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Zoom Updates

Zoom is a video conferencing tool for remote teaching, learning and working. Learn how to prevent security issues and keep your software updated.

Security Alert: Keep your Zoom software updated. You can download the latest version from the Zoom website or update while logged in. Watch the video, How to Update Your Zoom Client, for instructions.

Recommendations

Stay up-to-date. Zoom has been addressing privacy concerns and updating software frequently so check for updates regularly. For more update information, see Zoom Release Notes and News.

Secure your Zoom meetings. If you are hosting a meeting, follow recommendations for creating private and secure Zoom sessions. These steps will reduce the possibility of Zoombombing where unwelcome guests disrupt your meeting or webinar. See Zoom Meeting Privacy and Security within the Rice Canvas site.

News and Release Notes

9-3-20

Meetings and Webinars 

  • Multi-pin and Multi-spotlight: With host permission, users can pin up to 9 participants on their end. The host can also spotlight up to 9 participants for everyone in their meeting.
  • Custom Gallery View Organization: Hosts and co-hosts can now re-order the gallery view to suit their needs, and choose whether to deploy this view to participants, or allow participants to create their own custom views. Simply click and drag videos to the position you want them in gallery view, and this layout will remain in place until released.
  • High Fidelity Audio Mode: This option in Advanced Audio enhances “Original Audio” mode, allowing for disabling echo cancellation & post-processing, while raising audio codec quality to 48Khz, 96Kbps mono/192kbps stereo for professional audio transmission in music education and performance applications. Professional audio interface, microphone, and headphones are required.
  • Custom Languages for Language Interpretation: Custom languages are now supported, in addition to the default languages that are already provided. Custom languages must be configured on the Web portal by the host. Interpreters and participants accessing the custom languages will need to be on client 5.2.1 or later to use this feature.

Webinars 

  • Phone Audio Options for Webinar Attendees: Webinar attendees can now access Phone Call and Call Me options for audio, in addition to the Computer Audio option. An admin must enable the premium Call-Out feature on the Web portal, which requires the Audio Conferencing add-on.

6-15-20

Version 5.1.0 released today. See release notes for details.

  • Unmute all for meetings of 200 participants or fewer
  • Webinar features: Option to delete questions
  • Phone features
    • Personal locations for nomadic emergency services
    • Reconnect option
    • Enhancements to hiding outbound caller ID
    • Display names for phone numbers

6-4-20

New updates to Zoom clients include minor bug fixes and these changes. See release notes for details.

  • Re-enable GIPHY for Zoom chat. 
  • Chat features: 
    • Improved transparency of channel privacy controls
    • Enabling public channel admins and members to add external users

6-2-20

Alert: Hackers are targeting people with malicious Zoom installers. Only update your Zoom software via Zoom's Download Center (https://zoom.us/download). Read PSA: Fake Zoom installers being used to distribute malware.

5-27-20

Zoom was updated to 5.0.4 (25694.0524) with bug fixes.

5-17-20

Zoom was updated to 5.0.3 (24951.0515) with the following changes:

Existing features

  • New default screen sharing settings for accounts with single Pro licenses. Accounts with single Pro licenses will now have the screen sharing setting Who can share? defaulted to Host Only. The meeting host will be able to change this setting in their meeting settings or during the meeting in progress, from the Security icon.
  • Language Interpretation flag icon will be replaced by language abbreviation. The icon next to the interpreted language will now list the language abbreviation, instead of a flag.
  • Require consent if the host mutes and then unmutes a participant. If the host mutes and then unmutes a participant individually, the participant will now receive a prompt, asking them to consent to be unmuted.
  • Remove Unmute All option. The option to unmute all participants at once has been removed since participants now always have to consent when the host unmutes them. By default, participants can unmute themselves. The host can now enable or disable the setting to allow participants to unmute themselves from the Security icon, which can also be found in the Participants panel.

New and enhanced meeting features

  • Access meeting information when screensharing. Participants can now access the meeting information, such as meeting ID and password, when sharing their screen. This information can be accessed from the toolbar, under the More option.
  • New ringtone for Waiting Room. The meeting host will hear a new chime when a participant has entered the Waiting Room.

5-13-20

Zoom announced a postponement of the password enforcement deadline from May 30 to a date to be determined. Read more.

5-11-20

Zoom released update: 5.0.2 (24046.0510) included enhanced privacy design in contact details and user profile page, an option to include log file in problem report and minor bug fixes.

5-7-20

Starting on May 30 (this date has been extended, see 5-13 note): all Zoom sessions using Rice accounts will require passwords. Starting today: all sessions by individuals with personal Zoom accounts will require passwords. See Zoom blog for more details.

5-4-20

Zoom released update: 5.0.1 (23502.0430) added support for setting to disable Personal Meeting ID (PMI).

4-27-20

Rice updating new default settings , effective May 1.

New Zoom release: 5.0.0 (23168.0427) https://zoom.us/support/download

5 Things to Know About Zoom 5.0

4-21-20

Zoom released update 4.6.12 (20613.0421) to re-enable clickable links.

4-17-20

Additional information on Zoom code-based vulnerabilities: https://dev.io/posts/zoomzoo/

4-16-20

Report of upcoming meetings without a password
Account owners and admins can now view a report of all upcoming meetings without a password, including meetings scheduled with PMI and on-going recurring meetings. The report is available under the Reports of Account Management, in the Active Host report queue. This is a one-time report, with information pulled at the time of the release and will not be updated. This report will be available for accounts with 50 or more licensed users.

4-15-20

Rice Thresher: Zoom bombings disrupt online classes

Updates from Zoom: 

The company is proactively locking accounts that are identified as compromised, have hired intelligence firms to look into the issue, and are using some of the same tools that could have compromised the accounts to find other accounts that could potentially get compromised. They recommend password managers so people do not reuse the same passwords across platforms.

Upcoming Changes

April 18: we can opt out of specific data center regions
April 25: they will remove China as a data center region for all their customers

4-14-20

Details about current release : Version 4.6.11 (20561.0413)
Re-enable third-party file sharing. Users on the Zoom desktop client 4.6.11 will be able to share files from third-party platforms, such as Dropbox or OneDrive if configured for their Zoom account. 
Support for meeting password requirements. When scheduling a meeting, users on Zoom client 4.6.11 will be required to set a password that meets the requirements set by their account owner or admin set in the Zoom web portal. 
Show message preview. Users can enable or disable a setting to show a message preview for chat messages. 

4-13-20
Zoom enabled the “Require password to access shared cloud recordings” option over the weekend for all users. This option is now disabled by default but can be enabled by any user if they would like. If you recorded a video this morning or over the weekend, learn how to disable the password requirement .

4-9-20
Zoom directly addresses users’ security and privacy concerns through weekly webinars . To sign up, go to Zoom Webinar Registration .

4-8-20

OIT updated guidance on Zoom Meeting Security and Privacy .

4-7-20
Zoom released version 4.6.10 (20041.0404) adding a security button for meeting hosts. "The Security icon in the meeting controls allows the host or co-host of a meeting to enable or disable options during a meeting to secure the meeting and minimize disruption during the meeting." Read more on Zoom's Help Center: In-meeting Security Options.

4-3-20
OIT updated guidance on Zoom Meeting Security and Privacy .

4-3-20
Online classrooms and testing disruptions continued. See Inside Higher Ed, 'Zoombies' Take Over Online Classrooms .

4-3-20
Zoom released new version with important security updates.

3-26-20
Unwanted visitors in online classroom sessions reported. See Inside Higher Ed, 'Zoombombing' Attacks Disrupt Classes .

QC-NESB



Keywords:Zoom video conferencing security privacy zoombombing prevention zoom bomb   Doc ID:100275
Owner:Liz B.Group:Rice University
Created:2020-04-08 13:45 CDTUpdated:2020-09-09 13:57 CDT
Sites:Rice University
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