Prevent Online Meeting/Classroom Hijacking

In addition to the recently posted National Cybersecurity Alliance’s tips for remote work, several other resources are available to help prevent individuals from trolling or hijacking teleconferences and online classrooms and causing disruptions.

The FBI is warning users of online teleconference software applications, such as Zoom and WebEx, to exercise caution when setting up online meetings and classrooms.

“As individuals continue the transition to online lessons and meetings, the FBI recommends exercising due diligence and caution in your cybersecurity efforts. The following steps can be taken to mitigate teleconference hijacking threats:”

• • Do not make meetings or classrooms public. In Zoom [or WebEx], there are two options to make a meeting private: require a meeting password or use the waiting room feature and control the admittance of guests.
  • Do not share a link to a teleconference or classroom on an unrestricted publicly available social media post. Provide the link directly to specific people.
  • Manage screensharing options. In Zoom [or WebEx], change screensharing to “Host Only.” Give access to other meeting attendees to share their screens only when needed.
  • Ensure users are using the updated version of remote access/meeting applications. In January 2020, Zoom updated their software. In their security update, the teleconference software provider added passwords by default for meetings and disabled the ability to randomly scan for meetings to join.

The EAB also provides similar tips on how to prevent “Zoombombing,” though they apply to most telework software applications.

Chris Cahoe, Director of Unified Communications, says WebEx also automatically requires passwords for standard meetings in the application, which will prevent unauthorized users from entering your online meeting or class. However, WebEx does not create passwords for meetings in your Personal Meeting Room. To secure those meetings you will need to lock the meeting after your participants have joined.

NOTE: If you’re a Ball State student, faculty, or staff member using WebEx for telemedicine, in order to maintain appropriate privacy you should schedule a standard WebEx meeting and not use your Personal Meeting Room.

Improve WebEx Performance

It’s also helpful to spread the load out on WebEx (or any other teleconferencing software) to prevent slow performance and dropouts by randomly staggering your meeting start times from the top of the hour—e.g., 2:10pm rather than 2:00pm, then perhaps 2:05pm for the next one, etc.

Need Help?

For specific instructions about how to configure WebEx for teleconferences and online classrooms here at Ball State, please refer to this Technology HelpDesk Kb article. To configure meetings in your Personal Meeting Room, refer to this Technology HelpDesk Kb article.

You can also visit the Technology HelpDesk website to submit a request or call them at 765-285-1517.