How can I protect myself from zoombombing?

There are several ways to protect yourself from Zoombombing. Here are 9 easy ways to stop uninvited guests disrupting your Zoom sessions:

  1. Don't post the meeting ID or join link to public websites or social media. This one seems obvious, but many people still do it.
  2. Schedule Zoom webinars, not Zoom meetings whenever possible. By default, attendees cannot share any content. This includes their webcam video and audio, as well as their screen. Users have no way to override this restriction. Only the webinar host (or co-host) can enable an individual users ability to share content. Using webinars also prevents students sharing personal content by accident.
  3. Password protect your meetings. You can easily add a password to your meeting or webinar when you schedule it. Look for the Meeting Password option when creating a meeting. You can also change your settings in Zoom so that a random 6-digit password is generated automatically every time you schedule a new meeting or webinar.
  4. Don't use your Personal Meeting ID. Instead, generate a unique, per-meeting ID for the session. This is a randomly generated 9-digit ID that is exclusive to a single meeting. Zoom cover this setting in a video walkthrough on their support pages. This is one of the best ways to add an extra layer of security to your Zoom meetings.
  5.  Enable the "Waiting Room" feature. This requires the meeting host (or co-host) to approve access for each person attempting to join the meeting. Like many other privacy features, a skilful individual can sometimes bypass this control. But it doesn't hurt to put another hurdle in their way! Note: This is not a practical solution if you are running a large meeting without assistance; you have to press a button to let every individual into the Zoom room, an action that quickly becomes laborious. For a small meeting, however, this is a sensible precaution.
  6. Disable "Join Before Host". This will remove the ability for attendees to enter the meeting room before you do. Note: we have disabled this feature by default. This also avoids another attendee being automatically assigned as the meeting host. If you disable this feature, you might want to enable a "waiting room" to allow people to join the meeting without actually entering the room itself.
  7. Disable screen sharing for non-hosts. This will prevent anyone, apart from the host, sharing their screen during the meeting. Go to the host controls at the bottom of your screen, and you'll see an arrow next to Share Screen. Press the arrow, then Advanced Sharing Options. Go to Who can share? Select Only Host, then close the window. 
  8. Once the meeting begins and everyone is in, lock the meeting to outsiders.
  9. Assign at least one meeting co-host. They will be able to help control the situation in case an unwanted intruder bypasses your efforts and gets into the meeting.

Despite your careful efforts, some scoundrel has gotten into your meeting and is causing chaos just for kicks. So, what should you do? Follow this four-step approach to shut down and get rid of any unwanted intruders.

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