Create Secure Zoom Meetings

Review the tips below to avoid “ZoomBombing” – unwanted participants and content – and minimize unwanted disruptions in your Zoom meetings. Review these sections below:

Routinely Review Default Settings
When Scheduling a Meeting
Update Zoom
Control In-Meeting Disruptions

Video Tutorials

Zoom 101:  Securing Your Meetings & Virtual Classrooms

How to Protect Your Zoom Meeting From Trolls

Routinely Review Default Settings

Zoom makes frequent updates, so it’s important to review the default settings once every week or two.  Below are a list of recommended security settings for most class meetings. Login to your Zoom account via a web browser at https://uasystem.zoom.us

Once signed into your account, click on the Settings tab to review all settings. A blue button (toggled to the right) means the setting is on. A gray button (toggled to the left) means it is off.

Not every class or meeting is the same, so adjust the settings to meet your particular situation.

When Scheduling a Meeting…

• Generate a unique meeting ID for each meeting. Avoid using your Personal Meeting ID.

• Secure the meeting with a passcode

   or enable the waiting room. Waiting rooms can be customized to fit the need and audience for your meeting. For more information, visit the Zoom Support website.

Update Zoom

Updated software is secure software. Keep your software updated by regularly performing software upgrades.  By updating to the latest version, you will receive security patches and updates to ensure the security of your computer and also your meetings. Visit the Zoom website for instructions on how to update.

Control In-meeting Disruptions

Once a meeting has started, there are 5 types of potential Zoom interruptions, and ways to manage each of them.

• Audio interruptions– unmuting and speaking to class.
  Solution: Press Participants, then Mute All. On the pop-up, uncheck “Allow participants to unmute themselves”

• Video interruptions– showing inappropriate video or gestures in a live or virtual background
  Solution: When detected, press Participants, select the individual, press Stop Video.

• Chat interruptions– typing something inappropriate or using private chat to harass other students
  Solution: Press Chat then the menu (…) on bottom right to manage chat settings.

• Screen share interruptions– sharing inappropriate content with all attendees
  Solution: The default is to only allow the host to share. If a non-host needs to share screen, temporarily make them a co-host then remove the privilege when done sharing.

• Annotation interruptions– drawing something inappropriate on the screen during a screen share
  Solution: If Annotations are enabled during a screen share, under the Security button, uncheck Annotate on Shared Content.

• You may prevent unwanted late-comers from joining the meeting by locking it. Lock the meeting. When you lock a Zoom meeting after is has started, no new participants can join, even if they have the meeting ID and password.

• Finally, you can Remove unwanted or disruptive participants. From the participants menu, you can mute and remove participants.

In open or closed “presentation” meetings, these settings work well. In open “discussion” meetings, some of these settings are challenging to implement. Knowing how to quickly stop an interruption is essential for Hosts and very often overlooked until after an incident occurs.

Learn More

Additional tips to prevent ZoomBombing are available on Zoom’s website.