Sadly, one of life’s proven realities is, when a technology becomes popular adversaries will target it. With so many people switching to video conferencing, it’s no surprise that adversaries have started to give it their focus. Indeed, as the capacity of video conferencing in the cloud is being tested, reports of misuse have already begun, and this should be a warning flag of more to come.
So I come to my second truism, which is that all too often when we are in a rush the basic rules and lessons we’ve learnt can go out the window. As such, when we are in challenging times or situations, we should try to ensure we still embrace our Security 101 logic.
In recent weeks, there has been a spate of domain typosquatting, where adversaries are registering close to genuine domain names and then sending out invites. We have learnt to check the URLs in emails and web domains. We need to do the same for video conferences. Consider asking your IT security team to remind staff of this or including it in your phishing training program for employees, if you have one.
What's created more noise in the last week is video conferencing bombing, where third parties look for valid video conference IDs that haven’t been secured. News stories tell of third parties taking over sessions to show inappropriate content. But the reality is a third party could just as easily be a silent listener and simply grab valuable business intel either from the conversations or what's being shared onscreen.
This is a message not just for businesses to recognise but also society in general. Whether video conferencing is being used simply to catch up with friends or teach children from home, no one wants an uninvited and unpredictable guest on the line.
Some very basic security controls can go a long way.
Some other options also worth considering include:
The above is far from being a complete guide to securing your video conferencing. That is a job for your IT security team to debate and agree with your business teams, ultimately arriving at the right security settings for you.
Here are the key takeaways:
Read more about best practices for video conferencing security.
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