Increase Zoom Meeting Security

Learn how to secure your Zoom meetings by adjusting authentication settings, enabling the Waiting Room, restricting participant actions, and using host controls to prevent disruptions.

Quick Links: | Prerequisites | Instructions | Troubleshooting |

Keeping your Zoom meetings secure helps prevent disruptions and unauthorized access. This guide covers best practices for securing your meetings before they start and in real-time as a host. By implementing these settings and controls, you can ensure a safer and more controlled virtual meeting environment.

Prerequisites

Before securing your Zoom meeting, ensure the following:

• You have a Chico State Zoom account and are signed in with SSO.
• You have access to the Zoom web portal or Zoom desktop/mobile app.
• You are the meeting host or have host privileges.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Configure Meeting Security Before Starting

To secure your meeting before it begins, adjust these settings:

1. Sign in to Zoom and go to Settings.
2. Enable Waiting Room to screen participants before they join.
3. Set Allow only authenticated users to join to restrict access to signed-in users.
4. Configure additional restrictions under Security settings as needed.
5. Avoid sharing meeting links publicly:
   • Share the link only with intended participants through email or a private platform.
   • Do not post meeting links on public websites or social media without increased security settings.

You may also need to tune these settings for each meeting as needed.

Manage the Waiting Room

To control who enters the meeting:

1. Select Participants in the meeting controls.
2. In the Waiting Room section, review the list of participants.
3. Click Admit to allow a participant in or Remove to deny entry.

It may be useful to have one person dedicated to managing the waiting room if your meeting has a lot of participants. If it's possible, avoid admitting people you do not recognize.

Secure the Meeting During the Session

As the host, you can control security settings in real time:

1. Select Host tools in the meeting toolbar and choose:
   • Lock Meeting to prevent new participants from joining.
   • Enable Waiting Room to control who enters.
   • Hide Profile Pictures to limit displayed images.
2. Prevent participants from performing disruptive actions by disabling:
   • Share Screen
   • Chat
   • Rename Themselves
   • Unmute Themselves
   • Start Video
   • Share Whiteboards
   • Share Notes
   • Set Meeting Timers
   • Record to Computer
   • Request to Record to Computer
   • Request Host to Start Cloud Recording
3. To remove a participant:
   • Open Participants, select the participant’s name, and choose Remove.
4. To immediately suspend all participant activities:
   • Open Host tools and select Suspend Participant Activities (marked in red).

Now your Zoom meeting is more secured, reducing the risk of unwanted interruptions or unauthorized access.

Troubleshooting

• If participants report being unable to join, verify that authentication settings match their login credentials.
• If the Host tools options are unavailable, ensure you are the Host or Co-Host.
• If unauthorized participants gain access, use Lock Meeting, Remove Participants, or Suspend Participant Activities immediately.

Still need help? If you run into problems or still need help, reach out to the Technology & Learning Program.