These days, all of our meetings are held remotely. When you use Zoom, are you using the features in it to secure your meeting?

The Penn State Office of Information Security recommends one of three settings to limit who can enter your meeting room. They include the use of a passcode, a Waiting Room, or enabling the setting “Only authenticated users can join meetings.”

With a passcode, a would-be uninvited guest cannot simply guess the 11-digit meeting ID and then enter. They would also need a passcode, which is created by the meeting host. You can allow Zoom to randomly generate a passcode or set one that is more meaningful to your meeting attendees.

Using a Waiting Room allows hosts and co-hosts to admit attendees individually or in bulk. (The Waiting Room is a favorite of the training team. We utilize this to get things ready before admitting our participants.)

The waiting room can also be turned off when your meeting starts. Note though that this will immediately grant access to someone who clicks the link.

Turning the authenticated user setting on means that only meeting attendees who are logged into their Penn State Zoom account will be admitted to the meeting. If you use this setting, it is recommended that you remind participants to log into their Zoom desktop app or Zoom web portal before attempting to join the meeting. Any participant who is not logged in will be denied access.

For more information on Zoom meeting security, visit the Zoom Trust Center.