by Randy Hollowell, IT Services

As you are probably aware, this summer Miami added Zoom to our group of collaboration tools. It was added to go along with Webex and Google Meet. As a result, we wanted to make sure everyone has a good understanding of the security defaults that are in place. To learn more about the security defaults associated with Webex, please visit the IT News article.

New security measures

After reviewing our current security settings, Miami will be instituting several global changes for Zoom to better align with industry best practices. We are making this change in advance of Zoom’s forcing this in the near future. These updates will go into effect on Monday, August 31, at 7:00 am and are outlined below.

All Zoom meetings will require a passcode. Passcodes are created automatically by Zoom and sent to all registered participants via email and the calendar invitation. If an invited Miami user is signed into Zoom they will NOT need to manually enter the passcode. Only non-Miami invited guests will need to enter it.

Current security settings

There are some security features that have already been enabled.

1. Zoom sessions in Canvas. Sessions/meetings that have been scheduled through Canvas already have the password requirement built in, so they will not have to be recreated after the security updates have been initiated.
2. Restrict unauthorized users for personal rooms. Your Zoom Personal Room is your own static virtual conference space that you can use for meetings at any time. Attendees that are signed into Zoom will be allowed into unlocked personal rooms and attendees who have not logged in must wait in the lobby until the host manually admits them. The host sees a list of who is waiting and can choose who to admit.

What to do with existing meetings

The new global changes will only affect meetings scheduled after 7:00 am on August 31. If you have sessions that have already been scheduled, IT Services and eLearning Miami strongly recommend that after the changes are made on August 31, you cancel the scheduled sessions and recreate them to take advantage of the updated security protocols.

The exception to this are sessions that have been scheduled through Canvas. These meetings/classes already have the passcode requirement built in.

Use the Desktop Client

It is highly recommended that you use the Zoom Desktop Client whenever possible. Only use the web client if you can't access the other options. Zoom has a very nice explanation of which applications to use and when.

We believe these changes should not cause too much of a disruption and are necessary to enhance the safety and security of all Miami Zoom users, specifically to curtail video conferencing attacks. For more information about using Zoom at Miami, please visit MiamiOH.edu/Zoom.