Zoom boosts security with 2FA for all users

Forum 3 years ago

Zoom boosts security with 2FA for all users

After suddenly hitting the big time during the coronavirus pandemic, video conferencing tool found itself the center of attention for both good and bad reasons. While people welcome the app facilitating remote working, Zoom's security and privacy credentials were called in to questions in a series of incidents.

The company subsequently promised to take action to improve things in these areas, and over the summer there have been ongoing updates to Zoom. Now two-factor authentication (2FA) has been made available to all users.

Unlike when Zoom initially rolled out end-to-end encryption to paying users only, when it comes to 2FA, paying customers and those using free accounts are being treated equally. The extra layer of security works with all variants of Zoom, from web and desktop, to mobile.

The company explains:

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a two-step sign-in process that requires a one-time code from a mobile app or text message, in addition to the main Zoom sign-in. This provides an additional layer of security since users will need access to their phone to sign in to the Zoom web portal, desktop client, mobile app, or Zoom Room.

With 2FA activated, users can turn to various authentication apps that support Time-Based One-Time Password (TOTP) protocol, including Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator and FreeOTP. They can also have Zoom send a code via SMS or phone call.