Zoom announces 90-day security plan to earn back user trust

With Zoom's skyrocketing success, placing it among the leading video conferencing services, came a huge number of security and privacy-related concerns. Those eventually led to the app getting banned from use at companies like SpaceX and Google, public schools in NYC, and even the United States Senate.

The company notably then invited ex-Facebook security chief Alex Stamos in its newly launched security advisory council, established to assess the security expectations that came with Zoom's growth and success.

And now, Zoom has something to announce for it - a 90-day security plan, alongside the release of Zoom 5.0.

Eric S. Yuan, CEO of Zoom writes that this is just the beginning, and the company will earn its customers' trust and "deliver them happiness" with its focus on providing "the most secure platform." Oded Gal, CPO of Zoom is also quoted as saying that the company takes "a holistic view" of its users' privacy and Zoom's security.

An upgrade to a stronger encryption (AES 256-bit GCM) for Zoom's network will be increasing protection of meeting data, which should make meetings more secure against Zoombombing, a practice where unwanted and malicious people could join and disrupt a meeting, like it happened during a geography class in Singapore we reported on two weeks ago.

Zoom account administrators will also now be able to choose which data regions their meetings use. Data routing until now was done through China, even if the participants were all based in the US, which was yet another cause for privacy concern.

In addition, Zoom is updating the user experience and controls, with the service's security features now grouped together, and accessible by clicking the Security icon in a meeting's menu bar on the host's interface.

Passwords for meetings are now also on by default, which would certainly help significantly reduce the cases of malicious individuals guessing meeting links, and being able to join in without a problem.

Zoom can be downloaded on Android and iOS, with the new 5.0 update now available. Zoom desktop client users will need to update within the client.