I have a personal obligation that requires participating in Zoom meetings. With minimal investigation I found that Zoom posed (last spring) security vulnerabilities under MacOS. This was due to a web sever that the app installed on Macs. It doesn’t take much for me to distrust an app that requires access to a camera. Even at its most benign, it’s creepy. Concerns skyrocket from there. Plus, who wants to remove the black electrical tape from their camera lens . So how does this community handle Zoom meetings?
For the 1st meeting I accessed Zoom via browser rather than installing the app, and kept the video “muted.” Are there must have features in the app that aren’t available in the browser? Is the iOS Zoom app more secure? I’m considering installing Zoom on an iPad. Any one have positive experiences they can share?
That was all resolved iirc, Zoom delivers probably the best experience for organizers and participants of all the video conferencing platforms out there. I have to use GoTo at work now and I sorely miss Zoom…
All these apps have serious potential security holes, and they’ve played whack-a-mole on them for years. The issue the OP referred to was a cock-up from last summer in which not only Zoom pushed out a patch but Apple did as well, silently removing a Zoom component from Macs around the world in an update.
But that type of web server bug was not specfic to Zoom, as security researcher Karan Lyons noted:
My knee-jerk reaction (emphasis on jerk) was “What’s a phone…hahah” Joking aside, good to know that option is on the table.
To expand on my situation just a bit, the meeting is instructional, a martial arts class. Video observation is important both for learning and feedback. While this situation is less than ideal, my instructors have bills to pay, and I have a desire to learn. I’m playing the long game.
As far as best experience goes, any opinion on MacOS vs browser vs iOS? For instance, the meeting host stated they allowed recording, but I did not see that option available from browser access. Are Zoom features platform specific?
After reading the 2 articles you provided my feelings are mixed. It appears that Zoom made changes only after significant arm twisting and public outcry, and that Apple took the Zoom security end around much more seriously, and took unilateral action to end it.
Question: Would you install Zoom on your laptop? On an iOS device?
I have. It’s becoming the de facto standard for video conferencing. I’m aware of (at least) one large US medical organization that uses it extensively.
I think the answer is “yes” their security is a lot better than it was.
Having said that, if I was a little concerned about privacy I would, like you, think twice about installing it on a device which had sensitive information on it. Having said that, any app could be presenting the same vulnerabilities irrespective of its function - it doesn’t have to be a mic and camera app to be a security vulnerability.
If you want to be super vigilant I would install it on a dedicated device, for example an old iPad or iPhone to use while we get through this. If that seems overkill the phone in option is very secure (in terms of protecting your device and its data) as a way to join meetings (albeit Lo-fi) audio only.
There’s the cutesy side to Zoom — when chatting, you can change your background to the set of The Office , among many other options. Some remote work companies are even rolling out custom Zoom backgrounds — “Hotline Bling,” anyone? — to drive customers.
There’s the embarassing, such as the professor who tried to screen-share with her students and accidentally revealed a desktop folder labelled “DIVORCE.” Or the executive at Impossible Foods who spent a full work meeting vaguely resembling an alien because of a video glitch.
And there’s the creepy: Zoom has an attention-tracking feature that alerts hosts if an “attendee does not have Zoom Desktop Client or Mobile App in focus for more than 30 seconds.”
. So how does this community handle Zoom meetings?