Cybersecurity at Home: Videoconferencing Safety Tips

Even before the pandemic, the number of remote workers in the U.S. was on the rise. With more organizations navigating a sharp increase in telecommuting employees, videoconferencing tools have become vital to keeping teams connected. In fact, a recent study by security solutions expert Twingate, found that 45% of employees are attending more meetings now than in the office pre-COVID.

But the rise in online collaboration tools inevitably opens workers up to more risk for cyber-attacks. The same Twingate study reports more than 1 in 10 have had a video call hacked while working remotely. The good news? By following a few basic precautions and properly training employees, you can keep your business safe from hackers, malware and identity thieves.

Protect Every Meeting with a Password

Requiring participants to have the required meeting ID and password helps ensure that only those who are invited will be included in your meeting.

Use a Waiting Room

By disabling the “join before host” feature, participants will be directed to a waiting room until the host approves each attendee.

Don’t Share Meeting Links on Social Media

Anyone who sees the link will have access to your meeting. If you’re hosting a public event, you can automatically generate a one-time ID (instead of a more regularly used personal meeting ID) and share it via secure email or chat.

Be Mindful of What Viewers Can See

Basic grooming (and proper attire) are always a good idea when you’re in a virtual meeting space. Also, be aware of what’s in your background and remove any personal items you’d rather not share, like family photos. If you’ll be screen sharing, make sure to close any windows you’d rather keep private.

Limit User Screen Sharing Abilities

Control who can share their screen during meetings by disabling screen sharing for all users. You can always turn the feature back on later but defaulting to a host-only screen share is a good practice to prevent the accidental sharing of potentially inappropriate content.

Protect Personal Info

Just in case someone is recording the session without your knowledge, its’ best to keep your personal info offline.

Establish Alerts

That way, you’ll know when a meeting invite is forwarded by email to others and you can confirm the invitees are legitimate.

People are more dependent on technology now than ever before, and cybercriminals have been using it to their advantage. But following basic online safety protocols can help minimize the risk of online attacks while employees work from home.