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Secure Your Zoom Meetings

Zoom


Boise State is averaging over 1,100 Zoom meetings and classes each day. Zoom’s recent rise in popularity presents a new target for trolls.

“Zoombombing” is a new form of trolling in which a participant uses Zoom’s screensharing and chat features to interrupt and disrupt meetings and classes.

To ensure your Zoom meetings are secure and go smoothly, take the following steps:

  1. We recommend signing in to boisestate.zoom.us  first thing in the morning when you start work.
  2. Only share meeting URLs with the intended participants.
  3. Do not post or otherwise share Zoom meeting links on public websites or social media platforms.
  4. Hosts should sign in to meetings a few minutes early to avoid having to admit participants from the waiting room.
  5. Only enter meetings from calendar invites, Boise State’s Zoom portal, or from the Zoom integration in Blackboard.
  6. If you want to add a password to an existing recurring meeting, simply delete the existing meeting, create a new meeting and share the new link.
  7. Hosts can use the Lock Meeting feature in the “Manage Participants” area after a meeting has started to simulate closing the door.
  8. If you schedule meetings for others to host, use the Alternative Host feature to add them to the meeting as host.

Additional information about using Zoom is available on the Learning Technology Solutions website:

Getting Started with Zoom

Important Changes to Boise State Zoom Security Settings (April 15)

The Office of Information Technology is making significant changes to Boise State’s Zoom environment to improve security and privacy beginning Wednesday morning April 15. We want to let you know how these changes will affect Zoom meetings, classes, hosts and participants.

Please note that it is very important for hosts and participants to sign in their fully-licensed Zoom account at boisestate.zoom.us or from the desktop client (app) prior to clicking a meeting link in an email or calendar invite to bypass the waiting room and ensure the best Zoom experience.

Waiting Room Enabled by Default

  • Participants without a Boise State account, or participants who are not signed in to their Boise State Zoom account at boisestate.zoom.us, will be placed in the Waiting Room until admitted by the host.
  • Boise State Zoom participants who are signed in to their Boise State Zoom accounts will bypass the Waiting Room and directly enter the meeting.
  • Meeting hosts can admit participants from the waiting room individually or all at once.
  • Meeting hosts can remove any participant.
  • Participants who leave a meeting may re-enter
  • Participants entering a meeting from the Blackboard/Zoom integration will need to be signed in to their Boise State Zoom account to directly enter a meeting. Otherwise, they will enter the meeting via the Waiting Room at the host’s discretion.
  • Get details on the waiting room feature.

Password Required Now Integrated Into Meeting Links

  • Zoom now automatically generates a password which is included as part of the meeting link.
  • Participants generally will not need to manually enter the password if they are signed in to their Boise State Zoom account and join via the Zoom meeting link.
  • Passwords are included by default for all newly scheduled meetings. Hosts may add passwords to previously scheduled meetings but will need to re-share the link to the intended participants (as the meeting link will change when the password is added).
  • Hosts can opt not to use a password when scheduling the meeting if so desired

Host-Only Screen Share

  • By default, the host is the only participant who can screen share.
  • Hosts can allow other participants to share their screens by navigating to the Security tab or from the Screen Share tab under advanced options.
  • Hosts can revert to host-only screen sharing from the Security tab or the Screen Share tab advanced options.
  • Get details on Host-Only screen sharing.

New Security Tab on Host Toolbar

Hosts now have explicit control over in-meeting options via a new Security Tab that allows the host to:

  • Turn screen sharing on and off for all participants.
  • Turn chat feature on or off.
  • Allow participants to rename themselves.
  • Lock the meeting. We recommend using this feature once all participants have joined your meeting so no other participants may interrupt the meeting.
  • Get details on the Security Tab.

For questions about how to use or access Zoom at Boise State please contact the Help Desk at (208) 426-4357 or helpdesk@boisestate.edu.

We will continue to update this article as Zoom and Boise State develop and understand better ways to keep Zoom meetings secure. Last updated: April 16, 2020 at 8:49 a.m.