Govt Officials Barred From Using Zoom App, Home Ministry Cautions Users In Its Advisory

Home Ministry issued an advisory on Thursday where it said that video conferencing app Zoom is "not safe".

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New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs issued an advisory on Thursday where it said that video conferencing app Zoom is not to used by Government officers/officials for official purposes and it is “not safe” for use by private individuals as well. This directive comes after the Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-in) – had raised concerns over potential cyberattacks through Zoom. In an order issued on March 30, CERT-IN said that using Zoom without taking necessary security precautions, can make it vulnerable to cyber-attacks, including leaks of sensitive office information to criminals. The latest advisory by the Home Ministry states that the National Informatics Centre (NIC) platform is being used for most government video conferences. Keeping security concerns in mind, government officials have been asked not to use any third-party app and services for meetings. While the MHA cautioned private individuals about security concerns, it also issued certain guidelines for minimizing the risk while using the Zoom app. These include:

• Preventing unauthorized entry in a conference room
• Changing user-id and password for each meeting
• Locking a meeting
• Restricting the recording feature
• Restricting/disabling file transfer
• To end meeting (and not just leave, if you are an administrator)

Zoom had shot to overnight fame as millions of people around the world used the app to study, work and socialize in the times of Covid-19 lockdown. But the spotlight has lead to widespread scrutiny of security and privacy issues of the platform.