With the increasing reliance on video conferencing tools like Zoom, ensuring the security of meetings has become crucial. Uninvited guests disrupting meetings, known as Zoom Bombing, can be a serious concern. Fortunately, there are effective ways to safeguard your Zoom meetings from such intrusions.

What is Zoom Bombing?

Zoom Bombing refers to the unwanted intrusion of uninvited individuals into a Zoom meeting. These intruders exploit publicly shared meeting links or IDs to gain access and disrupt sessions, often by sharing inappropriate content. While it's not a direct hack of the platform, it takes advantage of default settings and unsecured invitations.

For example, if you set up a Zoom meeting and share the invitation link widely, anyone with that link can join the meeting. If the link falls into the wrong hands, it can lead to disruptions. The most common method of Zoom Bombing involves screen sharing, where an uninvited participant shares offensive content with everyone in the meeting.

Lock a Zoom Meeting

One of the most effective ways to prevent Zoom Bombing is by locking your meeting once all your intended participants have joined. Locking a meeting ensures that no additional guests can enter, even if they have the meeting ID and password.

To lock a Zoom meeting, start by clicking on the Manage Participants option in the Zoom meeting window. This will open a list of all current participants on the right side of the screen.

At the bottom of the participants' list, click on the More button and select the Lock Meeting option from the menu.

A confirmation dialog will appear, asking if you want to lock the meeting. Click Yes to proceed. Once locked, no new participants can join the meeting, even if they have the meeting credentials.

If you need to allow someone in after locking the meeting, you can unlock it by following the same steps and selecting Unlock Meeting from the menu. Remember to lock the meeting again after the participant has joined to maintain security.

Create a Waiting Room to Manually Approve Participants

Another effective method to prevent unauthorized access is by enabling the Waiting Room feature. This allows you to manually admit participants, giving you control over who joins your meeting.

To enable the Waiting Room, go to zoom.us/profile/setting in your web browser and sign in to your Zoom account. Scroll down to the In Meeting (Advanced) section and locate the Waiting room option. Turn on the toggle switch to enable it.

When participants try to join your meeting, you'll receive a notification. You can admit them individually by clicking the Admit button on the notification or manage them through the participants' list.

To view and manage the Waiting Room, click on Manage Participants in the meeting controls. Participants in the Waiting Room will be listed at the top. Hover over a participant's name and click Admit to allow them into the meeting.

If you wish to disable the Waiting Room during a meeting, click the More button at the bottom of the participants' list and uncheck the Put Participants in Waiting Room on Entry option.

Disable Screen Sharing for Participants

Preventing participants from sharing their screens is a crucial step to avoid Zoom Bombing through inappropriate content sharing. By restricting screen sharing to the host only, you eliminate the risk of participants displaying unwanted material during the meeting.

To disable screen sharing for participants during a meeting, click on the upward arrow next to the Share Screen button in the host controls. From the menu, select Advanced Sharing Options.

In the Advanced Sharing Options window, set the How many participants can share at the same time? option to One participant can share at a time. Then, for the Who can share? option, select Only Host.

To set this preference for all future meetings, you can adjust the settings in your Zoom account. Visit zoom.us/profile/setting and sign in. Under the Meetings tab, locate the Screen sharing options in the Meeting (basic) section. Change the Who can share? setting to Host Only and click Save.

This ensures that in all your future meetings, only you as the host will have the ability to share your screen, preventing any potential disruptions from participants.

By applying these security measures, you can effectively protect your Zoom meetings from unwanted interruptions and ensure a smooth and secure communication experience with your participants.