying to steal their usernames and passwords via phishing emails and text messages, reports Threatpost opens in new tab. The messages tell you that "your Zoom account has been suspended" or that "you missed a meeting," and offer a helpful link to log back in.
But don't fall for the bait -- the login page is really a trap to capture your Zoom user credentials, with which the crooks can use or even steal your Zoom account. One of the biggest problems with Zoom has been "Zoom bombing," in which uninvited participants crash a Zoom meeting and disrupt it. Over the weekend, Zoom released two new features to combat this. One, "Suspend Participant Activities," lets the meeting host pause the meeting, kick out disruptive participants, and then resume the meeting.
The other, "Report by Participants," extends to meeting participants the ability to report disruptive participants, a remedy that previously had been given only to meeting hosts. The Federal Trade Commission announced that Zoom "misled users" and "engaged in a series of deceptive and unfair practices" regarding its own security. The FTC cited the fake end-to-end encryption uncovered in March and software that Zoom installed on Macs without authorization in and Zoom must agree to yearly internal security reviews and external security reviews every other year and must implement a vulnerability-management program.
Another stipulation was that Zoom offer customers multi-factor authentication , which it has already implemented. Researchers in Texas and Oklahoma discovered that it's possible to tell what someone is typing during a Zoom call just by watching their shoulders and arms.
Any kind of video-conferencing platform could be used for this, the researchers said, as could YouTube videos or streaming platforms like Twitch.
Zoom's end-to-end-encryption feature finally went live, except on iOS where it had to wait for Apple's approval. We've got instructions on how to enable Zoom's end-to-end encryption. After a long period of time with no Zoom news, the company announced that the end-to-end encryption it had been working on for many months would soon be available for beta testing. Users will have to wait for a Zoom client software update in the third week of October. Meeting hosts will be deciding whether to make a Zoom meeting end-to-end encrypted.
Those meetings will not work for now for users trying to join via the web-browser interface or over the telephone. If you recall that the Zoom web interface was out of commission for a few days back in April , now we know why: The company was fixing a very serious security flaw that could have let anyone join a private Zoom meeting. British security researcher Tom Anthony opens in new tab detailed on his blog this week how he found that he could make endless random guesses on the 6-digit PINs Zoom assigns to private meetings.
That's a million possibilities to go through, which might be tough for a human, but isn't hard for a decently powered PC running multiple threads. Anthony found he could break into Zoom meetings in about half an hour, give or take. That's long before many meetings are over.
An unnamed security researcher found a critical flaw in the Zoom meetings client software for Windows that would let a hacker remotely take over any PC running Windows 7 or earlier. Zoom fixed the flaw with a software update soon after the flaw became public knowledge. Backing down after sustained criticism from privacy advocates, Zoom announced in a blog posting June 17 opens in new tab that its upcoming end-to-end encryption E2E wouldn't just be for paid users any more.
The millions of people who use Zoom for free for school, socializing and work would get end-to-end encryption too. Yuan wrote. But if you're a free user who wants E2E, you'll first have to verify your identity to Zoom via a one-time-password or similar service. This will make it harder to "zoom bomb" meetings. The E2E encryption will remain an optional feature, Yuan reminded, because when it's activated, no one can join a meeting over the phone or with certain office teleconferencing equipment.
It'll be up to meeting hosts whether to activate E2E. Zoom's in hot water in the U. The company apologized for the actions in a blog post June 11 opens in new tab and said it would develop a way to block meeting participants from certain locations i. That wasn't enough to satisfy more than a dozen U. Yuan demanding to know how cozy his company was with the Beijing government. Talos opens in new tab , an information-security research firm owned by Cisco, revealed June 3 that it had found two serious flaws in Zoom client applications, both of which have now been patched.
The first flaw opens in new tab would have let an attacker use a specially created animated GIF placed in a Zoom meeting chat to hack Zoom client software on other people's machines to force the installation of malware, or, as Talos put it, "achieve arbitrary code execution. The company fixed the problem after a public interest research center filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Thousands of personal Zoom videos were left viewable on the open web, including one-on-one therapy sessions, telehealth calls, and elementary school classes, the Washington Post reported.
Several people identified in the videos told the Post they did not know how the videos made their way online. Experts say the company now seems to be making more serious efforts to identify and quickly patch vulnerabilities. Zoom marketed its communications as protected by end-to-end encryption, which makes it, in effect, impossible for anyone, including the company itself, to spy on them.
Recently, however, the Intercept revealed Zoom has been using a different type of encryption, called transport encryption, which enables the company to decode the content of calls.
That means the company could hypothetically be susceptible to pressure from government authorities to disclose communications, said Bill Marczak, a fellow at the Citizen Lab and a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley. But reporters or dissidents under oppressive regimes, government officials discussing classified information or big companies that want to keep their business strategies confidential might want to use a more secure platform, Budington said.
The company announced it had removed the feature in an April 2 blog post. They can also record audio and video from meetings and save a record of group chats.
Because Zoom is so easy to use, it has also been easy for people to exploit the app to sow mischief or chaos. As USC and local school districts transitioned to online meetings , they reported getting Zoombombed with racist taunts and pornographic images. On Tuesday, Berkeley High School students were in the middle of a video conference when a man joined the Zoom meeting, exposed himself and shouted obscenities, the Mercury News reported.
The New York Times found scores of accounts on Instagram and on Reddit and 4Chan message boards where users coordinated to share meeting passwords and derail Zoom meetings. Generate a new ID for every meeting you launch using the options panel, instead of using your personal meeting ID.
Zoombombing , the act of entering a conference uninvited and engaging in obscene or otherwise disruptive behavior, was widely reported at the start of the pandemic. The process continues today. Zoom has tried to address the problem with passwords and waiting areas, but with no success.
As per researchers , Zoombombing has continued due to legitimate conference members sharing passwords with attackers and attackers disguising themselves as legitimate members. In February , the FTC reached a settlement with Zoom over a report alleging that the company violated a number of security protocols. Under this pact, Zoom had several improvements and changes to the platform.
According to the report, Zoom falsely claims that it provides E2EE encryption while, in fact, it offers little of the kind, keeps users' recorded video conferences hidden from surveillance, and installs software into users' devices without permission.
But it shows how hackers will target anything that's "hot" at a given moment and exploit it. To protect yourself, make sure you only ever download Zoom from the company's official site. When you hear the phrase "leaked passwords," you probably assume the service provider is at fault.
However, in this example, Zoom is not to blame. According to an academic paper from the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma, people on your Zoom call could theoretically tell what you are typing by watching the movements in your arms and shoulders.
All the hacker would need to do is record your call in p and then feed it through a computer program that strips the background. By monitoring your arms and shoulders relative to your head, they would be able to tell exactly what keystrokes you had made. The lesson? Never log into your accounts while on a call. If you do need to enter a password, you should briefly disable your video feed while you type. Wearing sleeves, covering your shoulders, and touch-typing with 10 fingers also increases the difficulty of this method for hackers.
Zoom has a long list of security flaws. Many of them have now been fixed, but it raises the question of how many more undiscovered vulnerabilities are still available for hackers to exploit. Here's a quick rundown of some of the most headline-worthy Zoom flaws and security breaches in alone:.
If you need more information, check out our list of ways to make your Zoom calls more secure.
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