Zoom Video Communications (ZM -0.68%) is strengthening the end-to-end encryption on its video conferencing platform but is only rolling it out for its paid customers.
In a security update over the weekend, the tech stock confirmed the plan, noting all users will have 256-bit GCM encryption regardless of the license type as of May 30. In an interview with Reuters Alex Stamos, Facebook’s former security chief and Zoom consultant said the plan to only give stronger encryption to paying customers could change and said the tech stock made the decision based on technology, safety, and business factors.
IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.
“At the same time that Zoom is trying to improve security, they are also significantly upgrading their trust and safety,” Stamos said in the interview. “The CEO is looking at different arguments. The current plan is paid customers plus enterprise accounts where the company knows who they are.”
With full encryption only those on the meeting can take part, preventing hackers from “zoombombing” or entering a meeting uninvited. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, Zoom usage has been skyrocketing as businesses, schools, and government agencies turned to the platform to remain connected. But that resulted in a lot of hacking and security complaints that raised the ire of lawmakers and forced some companies and public entities to ban the video conferencing tool. Zoom vowed to better secure its platform, announcing a 90-security plan which included end-to-end encryption. It recently acquired Keybase, a secure messaging and file-sharing service to help with those efforts.
Limiting the stronger encryption to paid customers was met with mixed reactions. Some were hoping consumers would have the same protections as businesses while others argued that charging for end-to-end encryption keeps the bad actors away. With it, Zoom won’t be able to enter a meeting to deal with any abuse, noted Stamos in the Reuters interview.
