Zoom has announced it is expanding end-to-end encryption (E2EE) capabilities to Zoom Phone, with breakout rooms to be given the same level of encryption in the near future.
By now, everyone should have used, or heard the word ‘Zoom’ at least once since its uprising throughout the pandemic. When COVID-19 was rife and lockdowns were first imposed, Zoom made it that little bit more convenient and easy to connect together within businesses work from home models. It wasn’t just businesses either, in fact; a lot of schools made use of Zoom for educating the youngsters stuck at home too.
End-to-End Encryption to Provide More Privacy During Zoom Calls
End-to-end encryption (E2EE) is a technique of secure communication that prohibits third parties from accessing data while it is being transported between two end systems or devices. In E2EE, the sender’s system or device encrypts the data, and only the intended receiver may decode it.
One of the concerns with Zoom was always its privacy, which today has been addressed in a recent update allowing Zoom Phone customers to now upgrade to end-to-end encryption during any one-on-one Zoom Phone call between users through their client.
When users click “More” during a call, they will notice the option to switch to an end-to-end encrypted phone call. When activated, Zoom encrypts the call using cryptographic keys only known to the caller and recipient’s devices. Users will also have the opportunity to verify E2EE status via the exchange of a unique security code.
To activate end-to-end encryption on a Zoom Phone call, the account administrator must enable E2EE using the web interface. In order to make a phone call, both parties must be logged in to the same Zoom account. In addition, both parties must utilise the desktop or mobile client for Zoom Phone, and automatic call recording must be off for both parties. Not supported are public switched telephone networks (PSTN).
End-to-end encryption for breakout rooms within larger meetings will eventually see users offered the same experience as a standard E2EE meeting, except each breakout room gets its own unique meeting encryption key.
You may use this function when you need to add an additional degree of protection to crucial, private talks, or when you just want to bring together certain individuals during an E2EE conference.
Account owners and admins can enable end-to-end encryption for meetings, which then requires all meeting participants to join from the Zoom desktop client, mobile app, or Zoom Rooms. Currently, turning on E2EE in a Zoom meeting disables a number of in-meeting features, including live streaming, live transcription, polling, and breakout rooms.
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zoom came under fire after falsely claiming that its video calls were protected by E2EE. As a result of this inaccuracy, alongside a number of other security flaws that were uncovered, CEO Eric Yuan announced that the company would halt development of new features for 90 days to concentrate on its security efforts.
Sohela is an electrical engineer and a self-professed writer with a keen interest in all things tech. When she’s not writing killer content pieces, you’ll find her enjoying tempting foods in her favourite restaurants.
