Between online work meetings and virtual social events, the pandemic has substantially spurred the use of video conferencing software in recent months. Unfortunately, due to the sudden influx of users, security issues have been a consistent problem for platforms like Zoom and Google Meet, and the breaches get more and more unique every day. In fact, the means by which a Dutch reporter gained access to one of the most confidential video chats out there is a lot more embarrassing than it is impressive. Enter Daniël Verlaan, a Dutch reporter for RTL Nieuws, who spotted the lapse in judgement, and took it upon himself — as any good reporter would — to guess the remaining PIN code digits to gain access to a confidential meeting of EU defense ministers. And it worked. Fortunately, most of the defense ministers laughed off the egregious security breach, with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell half-jokingly telling him to quickly jump off the call “before the police arrives.”
— Michiel van Hulten (@mvanhulten) November 20, 2020 Unfortunately for Verlaan and the rest of RTL news, other authorities don’t find the breach as comical, responding in turn with a stern warning. The Dutch defense minister admitted that the whole fiasco was the result of “a stupid mistake,” but the breach still raises some serious questions about the security of video conferencing solutions. While you might not be protecting the EU’s defense secrets on your video calls, being safe while in meetings is always a good move. Here are a few tips for staying safe while video conferencing with coworkers, friends, and family.
Never share login details publiclyEnsure your meeting is password protectedEnable host controls, like waiting room and muteDisable unnecessary sharing featuresAlways update to the latest version of your platform
If you really want to make sure your video meetings are secure though, you’re going to want to dig into the kinds of security provided by specific video conferencing providers, and that’s where we can help. For a little context, take a look at the table below to get a better idea of what kind of video conferencing solutions are available. You can even get a quick quote for your business to start the process off on the right foot.
