Zoom unsafe and vulnerable to cyberattacks; warns govt, issues advisory

Team Udayavani, Apr 16, 2020, 5:04 PM IST

New Delhi: The government on Thursday warned that the video conferencing platform Zoom, which has been in news recently because of various security breaches, is not a safe platform and should not be used by government offices or officials

The ministry’s notification comes at a time when the platform has gained prominence, with most companies asking employees to work from home in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

India’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IN) had raised concerns over potential cyber-attacks through Zoom. It has also issued an advisory that said, ”Zoom is a not a safe platform and advisory of CERT-IN on the same dated Feb 06, 2020, and March 30, 2020, may kindly be referred. These advisories are available on the CERT-IN website.”

”Those private individuals who still would like to use Zoom for the private purposes may kindly follow the following guidelines,” the advisory said.

As per CERT-IN, the guidelines are aimed to prevent unauthorised entry in the conference room.

Both CERT-IN and the Union home ministry have now suggested that users and organisations update the software and also change passwords for every meeting.