Zoom ‘not safe for video conferencing’
The government yesterday said videoconferencing software Zoom is “not a safe platform”, joining other countries that have expressed concern about the security of an application that has become hugely popular worldwide during the coronavirus lockdown.
US-based Zoom Video Communications has apologised for security flaws and says it is working to fix them. Problems have included “Zoombombing”, when uninvited users gatecrash a video conference.
Taiwan and Germany have already curbed the use of Zoom, while Google banned the desktop version from corporate laptops this month.
“Zoom is a not a safe platform,” the cyber co-ordination centre (CyCord) of the ministry of home affairs said in a 16-page advisory.
Zoom did not immediately respond to an e-mail from Reuters seeking comment on the Indian advisory.
Founder and chief executive Eric Yuan this month apologised for what he called falling short of “the community’s — and our own — privacy and security expectations.”
The company was dedicating resources to identify and fix the issues, he added.
The ministry provided a list of adjustments it advised users to make to Zoom software’s security settings to provide better protection from unauthorised entry into virtual conference rooms and attacks on users’ computers.
Zoom has enjoyed a surge in usage since the virus outbreak began, as millions of people use it to stay connected while isolating themselves.
In March it had about 200mn people using its system every day, up from 10mn last year.
As the country enforced a nationwide lockdown late last month to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Zoom’s smartphone app saw a sharp surge in downloads.
Even some government officials have held discussions with industry executives to discuss coronvirus relief measures via Zoom.