Video conferencing had already been on the rise due to geographically spread out employees and users becoming ever more mobile. Then the pandemic hit, and the need for everyone to video conference boomed.
Zoom came on the scene with a bang, and schools and businesses were all over it. Popular technology is always going to be popular with hackers, even more so when it’s new and likely more vulnerable. Conferences were getting hacked, uninvited people showing up, conferences were recorded by hackers, stalkers were using Zoom to find out where people lived…this all comes from an engineering perspective of ‘just make it go and make it easy to use’. The result was Zoom being banned from some schools and businesses. Unfortunately, building in security after the fact is always more difficult than starting with security from the ground up. This has put SafeVchat in a better position to be the most secure video conferencing platform as it was built with security in mind from the start. Let’s look at some of the important security distinctions that make SafeVchat the more secure platform.
The ability to start meetings without a required password is the most significant security problem with Zoom. Security features are being added, but they are optional. A user can create a meeting, and an attendee needs no more than just the link to get in if no security is set on the meeting. Meeting passwords do add a step to getting into the meeting but should always be mandatory to protect the session regardless of convenience.
Attendees should be authenticated as a user in addition to having a general meeting password. This guarantees that the attendees are really the people you intended to have in your meeting instead of just someone with the password. 2FA authentication is best because it requires a system outside of the conferencing system (a third party) to verify the identity of the user. This dramatically decreases the chances that an imposter can gain access because they won’t likely have the meeting password, the user password, and the third-party system available to complete the login.
Although Zoom did recently add 2FA ability, most companies and users are not using it because it is not mandatory. If users are given a choice, they usually choose the least secure option in favor of ease of use.
SafeVchat is web-based, so there is no client install to attack on the user system and no need to worry about whether the client has the latest security updates installed.
Everything is handled at the server end so it always includes the latest security updates. The entire session is protected by encryption (keystrokes, video, and audio). SafeVchat also includes “anti-screen capture” and the microphone, camera, and output system (speakers) are all protected.
With Zoom, there is a little-known option to run in the browser. The default however, is to download and run the client which creates a security risk. Again, users will choose the option of least resistance or the one put in front of them. Encryption can also be turned on, but again, it has to be chosen by the user.
SafeVchat has multi-level user management so admins can have more control over what’s happening.
Users can be provisioned directly from the portal, via a file import, or directly from Active Directory. Auditing reports are available as well.
It is difficult to know what user data, customer data, or company secrets are discussed in video conferences hosted by your users on another platform. Keep important information safe by using a secure video conferencing platform. SafeVchat has been built from the ground up as a secure video conferencing solution with well-thought-out features from the start that enable and guide the user to best practices for security, so they don’t have to choose.
