Default Security Settings for Zoom
Zoom Account Settings
Several account settings are available to control the meeting environment for your Zoom class. In an effort to ensure that the majority of Zoom meetings used for course instruction at the University of Guelph and Guelph-Humber are as secure as possible, some account settings for U of G Zoom accounts will be set with new default settings as of January 1, 2021.
To access and review these settings, please sign into your Zoom account on the Zoom website and navigate to the Settings tab.
Under the Security section, ensure the following default options are enabled.
1. Waiting Room: Enabled
This setting ensures that attendees are funneled through a waiting room ensuring the host can control any access to their meeting.
Additional default Waiting Room options will automate this process and allow recognized attendees to join the meeting directly.
2. Waiting Room Options
With Waiting Room enabled, the following two options are preselected by default:
- Users who are not part of the whitelisted domains, uoguelph.ca and guelphhumber.ca, are placed in the waiting room.
- Only host and co-hosts will be able to admit participants from the waiting room.
The first option allows participants who are signed into Zoom accounts linked to a University of Guelph or Guelph Humber email address to bypass the waiting room and immediately join the meeting. With this setting enabled, students are required to create and sign into these accounts before joining the meeting. Please refer students to the Zoom for Students: Create and Use a U of G Zoom Account page on the OpenEd website.
The second option ensures that any attendees who do not meet one of the requirements above will remain in the waiting room until they are allowed in by the host or a co-host. Individuals who are placed in the waiting room should not be admitted to your class meetings unless you are absolutely sure of their identity.
3. Require a Passcode when scheduling new meetings: Enabled
With this setting enabled, anyone attempting to enter the meeting via an external link or meeting code will require your meeting passcode; however, participants entering the meeting through the CourseLink Zoom integration will not be required to enter the passcode. This option helps prevent uninvited or undesired participants from entering the meeting by simply obtaining a copy of the meeting link or by guessing the Meeting ID.
4. Only authenticated users can join meetings: Enabled (with UofG/GH Domains set to Default)
This setting requires participants to have and be signed into a Zoom account linked to a recognized University email to access your meetings. This account’s email is also used to capture the attendee’s participation in class, through Zoom’s usage report and polls. It also allows for easier tracking of participants if issues arise during a meeting.
Please note that if external participants not associated with University of Guelph or Guelph Humber will be participating in your meeting, such as a guest speaker or lecturer, then the restriction to U of G/GH Domains must be disabled for them to join your meeting. It is recommended that the Sign in to Zoom authentication requirement remain to ensure that participants require at least a free Zoom account to join.
5. Allow removed participants to rejoin: Off
This setting ensures that any participant removed from the meeting by the host will not be able to re-join from that account. Participants may be removed at the discretion of the host, usually in response to unwanted behavior. Enabling this option will prevent those participants from rejoining the meeting from which they were removed. This is not a permanent removal and these users would still be able to join any new meetings or the next meeting in a reoccurring series.
6. Allow participants to rename themselves: Off
This setting prevents participants from modifying their name in a meeting after they have joined. You can choose to change this option during the meeting, but it is only recommended that you do so for short periods of time and only for specific purposes.
Zoom Meeting Creation Settings
Meeting creation options within the CourseLink Zoom integration have also been set with the most secure defaults in an effort to ensure that the majority of Zoom meetings intended for course instruction at the University of Guelph and Guelph-Humber are as secure as possible.
The new default meeting creation settings only apply to meetings created on or after January 1, 2021. Any meetings created/scheduled before that date will maintain the settings that they were created with and will require editing to ensure they have been set with the new default settings listed below:
1. Passcode: On
2. Waiting Room: On
3. Enable join before host: Off
- This prevents attendees from joining the meeting before the host arrives. Even with the waiting room enabled, participants can still bypass the waiting room giving them unmoderated access to your meeting audio/video/chat (depending on your account settings).
4. Mute participants upon entry: On
5. Use Personal Meeting ID: Off
6. Only authenticated users can join: On
To access, review and modify these meeting settings, please sign into your Zoom account on the Zoom website and navigate to the Meetings option. You will need to access any meetings created prior to January 1, 2021 under the Upcoming Meetings list to adjust your settings to match the new defaults.
Alternatively, if you are using the CourseLink Zoom Integration, you may alter these settings by accessing the Zoom link from the Content area and adjusting these settings for any meetings listed under the Upcoming Meetings tab.
