Zoom adds encryption support and new security controls in new update

Earlier this month, video conferencing service Zoom halted the rollout of new features for 90 days as it commenced work on beefing up its security and privacy amid "Zoombombing" and other issues. A few days after that, it promised to turn on waiting rooms by default to let admins control who can join a meeting, and also announced last week an imminent launch of additional call controls for paid customers.

Today, Zoom is making good on those commitments by unveiling new security features as part of a new update. Zoom 5.0 will include support for the AES 256-bit GCM encryption standard to protect meeting data as it passes over the internet. The updated version of Zoom will go live within this week while the system-wide rollout of the new encryption feature for customers' accounts will occur on May 30. Account admins can also control which region to route their hosted meetings through at the account, group, or user level.

Eric S. Yuan, CEO of Zoom, said:

"I am proud to reach this step in our 90-day plan, but this is just the beginning. We built our business by delivering happiness to our customers. We will earn our customers’ trust and deliver them happiness with our unwavering focus on providing the most secure platform."

Zoom is also bringing changes to the user experience and controls. These include turning on the meeting passwords and waiting rooms by default (as promised). The security icon now houses the security features in a single place and it also lets hosts report a user to Zoom. Hosts can also control the ability of participants to rename themselves or share their screen.

The requirement to use complex passwords to access cloud recordings now applies to everyone, and this ability is turned on by default as well. Large organizations can also link contacts across multiple accounts to help users find meetings, chat, and phone contacts. For users, Zoom has added the ability to hide a preview of their chat in the notifications. The service has also increased the complexity of meeting IDs.