Tips to Avoid Zoom Bombing and Other Security Concerns During COVID-19 Quarantine
Hikvision on Coronavirus-Related Phishing Hacks and Malware, Tips to Avoid Them
Staying safe during COVID-19 coronavirus includes maintaining security in the face of threats and concerns such as internet trolls, malware, phishing and other cyber-scams.
As many work from home during the coronavirus quarantine, more people are using the remote conference tool Zoom to conduct meetings. The ZDNet.com article, “How to prevent your Zoom meetings being Zoom-bombed (gate-crashed) by trolls,” describes a new hack by those who crash Zoom meetings and often disrupt meetings with disturbing imagery, called “Zoom-bombing.”
Zoom provided insights to protect your meetings from Zoom-bombing, including:
- Public Zoom meetings shared on social media or other public forums will make your meeting public and accessible to anyone with the link. Share these links with caution.
- Zoom also recommended that users “avoid starting public events using their Personal Meeting ID (PMI) because ‘your PMI is basically one continuous meeting and you don't want randoms crashing your personal virtual space after the party's over,’" said the article.
- Additional tips include managing participants with features such as locking the meeting, removing unwanted participants, and muting participants.
For the full list of Zoom tips and additional instructions, click this link to read the entire article.
Hikvision on Coronavirus-Related Phishing Hacks and Malware, Tips to Avoid Them
Hikvision outlined recent coronavirus-related cyber scams in this blog: “Coronavirus or Computer Virus: Hikvision Senior Director of Cybersecurity on Phishing Hacks and Malware, and Tips to Avoid Them.”
These phishing attacks are no different than the ones you get in your inbox regularly. They are just preying on a timely circumstance. Below are some tips from the article:
- Remember that your Inbox is a dangerous place. It is the easiest and most effective way for an attacker to get past your home or company's firewall and network security.
- Understand basic and advanced phishing attacks by reading this Hikvision blog on the subject.
- Read the Federal Trade Commission's tips on identifying and reporting COVID-19 scams.
- Read the World Health Organization's tips on identifying and reporting scams.
- The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) recommends the following ways to minimize your chances of becoming a victim of phishing attacks:
- Filter spam
- Don’t trust unsolicited email
- Treat email attachments with caution
- Don’t click links in email messages
- Install antivirus software and keep it up to date
- Install a personal firewall and keep it up to date
- Configure your email client for security
From the article: “Phishing is used in 90 percent of data security breaches and is the leading method that attackers use to gain access to home and company networks and systems. While you may want to donate to a charity or learn about updates on the spread of COVID-19, be sure to go to trusted websites like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization directly. Don’t get there by clicking on links in email, in order to prevent becoming a victim of phishing hacks and malware.”
Read more about examples of phishing at this link.