Zoom, the video-conferencing tool that millions started using while in the wake of the Covid-19 lockdown, has come under fire for critical security flaws. Although the company has made updates in order to address the security lapses, use of the cloud-based platform has already exploded into a series of massive hacking incidents.
As nations went into lockdown, people video-called each other, institutions and companies tele-conferenced and held meetings, while learners attended online classes chose to use the cloud-based service. Although many found the platform user friendly, they were not aware that ease of use came with a price: a flawed security system.
In a short span of time in the midst of an ongoing lockdown, cyber criminals were able to steal and sell more than 500,000 accounts.
The new term “Zoombombed” came to be used to describe incidents in which uninvited attendees maliciously infiltrated and disrupted streamed meetings and/or virtual gatherings.
Although at first perceived by Zoom fans as mere rumours intending to discredit the company, because Zoom’s stock market value had quickly doubled to nearly $35 billion. However as security experts scrutinized and pointed out the weaknesses of Zoom’s privacy and security measures, the company’s CEO Eric Yuan had no other choice but to acknowledge the lapses.
Zoom CEO’s Statement Conveyed via Live YouTube Stream
After being confronted with reports disclosing Zoom’s serious security lapses and with one lawsuit after another being filed against the company, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan came out with a public apology last April 08, 2020, via the company’s live YouTube webinar, captioned as “Ask Eric.”
After saying he is “deeply sorry” for his company’s failure to meet user security and privacy expectations, the Zoom CEO went on to explain that the design of the platform was made without foreseeing that in just a few weeks, nearly everyone across the globe would be using Zoom; not only for socializing, but also for working and studying from home. To that he added that because
”The system’s new user base was using the platform in a number of “unexpected ways;’ we were faced with challenges that we failed to anticipate during Zoom’s conception.”
Yuan also gave assurance that they are taking the issues seriously as they are now looking into each issue, albeit with a less assuring statement:
” If we find an issue, we will acknowledge it and we will fix it.”
One might take that statement to mean that if Zoom’s staff will base security updates on a per case basis and not entirely on safety protocols that will make the cloud-based platform a secure environment in which to communicate.
Based on the Zoom CEO’s acknowledgment that they still have a lot of work to accomplish in order to ensure the security of all the new consumer use cases, it would be wise for Zoom users to reconsider their choice of video-chat and tele-conferencing platform.
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