Zoom Guidance

Hosting Zoom conference – spare the embarrassment

If you haven’t heard about “ZoomBombing” yet, you are not alone, or you are not using Zoom conferencing. Here is what you need to know.

Zoom usage and acceptance exploded since COVID-19 due to Zoom generosity for a free (limited) license. Publicity creates extra interest in the hacking community. So it wouldn’t take them too long to exploit the vulnerability in Zoom. If nothing else, it is a considerable embarrassment. Jerks are using Zoom’s screen-sharing feature to blast other viewers with awful videos from across the internet, from violence to shocking pornography.

Without going into the technical details, if you are the host of the Zoom meeting, change this setting in your Zoom profile. These are global settings and will apply to any meetings you host.

  • Go to “Settings” >> “In Meeting (Basic)”
  • Change “Screen Sharing” to “Host Only.” The default is “All Participants.”

WHILE YOU ARE THERE, TUNE THESE SETTING TO HOST LIKE A PRO:

  • Disable “Join Before Host” so people can’t bomb your meeting before you arrive
  • Disable “File Transfer” so there is no virus sharing
  • Disable “Allow Removed Participants to Rejoin” so banned participants can’t come back

Happy Zooming…
Genady Vishnevetsky