India said on Thursday that video conferencing software Zoom is “not a safe platform” and is joining other countries that have raised concerns about the security of an application that has become hugely popular worldwide during the coronavirus lock. US-based Zoom Video Communications Inc. has apologized for security flaws and says they are working to fix them. Issues included “Zoombombing” when uninvited users gatecrashed a video conference.
Taiwan and Germany have already curbed the use of Zoom, while Google banned the desktop version of business laptops this month. “Zoom is not a secure platform,” said the India Ministry of Interior’s Cyber Coordination Center (CyCord) in a 16-page opinion.
The government agency has also issued guidelines to prevent unauthorized users from performing malicious acts while using the tool. A Zoom spokesperson said the company was in talks with governments around the world and was “focused on providing the information they need to make informed decisions about their policies.”
The company’s founder and CEO, Eric Yuan, apologized earlier this month for what he called a deficiency in “the community – and our own – privacy and security expectations.” The company devoted resources to identifying and solving the problems, he added. Zoom has boomed since the onset of the virus outbreak, as millions of people use it to stay connected while isolating themselves. In March, about 200 million people used the system every day, up from 10 million last year.
“Before Zoom’s explosive growth, there were some important cybersecurity precautions that were overlooked,” said Logan Kipp, director of cybersecurity company SiteLock. “Stronger encryption methods should have been in place from the beginning and perhaps extra attention to third-party data sharing,” he said.
Zoom’s mobile app saw a surge in downloads in India when the country enforced a nationwide blockade late last month to stem the spread of the corona virus. Even some Indian government officials have had discussions with industry executives to discuss coronavirus relief measures through Zoom. A media report this week said the Indian government advised its ministers not to use third-party software for sensitive meetings.
(This story has not been edited by staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
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