Most widely used platforms are still vulnerable to breaches

A hybrid model of work-from-home and the physical office environment has become the new normal. The future of businesses relies on the ability to communicate anywhere, anytime, with anyone — securely. 

Video conferencing has become a key component of modern businesses staying connected. With the added efficiency and flexibility comes an increased risk of cybersecurity breaches.

What is the common video conferencing threats or risks?

Cybercriminals employ different tactics to infiltrate a video conference, and sensitive business information is at risk when an online meeting is compromised. Some common examples of the associated threats or risks are as follows.

• Threats to privacy, identification, or Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
• Risks to data from data theft or breaches
• Risks to confidential business or corporate information or intellectual property
• Meeting hijackings
• Access to confidential meeting recordings

Types of video conferencing attacks

• Meeting bombing: A threat actor joins a videoconferencing meeting either to listen to the conversation or to disrupt the meeting by sharing inappropriate media. Zoombombing is an example of this type of attack.
• Malicious links in chat: Once attackers access the meeting room, they can trick participants into clicking on malicious links to steal credentials or inject malware. 
• Host privileges transfer: A threat actor waits until the end of the meeting, and if the host leaves before all the attendees, the threat actor can become the host.

Tips to secure video conferencing

Most widely used platforms are still vulnerable to breaches and unable to guarantee secure meetings, and it is essential that employees take the right measures before online meetings.

Here are five steps you can take to keep your video calls safe and secure.

Update your software 

Ensure that the software used is updated to its latest version. Double-check that meeting participants are using the most up-to-date version available.

Secure with a strong password 

Protect the privacy of the conference by creating a password for the attendees. Use strong, unique passwords and provide them only to authorized attendees. 

Confirm the attendee’s identity 

Perform a background check if the conference involves someone you don’t know or cannot recall. 

Lock your conference   

When you lock the conference, new participants who attempt to join the conference are held waiting unless you manually allow them. This prevents any unauthorized entries.

Always check before screen share 

Be vigilant about what you share. Consider only sharing the required screen and exit all other applications on your desktop. 

As businesses adapt to a mixture of remote work and physical office environment models, they must be proactive as they battle a new set of distractions. Hence, it is imperative to put measures in place to ensure virtual face-to-face interactions and collaborations are secure. Remember, a good cyber security posture can help keep out unwanted attendees, protect your employees and secure your data.