Prevent "Zoombombing" - Settings for a more safe meeting

While most meetings won’t be Zoombombed, there are some safety measures that you can take when you host a Zoom meeting.

Settings for a safer meeting

Only authenticated users can join meetings

Turn on this setting so that for example only people with a KTH ID can join the meeting:

1. Sign in to Zoom's homepage  with your KTH ID and password.
2. Click on the Settings link on the left of the screen.
3. Go to "Only authenticated users can join meetings" and select the desired setting depending on your needs.

Turn off "Allow participants to rename themselves"

Prevent participants from being able to change their name during the meeting and thus be able to post inconveniences "anonymously". To do this, go to "Settings" and turn off "Allow participants to rename themselves".

Assign a Co-Host

For larger meetings, identify a co-host or two ahead of time whose role is to be a virtual room monitor and manage order during the meeting by managing the participants. Co-hosts are assigned during a meeting and cannot start a meeting.

1. Sign in to Zoom's homepage  with your KTH ID and password.
2. Click on the Settings link on the left of the screen.
3. Scroll down to the Co-host option on the Meeting tab and verify that the setting is enabled.
4. During the meeting: go to the participants list, click on the name of the person you want to be Co-Host and choose "Make Co-Host" in the "More" menu. If a verification dialog displays, choose Turn On to verify the change.

Assign a per-meeting ID, don’t use your Personal Meeting ID

Avoid using your Personal Meeting ID, PMI (support.zoom.us)  to host public events. Your PMI is basically one continuous meeting - your personal virtual space; and once it is published, others can join at any time. Instead, choose "Generate Automatically" for meeting-ID when you schedule the meeting as it will create a new and unique meeting-ID för every meeting.

Prevent Screen Sharing by non-hosts

To prevent participants from screen sharing (support.zoom.us)  during a call, use the host controls at the bottom of the window, click the arrow next to Share Screen and then choose Advanced Sharing Options.

Under “Who can share?” choose “Only Host” and close the window. You can also lock the Screen Share by default for all of your meetings in your web settings.

Enable the Waiting Room

Before you start your meeting, enable the Waiting Room in Zoom (support.zoom.us)  for your meeting. You and your co-host will then play an active role in choosing who to allow into the room through the participants list. As host you can turn the waiting room on or off during the meeting.

Meeting hosts can customize Waiting Room settings for additional control, and can even personalize the waiting room message (support.zoom.us) , that message people see when they enter the Waiting Room so they know they’re in the right spot. This is a great way to post rules and guidelines for your event, like your screensharing or muting policy.

Disable Join Before Host

Before starting a meeting, disable Join Before Host (support.zoom.us)  to keep users out before the host arrives. This is the current default, but double check to make sure that it is set for the meeting. When “Join Before Host” is enabled, anyone can enter at any time and create havoc with other participants before the meeting officially starts.

Turn off file transfer

In-meeting file transfer allows people to share files through the in-meeting chat. Toggle off the function filer transfer (support.zoom.us)  to keep the chat from getting bombarded with unsolicited pics, GIFs, memes, and other content.

Turn off annotation

You and your attendees can doodle and mark up content together using annotations during screen share. Disable the annotation feature in your Zoom settings (support.zoom.us)  to prevent people from writing all over the screens.

Once the meeting starts

Manage Disruptive Participants

The Meeting Participants window offers control over most aspects of your meeting and those attending. Zoom has a video on Managing users (support.zoom.us)  that is recommended viewing for all hosts and co-hosts.

Locking the Meeting to Prevent Re-Joining of Removed Participants

During the meeting, a host or co-host can click on the More and Mute All Controls at the bottom of the Participants List. When viewing the Participants List, click Lock Meeting (under More) to prevent other participants from joining the meeting in progress.

Muting All Participants

During the meeting, a host or co-host can click on the More and Mute All Controls at the bottom of the Participants list. On the Participants List, click Mute All to mute all meeting attendees.