Zoom 5.0 Update Is A Security And Privacy Booster (Sort Of…)

Following the 90-day feature freeze plan, Zoom will be rolling out a major security update this week.

The update comes after Zoom became the epicenter of security and privacy issues, with new loopholes coming one after the other. In response, Zoom not only apologized but also set up a 90-day feature freeze plan to tackle the current issues.

The most significant security enhancement in the Zoom 5.0 update will be the support for AES 256-bit GCM encryption. While it’s not end-to-end encryption, which Zoom falsely claimed on its website, it still enhances the protection of the meeting data and provides resistance against tampering.

Zoom is also adding a security icon in the meeting menu bar that brings all the major security features under one roof. Options to lock meetings, remove participants, restrict screen share, chat, and annotate on the shared screen will be available right under the security icon.

Meeting passwords are going to be enabled by default. Moreover, the Zoom waiting feature – a way to hold off participation before they are allowed to enter the meeting – is now on by default.

In the new Zoom update, enterprise users can control which data center will handle their meeting traffic. The feature comes after it was reported that the traffic for many users was being routed through servers in China.

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic and cities under lockdown, people have been mainly relying on Zoom and other video conferencing tools to communicate from home effectively. Despite the backlash due to privacy issues, Zoom is still among the preferred choice for users.

As of April 21, Zoom is witnessing 300 million daily visitors as opposed to merely 10 million daily users in December.