Questions
- How can I secure my Zoom meeting?
- What can I do to prevent Zoombombing?
- If I share a Zoom meeting link with someone outside of Bowdoin, can they access the meeting?
- What can I do to allow people who work at Bowdoin as well as those who don't access to a Zoom meeting safely?
Definition:
"Zoombombing" is a form of online trolling in which bad or unwanted participants use Zoom's screenshare or chat features to interrupt and disrupt meetings and classes.
Environment
- Bowdoin staff, faculty, or student assigned a Zoom meeting or webinar license.
- Create a public Zoom meeting or webinar not secured by a passcode.
Resolution
Bowdoin invitees only
The best way to prevent Zoombombing is to use the Bowdoin authentication profile which is setup by default for faculty and staff accounts. If your meeting only requires that people in the Bowdoin community join, this is the method you should use. This forces anyone that joins the meeting to have a Bowdoin account, or they will not be able to connect. The setting can be found when scheduling meetings in the screenshot below:
As long as that checkbox is checked and the dropdown is set to Sign in to Zoom with a Bowdoin acount, only community members that log in will be able to access the meeting.
Public meeting
If you need to include guests (i.e. people without Bowdoin accounts), which is an option for all staff, faculty, and students, use the waiting room feature. This feature is turned on by default for all accounts and it is not recommended to turn this feature off. This feature will place anyone that attempts to join the meeting into a space where meeting hosts can approve who enters. Anyone with a Bowdoin account can sign in and they will not be required to sit in the waiting room and you would not have to approve their entry. Anyone without a Bowdoin account would have to be manually approved to enter the meeting.
The setting in the screen shot below must be checked when setting up the meeting:
Note: if you have this feature checked, anyone invited who signs in with their Bowdoin account will be allowed to bypass the waiting room. Only unauthenticated attendees will remain in the waiting room until added by a meeting host.
Set a meeting password
Ensure a meeting password is set. This setting, in the very least, should always be used in conjunction with the waiting room. It is turned on by default for all accounts.
Unless you need to hold a public meeting, a password should be enabled. The settings for a password should also be verified prior to setting up the meeting, which can be seen in the screen shot below:
Additional Help
If you need further assistance, you can chat with Bowdoin Bot of contact the Bowdoin College Service Desk by phone at (207) 725-3030 or in person at the Tech Hub in Smith Union.