The current pandemic has certainly shown the utility of electronic collaboration tools such as videoconferencing platforms. Once an expensive perk of solely enterprise companies, the video call is now used not only for executives remotely attending board meetings but also for the following:

  • Sales calls
  • Partnered coding
  • Team standups
  • Chats with distant family members
  • Online classes at all school levels
  • Professional appointments with accountants or lawyers
  • Telehealth visits with your medical professional

At the moment, it’s important for public health that everyone stays distant from one another. In order to keep people working, however, some work policies and regulations are being relaxed to allow better video communications with the tools we all currently have available.

The Security Risks of Videoconferencing

Unfortunately, that does not mean there are fewer risks. When it comes to video, we need to protect against unauthorized people getting access to the call to either hear the discussion or manipulate the video to “prove” something else happened.

This makes total sense when the video is a discussion of a company’s merger plans or upcoming product announcements. In those scenarios, an unauthorized individual might want to listen in for their own gains or to sabotage. Meanwhile, in other conversations, you may discuss a relative’s health or talk about financial position—data which could be used for nefarious purposes, as video is just another medium through which a malicious actor can mine data. Recordings can also be used to create deep fakes (https://www.creativebloq.com/features/deepfake-examples), manipulated media which can be used to back up claims that something was said when it really wasn’t.

In addition to unauthorized access, there is also incidental data loss, which may include information on the whiteboard in the background of the video or a prototype sitting on your desk. When at home, you (Read more...)