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Zoom Meeting Security

Zoom is an online videoconferencing service that can be used for face-to-face meetings from a distance.

Zoom is a secure environment when the available security features are used. The meeting organizer must take certain simple security steps.

Here are some things to keep in mind to ensure your Zoom sessions are safe and secure. Thank you for your attention to provide a secure meeting and learning environment for our staff and students.

Key expectations and tips for all users:

  • Do not make meetings publicly accessible.
  • Do not record video meetings with other employees.
  • Do not record classroom sessions or meetings with students.  (There may be some exceptions – please talk with your supervisor). Do encourage and expect that your students adhere to this guideline as well.
  • You may video-record yourself covering lesson content and make that content available to students, but you should not record students.
  • Do not share screenshots of video meeting participants or post them on social media, and teach this expectation to students as well. This goes for both classroom meetings and staff meetings.
  • Be aware of what is in your camera background. Project a professional image.
  • Close all unnecessary windows before sharing your desktop.
  • Use one-on-one video conferencing with students only when there is a clear educational purpose and necessity. Examples include conferring with a student during office hours, or providing special education or other student services for which one-on-one communication is required. Do transparently communicate with a student’s parent when using one-on-one video conferencing, just as you would for texting or emailing.
  • Accept software update prompts from Zoom. We want to be on the forefront of updates Zoom is actively pushing out to address any issues or vulnerabilities.

If you are organizing Zoom meetings: 

  • Familiarize yourself with Zoom’s settings and features so you understand how to protect your virtual space.
  • Do not post a link to your Zoom meeting anywhere that is publicly accessible, such as a website, social media, or publicly shared online calendar. Anyone who has the link can join your meeting.
  • Require a password when you schedule and set up your Zoom meeting, and do not post it anywhere that is publicly accessible.
  • Rather than a recurring meeting, use a unique meeting ID and password each time.
  • Create a “Waiting Room” when you schedule and set up your Zoom meeting. Participants will be staged in the waiting room and you will allow participants into the meeting individually and/or in bulk. Any name you do not recognise you can disallow entering your meeting. Keep in mind that if a participant leaves and comes back, they will need to be reauthorized.
  • Be present from start to end in every meeting. Select “Require host to be present before meeting starts” setting when you schedule and set up your meeting in Zoom. Be the last person to hang up and end the video conference.
  • Keep control of the screen share setting and (for students) disable private chat. The screen sharing default is now “host only.” If at any time during the meeting you want a meeting participant to share their screen, you can enable it during the meeting.
  • You can “Lock” a meeting once your meeting is started and all the participants you are expecting have joined. You can find this setting under: Participants >> More >> Lock Meeting.
  • As the meeting host, you have the control to mute participants, expel a participant, or stop the meeting, if there is a problem. Hover over the participant’s name, or click the ellipsis (…) near their name, and click the remove button.

For more tips on Zoom meeting security and safety, see:

Key 4J policies:

Technology questions:

  • 4J Technology Helpdesk, 4Jdesktop@4j.lane.edu, 541-790-7777