It is not that the chats are completely available for the general public but once a meeting is over, the full conversation will be available to the host in the end-of-meeting transcript. In other words, the host can read what you write there.
Just imagine making fun of someone in a private window during a video conference. Realistically speaking this is something that many people would do, especially during a long meeting. But once the meeting is over, the host will be able to read that. And it will probably stop being funny.
This feature is completely against the point of a “private”, but it is the way it works right now. So better not use that private window unless you are sure of what you’re writing and aware of who can read it.
Zoom Installer With Malware
This does NOT mean that Zoom is distributing malware with their installation package. In fact, it is not a problem exclusive to them as basically you can get malware with any piece of software that is installed from an unknown or unofficial source.
Hackers distribute a copy of the installation software after tampering with it by adding a piece of software that uses your computer’s CPU and GPU to generate new cryptocurrencies, thus being profitable for the malware developers.
There are two ways you can avoid getting affected by installation malwares. First, only download the latest installers directly from the official webpage or a trusted source. Second, use a reliable antivirus in your computer.
So is Zoom Safe To Use?
If you put into practice at least a minimum of security measures Zoom is safe to use. Despite all the fuzz around the app, it is still even more secure than other apps on the market.
Keep in mind that there are many factors affecting the platform’s performance right now. The number of users grew more than 20x in just 3 months, and on top of that, this dramatic increase in users also attracted an incredible amount of hackers trying to take advantage of it.
Zoom CEO and founder Eric S. Yuan acknowledged this In a blog post on April 1.
“We now have a much broader set of users who are utilizing our product in a myriad of unexpected ways, presenting us with challenges we did not anticipate when the platform was conceived,”
As for now, Zoom is expected to grow even more until eventually becoming the most secure video conferencing tool available. But as Kim Zetter said “…too bad they didn’t save themselves some grief and engage in some security assessments of their own to avoid this trial by fire.”
