Zoom Security Guide

Overview

The following information outlines the steps necessary to host more secure Zoom meetings and webinars. Using the settings recommended below can protect your meetings against Zoom bombing, a practice in which an uninvited attendee disrupts a Zoom meeting by sharing inappropriate or offensive material.
 

Detail

As the host of a Zoom meeting or webinar, you are responsible for ensuring the appropriate settings are in place to protect your meeting. 

The University Center for Teaching and Learning has recommendations on how to prevent a Zoom bombing, and also a handy guide on how to mitigate an active threat during a Zoom bomb.

Zoom also provides online resources to learn more about using Zoom and their approach to Trust and Safety:

To submit a report of violations of Zoom’s Terms of Service or Acceptable Use Guidelines, please submit your report by completing the web form available at https://zoom.us/trust-form. Please include specific details about the meeting disruption in your report such as how the intruder(s) violated our Terms of Service and if there was a certain type of abusive content that was shared by the offender(s) (via chat, audio, or video). Meeting hosts can also complete the University's Report a Zoombombing form. The report will be sent to Zoom, Pitt Digital Security, and Office of Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion.

If you have additional questions or need help adjusting your settings, you may contact the Technology Help Desk at any time for assistance. 

  • Reminder: The University of Pittsburgh’s standard Zoom environment is not HIPAA compliant. However, the University provides access to a separate HIPAA-compliant Zoom environment for those who are conducting tele-medicine appointments or are hosting meetings that discuss protected health information. Learn more ...

Types of Zoom Meetings

Before applying recommended settings, use the table below to help determine whether your meeting is better suited to a Zoom Meeting or a Zoom Webinar.

Meeting Type Max. attendees in a single meeting  Who Can Schedule Meeting Length
Basic license 100 Sponsored accounts 40-minute limit
Regular meeting 300 Faculty, Students and staff 24-hour limit
Large meeting 500 Available for purchase 24-hour limit
Webinar 500 Available for purchase 24-hour limit

Recommended Zoom Settings

External Meeting Settings (Some Participants May Be Unknown)

External Meeting Settings (Some Participants May Be Unknown)

Common Settings For Both Meetings and Webinars

Setting Option Default Setting Recommended Setting

 

 

Public Town Hall

Public Training

Large Entertainment
Passcode No Yes Yes Yes
Only authenticated users can join No Zoom.us Zoom.us No
Allow participant to rename themselves Yes No No Yes
Host video at meeting start No No No No
Panelist video at webinar start No No No No
Display annotator's name by annotation Yes N/A N/A N/A

Meetings

Setting Option Default Setting Recommended Setting

 

 

Public Town Hall

Public Training

Large Entertainment
Waiting room No Yes Yes Yes
Personal meeting ID No No N/A N/A
Join before host No No No No
Registration No Yes Yes N/A
Automatic recording No Yes or No N/A N/A
Mute participants upon entry No Yes Yes Yes
In-Meeting file transfer Yes No N/A N/A
Host video at meeting start No No N/A N/A
Attendee video at meeting start No No N/A N/A

In-Meeting Settings

Setting Option Default Setting Recommended Setting

 

 

Public Town Hall

Public Training

Large Entertainment
Lock meeting No No No No
Participants can unmute themselves Yes No N/A N/A
Chat Participants can send 1:1 or group No No No
Participant annotation Host & Participant Host Only Host Only Host Only
Screen share Host Only Host Only Host Only Host Only

Webinars

Setting Option Default Setting Recommended Setting

 

 

Public Town Hall

Public Training

Large Entertainment
Practice mode No N/A Yes Yes
Registration No N/A Yes No
Automatic recording No N/A Yes or No Yes or No
Q&A Yes N/A Yes No

Desktop Client Settings

Setting Option Default Setting Recommended Setting

 

 

Public Town Hall

Public Training

Large Entertainment
Display participant's name on their video Yes Yes N/A N/A
Academic Meeting Settings (All Participants Are Known)

Academic Meeting Settings (All Participants Are Known)

Common Settings For Both Meetings and Webinars

Setting Option Default Setting Recommended Setting

 

 

Instructor Office Hours

Zoom Room (Classroom Instruction)
Passcode No Yes No
Only authenticated users can join No @pitt.edu @pitt.edu
Allow participant to rename themselves Yes Yes Yes
Host video at meeting start No Yes or No Yes or No
Panelist video at webinar start No Yes No
Display annotator's name by annotation Yes Yes Yes

Meetings

Setting Option Default Setting Recommended Setting

 

 

Instructor Office Hours

Zoom Room (Classroom Instruction)
Waiting room No Yes or No No
Personal meeting ID No Yes or No No
Join before host No N/A Yes
Registration No No No
Automatic recording No No Yes
Mute participants upon entry No No Yes
In-Meeting file transfer Yes Yes Yes
Host video at meeting start No Yes No
Attendee video at meeting start No Yes No

In-Meeting Settings

Setting Option Default Setting Recommended Setting

 

 

Instructor Office Hours

Zoom Room (Classroom Instruction)
Lock meeting No Yes No
Participants can unmute themselves Yes Yes Yes
Chat Participants can send 1:1 or group Yes Yes
Participant annotation Host & Participant Both Both
Screen share Host Only Host Only Host Only

Webinars

Setting Option Default Setting Recommended Setting

 

 

Instructor Office Hours

Zoom Room (Classroom Instruction)
Practice mode No No No
Registration No No No
Automatic recording No No No
Q&A Yes No No

Desktop Client Settings

Setting Option Default Setting Recommended Setting

 

 

Instructor Office Hours

Zoom Room (Classroom Instruction)
Display participant's name on their video Yes Yes or No Yes
Administrative Meeting Settings (All Participants Are Known)

Administrative Meeting Settings (All Participants Are Known)

Common Settings For Both Meetings and Webinars

Setting Option Default Setting Recommended Setting

 

 

Small Staff Meeting

Dept. Meeting

Small Group Training
Passcode No No No No
Only authenticated users can join No @pitt.edu @pitt.edu @pitt.edu
Allow participant to rename themselves Yes Yes Yes Yes
Host video at meeting start No Yes or No Yes or No Yes or No
Panelist video at webinar start No Yes Yes Yes
Display annotator's name by annotation Yes Yes Yes Yes

Meetings

Setting Option Default Setting Recommended Setting

 

 

Small Staff Meeting

Dept. Meeting

Small Group Training
Waiting room No No No Yes
Personal meeting ID No No No No
Join before host No N/A N/A N/A
Registration No No Yes or No Yes or No
Automatic recording No Yes or No Yes or No Yes
Mute participants upon entry No No Yes Yes
In-Meeting file transfer Yes Yes Yes Yes
Host video at meeting start No Yes No Yes
Attendee video at meeting start No Yes No Yes

In-Meeting Settings

Setting Option Default Setting Recommended Setting

 

 

Small Staff Meeting

Dept. Meeting

Small Group Training
Lock meeting No No No No
Participants can unmute themselves Yes Yes Yes Yes
Chat Participants can send 1:1 or group Yes Yes Yes
Participant annotation Host & Participant Both Both Both
Screen share Host Only Host Only Host Only Host Only

Webinars

Setting Option Default Setting Recommended Setting

 

 

Small Staff Meeting

Dept. Meeting

Small Group Training
Practice mode No No No No
Registration No No No No
Automatic recording No No No No
Q&A Yes No No No

Desktop Client Settings

Setting Option Default Setting Recommended Setting

 

 

Small Staff Meeting

Dept. Meeting

Small Group Training
Display participant's name on their video Yes Yes Yes Yes

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