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Tag: Zoom

  • Zoom In Hot Water Over Censorship On Behalf of Beijing

    Zoom In Hot Water Over Censorship On Behalf of Beijing

    Zoom has found itself in hot water again, this time over suspending accounts at the request of the Chinese government.

    In a blog post, the company details how it was approached by Chinese officials regarding multiple accounts that were hosting large meetings commemorating the anniversary of Tiananmen Square. In three of the four instances, Zoom suspended the accounts due to a large number of the participants being from mainland China.

    The company points out that all three of the suspended accounts have since been reactivated, and outlines the mistakes it made in how it handled China’s requests, as well as what it is doing to prevent this situation in the future. Specifically, while the company must comply with local laws, Zooms says that it should not have taken action that impacted those outside of China by shutting down the meetings and suspending or terminating the three accounts.

    Instead, Zoom says it should have blocked participants by country or let the meetings run. Currently, the company does not have the ability to block participants by country, but rightly acknowledges it should have anticipated such a need.

    In the meantime, the company says it will no longer allow requests from the Chinese government to impact users outside of China, and will update its policies for handling such matters.

    On the technical side, the company is working on the ability to block participants by country.

    “Zoom is developing technology over the next several days that will enable us to remove or block at the participant level based on geography,” reads the blog post. “This will enable us to comply with requests from local authorities when they determine activity on our platform is illegal within their borders; however, we will also be able to protect these conversations for participants outside of those borders where the activity is allowed.”

    Despite these steps, US lawmakers are already asking for clarification from Zoom regarding this fiasco, according to Reuters.

  • The Case For Paid Zoom Plans: Free Plans Don’t Have End-to-End Encryption

    The Case For Paid Zoom Plans: Free Plans Don’t Have End-to-End Encryption

    Following Zoom’s addition of end-to-end encryption, the company’s CEO made it clear that only paying customers benefit from it.

    Zoom has become one of the dominant video communication platforms during the coronavirus pandemic, going from 10 million daily users to well over 200 million, and hitting 300 million at times. In spite of its dominance, Zoom has faced significant criticism for weak security. The company was forced to put a 90-day moratorium on new features, as it pivoted to security fixes.

    One of the biggest criticisms was the type of encryption Zoom used, with its marketing giving the impression it was end-to-end when, in fact, it was not. Zoom quickly moved to address the issue and offer true end-to-end encryption.

    In spite of that, not everyone will benefit from the upgrade. According to Bloomberg, in a call with analysts, CEO Eric Yuan indicated free users are out in the cold.

    “Free users for sure we don’t want to give that because we also want to work together with FBI, with local law enforcement in case some people use Zoom for a bad purpose,” said Yuan.

    The move is already receiving criticism and it will be interesting to see if Zoom sticks to its guns or upgrades free users as well.

  • Zoom Buys Keybase, Secure Messaging and File-Sharing Provider

    Zoom Buys Keybase, Secure Messaging and File-Sharing Provider

    Zoom has acquired Keybase, the popular secure messaging and file-sharing provider in its ongoing attempt to improve its security.

    In the midst of the global pandemic, Zoom has gone from 10 million daily users to over 200 million, becoming the go-to platform for communication of all kinds. Remote workers, government agencies, online students, families, friends and more have all turned to the platform to stay connected.

    Unfortunately for the company, it has made a number of security missteps, losing some public confidence along the way. This caused Zoom to announce a moratorium on new features for 90 days, while it focused on beefing up security. This acquisition, the company’s first in its nine-year history, is major step in that direction.

    “There are end-to-end encrypted communications platforms. There are communications platforms with easily deployable security. There are enterprise-scale communications platforms. We believe that no current platform offers all of these. This is what Zoom plans to build, giving our users security, ease of use, and scale, all at once,” said Eric S. Yuan, CEO of Zoom. “The first step is getting the right team together. Keybase brings deep encryption and security expertise to Zoom, and we’re thrilled to welcome Max and his team. Bringing on a cohesive group of security engineers like this significantly advances our 90-day plan to enhance our security efforts.”

    “Keybase is thrilled to join Team Zoom!” said Max Krohn, Keybase.io co-founder and developer. “Our team is passionate about security and privacy, and it is an honor to be able to bring our encryption expertise to a platform used by hundreds of millions of participants a day.”

    It will be exciting to see just how Zoom integrates Keybase’s features to deliver on its security goals.

  • Google Meet Free For Everyone

    Google Meet Free For Everyone

    Google has announced that it is making its premium video conferencing product, Google Meet, available for free to everyone.

    Video conferencing platforms have experienced record growth amid the coronavirus pandemic, as organizations, schools and individuals have turned to them to stay connected and productive. Zoom went from 10 million to 200 million daily users, and 300 million daily meeting participants. Other platforms have also seen stellar growth, although it appears Google would like to experience even more, if its latest blog post is any indication.

    “Today, we’re making Google Meet, our premium video conferencing product, free for everyone, with availability rolling out over the coming weeks,” writes Javier Soltero Vice President & GM, G Suite. “We’ve invested years in making Meet a secure and reliable video conferencing solution that’s trusted by schools, governments and enterprises around the world, and in recent months we’ve accelerated the release of top-requested features to make it even more helpful. Starting in early May, anyone with an email address can sign up for Meet and enjoy many of the same features available to our business and education users, such as simple scheduling and screen sharing, real-time captions, and layouts that adapt to your preference, including an expanded tiled view.”

    This is a big move for Google, and will likely help it better compete with Zoom and Microsoft’s products, including Skype and Teams. It will be interesting to see if Meet remains free permanently, or just while the pandemic is in full swing.

  • Zoom Turns to Oracle to Meet Its Infrastructure Needs

    Zoom Turns to Oracle to Meet Its Infrastructure Needs

    In a surprise move, Zoom has chosen Oracle for its latest cloud infrastructure expansion as the company experiences unprecedented growth.

    As COVID-19 has forced people to social distance, work from home, engage in remote learning and socialize digitally, Zoom has been one of the most popular platforms people have turned to. In short order, the platform went from 10 million daily users to over 300 million, putting a strain on the company’s infrastructure.

    The company already uses AWS and Microsoft for cloud infrastructure but, in an effort to keep up with demand, Zoom has struck a deal with Oracle for its latest expansion. The choice is particularly surprising given Oracle’s current place in the market, far behind AWS, Microsoft and Google. One of the motivating factors was Oracle’s security, an area where Zoom has been working to improve.

    “We recently experienced the most significant growth our business has ever seen, requiring massive increases in our service capacity. We explored multiple platforms, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure was instrumental in helping us quickly scale our capacity and meet the needs of our new users,” said Zoom CEO Eric S. Yuan. “We chose Oracle Cloud Infrastructure because of its industry-leading security, outstanding performance, and unmatched level of support.”

    “Video communications has become an essential part of our professional and personal lives, and Zoom has led this industry’s innovation,” said Oracle CEO Safra Catz. “We are proud to work with Zoom, as both their cloud infrastructure provider and as a customer, while they grow and continue to connect businesses, people and governments around the world.”

    The deal is a huge win for Oracle as it endeavors to expand its market share, and wil likely lead to other companies looking to it as a viable option.

    Note: Clarification added to show Zoom continues to use AWS and Microsoft.

  • Zoom Will Allow Hosts to Report Users

    Zoom Will Allow Hosts to Report Users

    In its ongoing efforts to beef up security, Zoom is preparing to allow hosts to report participants who misbehave.

    Zoom has become a critical component to individuals and organizations alike during the coronavirus pandemic. The company has, however, come under criticism for lax security and privacy, prompting many companies and organizations to ban the app. As a result, Zoom committed to a 90-day moratorium on new features while its engineering teams focused on security and privacy improvements.

    One of the biggest issues the company has been trying to address is Zoom-bombing, where an uninvited participant gains access to a meeting and commandeers it. Zoom-bombers have subjected legitimate participants to lewd drawings, racial slurs and more.

    According to notes on Zoom’s site, the company is releasing an update on April 26 that will allow hosts to report those participants who misbehave.

    Setting to allow host to report participants to Zoom

    Account owners and admins can now enable a setting to allow the host to report participants to Zoom. This feature will generate a report which will be sent to the Zoom Trust and Safety team to evaluate any misuse of the platform and block a user if necessary. This setting is available at the account, group, and user level and can be locked at the group or account level. This setting requires the Zoom client version which will be released on April 26, 2020.

    This is another welcome improvement to Zoom and should help improve the experience for all involved.

  • Online Ads Gaining Traction Amid Pandemic

    Online Ads Gaining Traction Amid Pandemic

    Research shows that ads are gaining traction as more people are working online and relying on the internet for all aspects of life.

    As the coronavirus pandemic continues spreading around the globe, an untold number of individuals are working from home. For many, e-commerce has suddenly become a lifeline, providing a steady supply of food and essentials. Zoom, Slack, Skype, Teams, and other videoconferencing applications are keeping employees connected to work, and families connected to loved ones. Mobile apps are serving as a welcome distraction for people struggling to maintain some semblance of normalcy.

    Amid such conditions, many companies have pulled back on their advertising efforts and budgets. According to Playground XYZ, however, there are a number of advertising categories that are experiencing greater engagement during the pandemic. Specifically, Playground XYZ found that consumer attention on ads was up 7% for February and 6% for March, compared to the previous six months. Home & Garden, Personal Finance and Food & Drink saw the largest gains, at 21%, 23% and 21% respectively. Another significant finding is that users paid more attention to ads the longer they looked at a site. For example, users who spend approximately 300 seconds on a site had a 250% higher attention index over the baseline, emphasizing the need for companies to focus on long-form and editorial content.

    Similarly, Global Web Index (GWI) found that 27% of individuals are reading Business & Finance articles online. Similarly, “87% of U.S. consumers and 80% of UK consumers say they’re consuming more content.” While video and streaming take the top spots, the point remains that people are craving more information now than ever before. Just as important, “68% of millennial podcast listeners say they intend to keep consuming just as much after the outbreak, indicating potential areas of revenue for digital content providers in the aftermath of the crisis.” Again the point is clear: patterns of behavior and content consumption that are created now will likely continue long-term.

    While the coronavirus pandemic is creating challenges and hardships for businesses of all size, there is also a tremendous opportunity to deliver the content users are looking for—and gain lifelong customers as a result.

  • Verizon Snaps Up Zoom Competitor BlueJeans

    Verizon Snaps Up Zoom Competitor BlueJeans

    Verizon Business has announced a definitive agreement to buy up Zoom competitor BlueJeans, as the videoconferencing market heats up.

    Amid the coronavirus pandemic, videoconferencing has become one of the most critical components that has allowed businesses, schools, religious organizations and more to keep functioning. Zoom’s stock has reflected its newfound status as a nearly indispensable tool.

    In spite of that success, Zoom has also come under heavy criticism for privacy and security missteps, prompting many organizations and government agencies around the world to ban the app. The company has responded by putting a moratorium on new features for 90 days, while their entire engineering staff focuses on improving security and privacy.

    In such an environment, rivals are moving to take advantage of the company’s missteps. Microsoft has made improvements to both Skype and Teams in an effort to make headway, and now Verizon is acquiring BlueJeans in an effort to move squarely into the space. Verizon specifically touts their intention to deeply integrate BlueJeans videoconferencing with the company’s 5G network, making things like telemedicine and distance learning more mainstream.

    “As the way we work continues to change, it is absolutely critical for businesses and public sector customers to have access to a comprehensive suite of offerings that are enterprise ready, secure, frictionless and that integrate with existing tools,” said Tami Erwin, CEO of Verizon Business. “Collaboration and communications have become top of the agenda for businesses of all sizes and in all sectors in recent months. We are excited to combine the power of BlueJeans’ video platform with Verizon Business’ connectivity networks, platforms and solutions to meet our customers’ needs.”

    “The combination of BlueJeans’ world class enterprise video collaboration platform and trusted brand with Verizon Business’ next generation edge computing innovation will deliver highly differentiated and compelling solutions to our joint customers,” said Quentin Gallivan, CEO of BlueJeans Network. “We are very excited about joining the Verizon team and we truly believe the future of business communications starts today!”

    Combining BlueJeans’ platform with Verizon’s network is likely to be a win for customers of both companies, while the added competition should be good for everyone.

    Image Credit: Verizon

  • Cantor Fitzgerald Initiates Coverage of Zoom, Slack With Bullish Outlook

    Cantor Fitzgerald Initiates Coverage of Zoom, Slack With Bullish Outlook

    Financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald has initiated coverage of Zoom and Slack, giving both an Overweight rating.

    Zoom and Slack have been the darlings of the work from home era. Zoom is widely considered to have one of, if not the, best videoconferencing platforms that works equally well for large and small groups. Similarly, Slack is one of the most widely used chat platforms and has seen significant growth.

    According to Barron’s, Cantor analyst Drew Kootman set price targets of $150 and $30 for Zoom and Slack, respectively.

    “We believe the current Covid-19 environment presents significant upside potential not currently assumed in the stock,” Kootman wrote in a research note. “Zoom provides a superior communication platform in a time where video and connectivity is becoming more important for all industries and business sizes. We expect the virus to provide upside to estimates and for the platform and its products to drive increased market penetration and future cross-selling opportunities. We expect these impacts to continue to drive multiple expansion.”

    The coverage should be a boost to both companies and further reaffirms their status as the pandemic changes how Americans work.

  • Zoom to Allow Paid Customers to Route Their Data

    Zoom to Allow Paid Customers to Route Their Data

    Beginning April 18, Zoom will allow paid subscribers to choose which region their data is routed through.

    Zoom has experienced unprecedented growth, quickly becoming the option of choice for videoconferencing as millions of people work from home. Despite its popularity, and in part because of it, the company has faced withering criticism for lapses in its security and privacy measures, prompting it to put a 90-day moratorium on new features in an effort to focus on privacy and security improvements. One such criticism is that some calls, as well as the encryption keys used to protect them, were routed through China—despite originating in North America.

    True to its promise to focus on beefing up security, Zoom has announced that paying customers will be able to choose where their calls and data are routed. The company began sending out emails to paid subscribers, notifying them of the change, on Monday.

    In a blog post, Zoom CTO Brendan Ittelson explained further:

    Beginning April 18, every paid Zoom customer can opt in or out of a specific data center region. This will determine the meeting servers and Zoom connectors that can be used to connect to Zoom meetings or webinars you are hosting and ensure the best-quality service.

    1. Starting April 18, with respect to data in transit, Zoom admins and account owners of paid accounts can, at the account, group, or user level:
    • Opt out of specific data center regions
    • Opt in to specific data center regions

    You will not be able to change or opt out of your default region, which will be locked. The default region is the region where a customer’s account is provisioned. For the majority of our customers, this is the United States.

    This feature gives our customers more control over their data and their interaction with our global network when using Zoom’s industry-leading video communication services.

    This is good news for paid subscribers, and further demonstrates the lengths to which Zoom is going to regain the trust they lost.

  • Coming or Going? In the Encryption Debate, U.S. Government Doesn’t Know

    Coming or Going? In the Encryption Debate, U.S. Government Doesn’t Know

    Senator Blumenthal has issued a call for the FTC to investigate Zoom’s security, illustrating a schism within the government over the issue of encryption.

    Few issues have polarized politicians, scientists, researchers and citizens as much as end-to-end encryption. Many officials, including multiple FBI directors, have warned that strong encryption makes it nearly impossible to properly investigate cases and contributes to criminals “going dark.” Others, such as Senators Ron Wyden and Rand Paul, have been staunch proponents of strong encryption. Similarly, mathematicians and security experts have repeatedly made the case that strong encryption cannot have backdoors or built-in weaknesses and still offer the necessary protection.

    Currently, the biggest threat to encryption in the U.S. is the upcoming EARN IT Act. The bill is designed to combat online sexual exploitation of children. While absolutely a worthwhile goal that should be a priority for companies, governments and individuals alike, the bill is a pandora’s box of uncertainty when it comes to encryption. The bill addresses protection under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, wherein companies are not held liable for things people say or do on their communications platforms.

    Under the proposed EARN IT Act, in order to maintain their protected status under Section 230, companies would need to comply with vague “best practices” established by a committee. This committee, and the U.S. Attorney General, would have wide discretion to determine what those “best practices” are. So what happens if the Attorney General is William Barr, an individual who has voiced staunch opposition to end-to-end encryption? Might “best practices” include the requirement that companies build in backdoors? Very likely.

    Backers of the bill, have said the bill is not an attack on encryption and that necessary safeguards are in place. However, nearly every expert who has reviewed the bill has arrived at a completely different conclusion, and believe the bill will absolutely lead to an all-out attack on encryption.

    Should that happen, many companies will have to choose between weakening their encryption, and thereby endangering their users, or move their businesses outside the U.S. One example is the encrypted messaging app Signal, ussed by the U.S. military, as well as senators and their staff. Signal developer Joshua Lund made it clear (an excellent read) the app will likely no longer be available in the U.S. if EARN IT passes.

    What makes this story all the more interesting is a recent tweet by Senator Richard Blumenthal, one of the sponsors of the EARN IT Act:

    I am calling on FTC to investigate @zoomus. Zoom’s pattern of security failures & privacy infringements should have drawn the FTC’s attention & scrutiny long ago. Advertising privacy features that do not exist is clearly a deceptive act.

    The facts & practices unearthed by researchers in recent weeks are alarming—we should be concerned about what remains hidden. As Zoom becomes embedded in Americans’ daily lives, we urgently need a full & transparent investigation of its privacy & security.

    Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) April 7, 2020

    One of the biggest privacy and security issues with Zoom is the fact that it advertised end-to-end encryption, but failed to deliver. Based on Senator Blumenthal’s tweet, the message is clear: end-to-end encryption is a wonderful thing for government officials, so long as said government officials can still spy on the average citizen.

    In other words, the U.S. government is stuck in a strange dichotomy where it wants to punish companies for not supporting end-to-end encryption, while at the same time undermining and legislating backdoors in that very encryption.

  • Microsoft Continues Cloud Hiring, Freezes Other Areas

    Microsoft Continues Cloud Hiring, Freezes Other Areas

    As the global pandemic continues to take its toll, Microsoft is freezing hiring for many roles, but is continuing to hire for its cloud division.

    According to a report, employees told Business Insider that “Microsoft is still hiring for roles within its massive cloud computing business, and the company was holding virtual hiring events for software engineers as recently as last week. Some groups, one employee said, are ‘prioritizing consumer-facing and critical roles.’”

    The news should come as no surprise, given the impact of the pandemic. As governments have called on individuals to social distance and stay at home, and as companies have sent their workers home with orders to telecommute, the cloud computing industry has entered its heyday. From Slack to Teams, Office 365 to Google Docs, Zoom to Skype, people are relying on cloud-based software and solutions like never before.

    In view of that, it makes sense that Microsoft would continue hiring for its cloud division. It’s likely that any increase in Microsoft’s cloud personnel will be permanent and far outlast the current crisis, due to the fundamental shift in the workforce the pandemic is causing. The longer it goes on, the more likely current telecommuting trends will become the norm, resulting in a permanent demand for cloud-based solutions.

  • DHS: Zoom Responding to Security Concerns

    DHS: Zoom Responding to Security Concerns

    The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a memo in support of Zoom and the company’s efforts to improve its security.

    According to Reuters, who gained access to the memo, DHS was addressing the recent issues Zoom has been facing regarding its security and privacy. The memo was “drafted by DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, which screens software used by government bodies,” and circulated among the government’s top cybersecurity officials.

    Rather than calling for a moratorium on Zoom’s use, as some companies and governments have done, the DHS memo sought to put officials’ minds at ease by emphasizing that Zoom understood the seriousness of the concerns and was working hard to address them. The support is good news for Zoom and an indication its recent efforts to beef up privacy and security are beginning to yield much-needed fruit.

  • Skype Adds ‘Meet Now’ Feature to Take On Zoom

    Skype Adds ‘Meet Now’ Feature to Take On Zoom

    In an effort to take on Zoom’s newfound popularity, Microsoft is adding “Meet Now” to Skype, making meetings easier than ever.

    Once upon a time, Skype was the reigning king of online videoconferencing. A number of missteps by Microsoft, clunky interface decisions, poor performance and ongoing security issues opened the door for Zoom to become the de facto standard amid the global pandemic. Now that Zoom has faced criticism of its own over security and privacy, Microsoft sees an opportunity to make up lost ground.

    The feature works whether Skype is installed or not. “Our unique Meet Now link will open your installed Skype app on any device,” the post continues. “Even if you’re not signed in, you can join the call or chat as a guest. If you don’t have Skype installed on your desktop, we will open our Skype for Web client for your convenience. If you’d like, you can install Skype on your device as well.”

    Image Credit: Microsoft
    Image Credit: Microsoft

    According to Microsoft, “Meet Now in Skype allows you to easily set up a collaboration space and invite both Skype contacts and friends or family who are not on Skype. Participants can then easily join meetings whether they have an account or not.”

    It’s unclear whether the new feature will be enough to help Skype regain market share, but it is nice to see Microsoft stepping up and giving users more options.

    Image Credit: Microsoft

  • Zoom Pivots to Security Amid Ongoing Criticism

    Zoom Pivots to Security Amid Ongoing Criticism

    Zoom is taking drastic measures to improve its security and privacy amid criticism and scrutiny as it serves hundreds of millions of users.

    As the pandemic sweeps the globe, individuals, corporations and organizations of all types are making drastic changes to their daily workflows and routines. Zoom has become an integral part of those routines, and hundreds of millions of users have begun to rely on the platform for school, work and socializing.

    Unfortunately for the company, the increased usage has also brought increased scrutiny, especially in the realm of privacy and security. The company has been called to task for not using end-to-end encryption, as its marketing claims; for leaking email addresses; for sending data to Facebook without informing users, before finally removing the offending SDK; and for a rash of Zoom-bombing incidents where outside individuals gain access to a Zoom meeting and make a nuisance of themselves.

    In view of these challenges, Zoom is taking drastic action to beef up its security and privacy. In a blog post on the company’s site, founder and CEO Eric Yuan said the company is enacting a freeze for 90 days in order to shift all “engineering resources to focus on our biggest trust, safety, and privacy issues.”

    The company also plans to conduct a comprehensive review with third-party experts and release a transparency report. It will also enhance its bug bounty program, and engage in a number of white box penetration tests. Zoom has also improved its privacy policy, apologized for not handling its encryption issues clearly and tried to help individuals address Zoom-bombing.

    In short, the company is pulling out all the stops in an effort to improve its privacy and security, no small task given how quickly the platform has grown.

    “To put this growth in context, as of the end of December last year, the maximum number of daily meeting participants, both free and paid, conducted on Zoom was approximately 10 million,” writes Yuan. “In March this year, we reached more than 200 million daily meeting participants, both free and paid.”

    As we said in a previous article, “the increased scrutiny of Zoom is a good reminder to companies that privacy and security should never be an afterthought. Instead, they should be a core feature, built in to an app or service from day one.”

    That statement remains true—security and privacy should never be an afterthought. At the same time, it’s time to give credit where credit is due: Zoom is stepping up to the plate and doing everything possible to provide its users with the privacy and security they expect and deserve.

  • SpaceX Employees Won’t Be Zooming Anywhere

    SpaceX Employees Won’t Be Zooming Anywhere

    SpaceX has banned its employees from using Zoom for communication, in the latest challenge the popular videoconferencing app is facing.

    In a memo seen by Reuters, SpaceX cites “significant privacy and security concerns” as the reason behind the ban. The memo goes on to say: “We understand that many of us were using this tool for conferences and meeting support. Please use email, text or phone as alternate means of communication.”

    Zoom has been facing increasing scrutiny for its security and privacy, just as the app has become one of the most popular options for individuals sheltering in place and working from home. In short order, the app has been accused of not using end-to-end encryption, despite its marketing claims, as well as exposing users’ email addresses and phone numbers. Researchers have also discovered a serious security flaw in the Windows version of the app. New York Attorney General Letitia James is even looking into the company’s privacy practices.

    The increased scrutiny of Zoom is a good reminder to companies that privacy and security should never be an afterthought. Instead, they should be a core feature, built in to an app or service from day one.

  • FBI Warns of ‘Zoom-Bombing’ As Videoconferencing Soars

    FBI Warns of ‘Zoom-Bombing’ As Videoconferencing Soars

    The FBI is warning of ‘Zoom-bombing,’ where videoconferencing meetings are being hijacked by unwelcome participants.

    Zoom has quickly become one of the most popular videoconferencing platforms as millions of individuals self-isolate and work from home. The software is being used by companies, schools and individuals looking to continue some semblance of normalcy.

    Unfortunately, bad actors have been taking advantage of the platform and hijacking meetings. These disruptions have ranged from shouting profanities at the participants, to screen sharing pornography to the group. As a result, the FBI is recommending that Zoom users enable a number of settings to limit the risk, including:

    • Do not make meetings or classrooms public. In Zoom, there are two options to make a meeting private: require a meeting password or use the waiting room feature and control the admittance of guests.
    • Do not share a link to a teleconference or classroom on an unrestricted publicly available social media post. Provide the link directly to specific people.
    • Manage screensharing options. In Zoom, change screensharing to “Host Only.”
    • Ensure users are using the updated version of remote access/meeting applications. In January 2020, Zoom updated their software. In their security update, the teleconference software provider added passwords by default for meetings and disabled the ability to randomly scan for meetings to join.
    • Lastly, ensure that your organization’s telework policy or guide addresses requirements for physical and information security.

    These are excellent suggestions that everyone using Zoom should put into practice immediately.

  • Zoom Removes Facebook SDK From iOS Client

    Zoom Removes Facebook SDK From iOS Client

    The latest Zoom update removes the Facebook SDK responsible for the app sharing data with Facebook, even if a user did not have a Facebook account.

    The data sharing was originally discovered by Motherboard, and involved the Zoom app sharing a disturbing amount of data with Facebook, regardless of whether a user had a Facebook account or not. This didn’t sit well with many users, especially as the app has achieved near-default status as the videoconferencing tool of choice as millions of individuals work from home.

    Zoom has since released an update removing the offending SDK, as well as offering an explanation of what happened:

    “We originally implemented the ‘Login with Facebook’ feature using the Facebook SDK for iOS (Software Development Kit) in order to provide our users with another convenient way to access our platform. However, we were made aware on Wednesday, March 25, 2020, that the Facebook SDK was collecting device information unnecessary for us to provide our services. The information collected by the Facebook SDK did not include information and activities related to meetings such as attendees, names, notes, etc., but rather included information about devices such as the mobile OS type and version, the device time zone, device OS, device model and carrier, screen size, processor cores, and disk space.

    “Our customers’ privacy is incredibly important to us, and therefore we decided to remove the Facebook SDK in our iOS client and have reconfigured the feature so that users will still be able to log in with Facebook via their browser. Users will need to update to the latest version of our application that’s already available at 2:30 p.m. Pacific time on Friday, March 27, 2020, in order for these changes to take hold, and we strongly encourage them to do so.”

    This change is good news for everyone concerned with privacy. Given Facebook’s abysmal track record, there’s simply no reason to be sending the company data unless absolutely necessary—which in this case it was not.

  • Coronavirus: Zoom’s Newfound Popularity a Two-Edged Sword

    Coronavirus: Zoom’s Newfound Popularity a Two-Edged Sword

    Zoom may be benefiting from unprecedented numbers of users flocking to the platform, but that newfound popularity comes with some downsides.

    In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Zoom and other video conferencing solutions have become the new way many individuals are working, worshiping and keeping in touch with loved ones. While that has resulted in the company having many more users, it has also significantly raised the cost of doing business and it’s not clear how many of those users are paying subscribers.

    In a regulatory filing with the SEC, the company said: “While we have seen increased usage of our service globally, there are no assurances that we will also experience an increase in paying customers or that new or existing users will continue to utilize our services at the same levels after the outbreak has tempered. Furthermore, such increased usage by free Basic account users during this time could require us to expand our network capacity which would increase our operating costs.”

    The company also fears the increased number of users will raise its infrastructure cost as it works to keep up with demand. “We expect our cost of revenue to increase for the foreseeable future, both in absolute dollars and as a percentage of total revenue, as we expand our data center capacity and third party cloud hosting due to increased usage stemming from the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 virus,” the statement continued.

    Zoom also expressed concern that any perceived issues or performance problems could irreparably hurt its reputation. This is especially a concern as the platform, and the meetings it hosts, become a greater target for hackers as a result of its growing popularity.

    Zoom should serve as a good example for other companies whose business is booming during the coronavirus pandemic. While the added users and potential income are welcome, it will almost always come with greater scrutiny, expense and potential for things to go wrong.

  • VMware COO: Companies ‘Relying on Us For That Future World of 5G’

    VMware COO: Companies ‘Relying on Us For That Future World of 5G’

    VMware is synonymous with virtualization software. Everyone from data centers to end users rely on the company’s software to be able to run multiple operating systems on a single set of hardware.

    In an interview with Mad Money’s Jim Cramer, VMware COO Sanjay Poonen commented on the current state of telecommuting during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as VMware’s role in 5G.

    On The Impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic

    “This is unprecedented times. We’ve always been a trusted advisor and, as you know, we know a thing or two about virtualization. Our customers run their critical apps on our infrastructure.”

    On How Long-Lasting the Impacts Will Be

    “I think there’s part of our life, Jim, that’s going to change forever. Behind me I have a saying from Winston Churchill that says, ‘when you’re going through hell, go through it.’ Another one I like from Winston Churchill is ‘never waste a crisis.’

    And I think that’s part of our life that’s forever going to change. We will, perhaps, have a place where, for instance, less travel is good for the planet.”

    On Collaboration

    “We want to make sure that if you are at home, you are productive, you’re able to work continuous, just like it was at work…We were one of the early customers that used Zoom. We love it. We use Slack. We use Microsoft Teams. These are all ways in which you can collaborate.”

    On VMware’s Role in 5G and the Network Strain the Pandemic Is Causing

    “We have tremendous relationships with the telco players—they are some of our biggest customers—and the cloud infrastructure players. In many cases, we are between software, compute, storage and networking. Software defined architecture is really where the world of 5G is going.

    “So a lot of these big companies have started relying on us for that future world of 5G. And software is a lot easier to manage. It’s also just as reliable, more reliable, because you can fix things. And we’re working very closely with our customers. Bandwidth is going to be something we watch very carefully.”

     

    https://player.cnbc.com/p/gZWlPC/cnbc_global?playertype=synd&byGuid=7000127560

     

  • Coronavirus: Microsoft Teams Tops 44 Million Users

    Coronavirus: Microsoft Teams Tops 44 Million Users

    Microsoft has announced that Teams has topped 44 million users as more individuals work from home and rely on virtual interactions during the coronavirus pandemic.

    Microsoft has been locked in a rivalry with Slack for the business chat market. In November Microsoft doubled Slack’s user base. Now, just four months later, the company has hit 44 million, growing from 32 million in the last week.

    “In the face of COVID-19, there are countless stories from customers who are using Teams to connect and thrive in inspiring ways,” said Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft 365. “A professor at University of Bologna in Italy shared on Twitter how the school moved 90 percent of courses online to Teams within four days, which is definitely a first in the university’s 900-plus year history. Doctors at St. Luke’s University Health Network in Pennsylvania will use Teams for videoconferencing with patients, especially those who are most vulnerable to coronavirus, as a way to protect both patients and healthcare providers. And the City of Osaka in Japan is using Teams to conduct orientations and trainings for hundreds of new incoming employees in April.

    “Stories like these are playing out in countries the world over. We believe that this sudden, globe-spanning move to remote work will be a turning point in how we work and learn. Already, we are seeing how solutions that enable remote work and learning across chat, video, and file collaboration have become central to the way we work. We have seen an unprecedented spike in Teams usage, and now have more than 44 million daily users, a figure that has grown by 12 million in just the last seven days. And those users have generated over 900 million meeting and calling minutes on Teams each day this week.”

    The longer the pandemic goes on, companies like Microsoft, Slack and Zoom are likely to see their user bases skyrocket.