Updated changes for Zoom security

The following email message was sent to Rutgers students, faculty, and staff on Sept. 23, 2020.

Members of the Rutgers Community:

This message includes important information about the new Zoom security measures announced last week. Please review this message carefully, as several changes have been made to the security features going into effect on September 27.

What do I need to know?
Starting September 27, Rutgers will require passcodes for all newly scheduled meetings. These passcodes will be automatically enabled.

Waiting rooms will be optional. Zoom will NOT automatically enable a waiting room in your meetings.

What do I need to do before September 27?
No action is required. Passcodes will be automatically enabled and required for all Zoom meetings, starting September 27.

Since only new Zoom meetings scheduled after September 27 will require a passcode, you do not have to add a passcode or resend meeting invites to previously scheduled meetings. If you already started adding passcodes to existing meetings, those meetings will stay as-is.

To ensure your meetings are secure, we still recommend that you add a passcode to previously scheduled meetings, but passcodes won’t be required until after September 27—and only for newly scheduled meetings.

What additional steps should I take to secure my meetings?
Hosts and participants SHOULD NOT share Zoom meeting links on social media or post meeting links at websites, as doing so increases the risk of Zoombombers and unwanted guests disrupting class sessions or other meetings.

To add additional security to your meetings beyond a passcode, we also recommend using a waiting room.

If you want to admit authorized Rutgers Zoom users into meetings automatically, while sending other attendees into your waiting room for review, you need to enable that feature in your Zoom account settings.

• How to enable waiting rooms and control which attendees can bypass them

How do passcodes and waiting rooms work in Zoom?
Passcodes are meant to be shared with your invited meeting participants along with the meeting ID in order for them to gain access. Passcodes are unique to each scheduled meeting. 

The waiting room feature allows the host or co-host to control when people join the meeting by first placing some or all participants in a virtual waiting room. For example, the host can allow all Rutgers-affiliated account holders to bypass the waiting room while sending others into it. The host or co-host must then admit each person from the waiting room individually.

What other information about Zoom security is available?
Visit the Rutgers Zoom site for the latest details about Zoom, and view the following articles for helpful information for securing your Zoom meetings:

• Key tips to avoid Zoombombing and unwanted meeting guests
• Learn how to only allow users with Rutgers Zoom accounts into your meeting
• Learn how to prevent participants from sharing your Zoom telephone number
• Steps to take when responding to disruptive behavior in web conferences 

Questions?
If you have specific questions about your Zoom account, please contact the Office of Information Technology Help Desk.

Thank you,

William W. Lansbury
Associate Vice President, Office of Information Technology