![]() The video conferencing service does encrypt your video sessions-scrambling the content as it's sent over an internet network and decrypting it to make the video data clear once it arrives on your computer. However, the main flaw with Zoom’s system is how the encryption keys are generated and stored on the company’s servers. ![]() Although Zoom says it's never mishandled the keys, by holding on to them, the company theoretically has the power to decrypt your video sessions, or transfer the keys to someone else, like a government authority. To fix this, Zoom is creating an end-to-end system that will generate the encryption keys to video sessions from the meeting host’s computer - not from a company server. “This key will be distributed between clients, enveloped with the asymmetric keypairs and rotated when there are significant changes to the list of attendees,” the company said in today’s announcement. “The cryptographic secrets will be under the control of the host, and the host’s client software will decide what devices are allowed to receive meeting keys, and thereby join the meeting.”īuilding this system isn’t easy. So Zoom is enlisting Keybase, which has experience managing encryption keys over the internet. Since 2017, Keybase has been offering (Opens in a new window) its own end-to-end encrypted chat system, which works on PCs and smartphones.Īs for Zoom, the company’s proposed end-to-end encryption does have a few limitations: It won’t work for meeting sessions that let people connect via a phone call, or when Zoom’s cloud video recording is switched on. But the system should be applicable to most users, who are connecting via PC and mobile devices. If you’re a free Zoom user, and waiting for the company to roll out end-to-end encryption for better protection of your calls, you’re out of luck.“We believe this will provide equivalent or better security than existing consumer end-to-end encrypted messaging platforms, but with the video quality and scale that has made Zoom the choice of over 300 million daily meeting participants, including those at some of the world’s largest enterprises,” the company added. Zoom CEO Eric Yuan today said that the video conferencing app’s upcoming end-to-end encryption feature will be available to only paid users.įree calls won’t be encrypted, and law enforcement will be able to access your information in case of ‘misuse’ of the platform. After announcing the company’s financial results for Q1 2020, Yuan said the firm wants to keep this feature away from free users to work with law enforcement in case of the app’s misuse:įree users, for sure, we don’t want to give that. In the past, platforms with end-to-end encryption, such as WhatsApp, have faced heavy scrutiny in many countries because they were unable to trace the origins of problematic and misleading messages.īecause we also want to work it together with FBI and local law enforcement, in case some people use Zoom for bad purpose. Zoom likey wants to avoid being in such a position, and wants to comply with local laws to keep operating across the globe.Īlex Stamos, working as a security consultant with Zoom, said it wants to catch repeat offenders for hate speech or child exploitative content by not offering end-to-end encryption t0 free users. Zoom is dealing with some serious safety issues. When people disrupt meetings (sometimes with hate speech, CSAM, exposure to children and other illegal behaviors) that can be reported by the host. Zoom is working with law enforcement on the worst repeat offenders. In March, The Intercept published a report stating that the company doesn’t use end-to-end encryption, despite claiming that on its website and security white paper. Later, Zoom apologized and issued a clarification to specify it didn’t provide the feature at that time. The acquisition comes weeks after Zoom admitted it actually wasn’t offering end-to-end encryption, as previously advertised. Last month, the company acquired Keybase.io, an encryption-based identity service, to build its end-to-end encryption offering. So the company is tapping Keybase, which runs its own encrypted chat. Yuan said today that the company got a lot of feedback from users on encryption, and it’s working out on executing it. However, he didn’t specify a release date for the feature.Īccording to the Q1 2020 results, the company grew 169% year-on-year in terms of revenue. Zoom has more than 300 million daily participants attending meetings through the platform. Flaws in zoom keybase kept images free#.
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