Security Suggestions
The information below is geared to assist in keeping your virtual meetings safe and protect participants. The directions are for the Zoom platform since it is the most popular virtual platform currently in use. If your group utilizes another platform and would like instructions/suggestions to help secure your meetings, please email rcichair@aarockland.org.
Ways to Protect your Meeting Space
- mute all (and DO NOT allow participants to unmute themselves)
- disable chat to “everyone” (allow chat with host only)
- uncheck the option that allows participants to change their names (zoom “bombers” have recently been changing their names in meetings to make it harder to find/remove them)
- have a co-host to help monitor participants and remove anyone being disruptive
- send anyone disruptive to the waiting room, report them to zoom, then remove them and they won’t be able to ever get back into your meeting
- You also have the ability to set up the “virtual waiting room” and have someone screen participants before they can enter
Suggested Settings for your Meeting to Use
Please note that most, if not all, of the settings below are not the Zoom default:
Go to: Settings > Recording and click off the Local and Cloud recording features.
In the Zoom Settings section, under the Meeting subtab:
- Require Encryption for Third Party Endpoints
- Disable Auto saving chats
- Disable File transfer
- Disable Feedback to Zoom
- Disable Screen sharing
- Disable desktop/screen share for users
- Disable Remote control
- Allow Virtual background (this is the Zoom default and allows the user to use a virtual background instead of the inside of their apartment, for example)
- Under “Screen sharing”, select “Host Only” to prevent participants from hijacking the screen
- Disable “allow removed participants to rejoin”
Other useful settings under the Meeting subtab:
- Mute participants upon entry
- Allow “join before host”
- Disable “play sound when participants join or leave”
In the Zoom Settings section, under the Recording subtab:
- Disable Local recording
- Disable Cloud recording
- Disable Automatic recording
In the Zoom Settings Section, under the Telephone subtab:
- Mask phone number in the participant list
Using Controls
One key to securing your meetings is to make sure that whomever is hosting is familiar with the controls and how to handle unwanted participants and/or disruptions. To that end, here are some suggestions below along with links to support pages for anyone who is hosting.
Outside Links
(links are provided as guides and resources and do not imply affiliation)
If someone is disrupting your meeting, you can send them to the waiting room so that the interruption ends and then report them to Zoom so that their account is locked. After that, you can remove them from the meeting so that they cannot rejoin (if you removed them first, you don’t have the ability to report them since they’re gone).
Please visit the Zoom support page to learn more about muting all, using the waiting room, how to disable private chat, mute, and video, how to remove someone and how to put them on hold and other security options and settings.
Please send any questions, concerns or suggestions to rcichair@aarockland.org.