With people recently starting to work from home we have seen a spike in cyber teleconference calls and video chats. These are great ways to stay connected to your work team, friends, and family. However, through these outlets you and your company could be subjecting yourself and others to a cyber-attack. There are those that look for unsecure chats and have been inserting explicit video and/or audio in these meetings. Covert Result has done some research to better prevent our clients, team members, and family from falling victim to unsecured video teleconferencing. 

Starting off, you should make sure your virtual meeting room is secure. The meeting host should have control over when the meeting starts. By securing your meeting, attendees cannot enter until the host authorizes that person to be there. If you have a company or school meeting that needs to take place, do not use a meeting room you also use for family or friends. Another way to secure these meeting is by having a password. Utilizing a password to enter the meeting can prevent unwanted attendees. Be sure you do not use the same password twice for a meeting. Although that may seem easy for your attendees, it would also be convenient for predators. 

Another best practice is to not use your Facebook to login to these platforms. It may seem convenient but there are many people that may have access to your Facebook and can then access your meeting. The host should also consider being able to remove people from the meeting and not allowing them to automatically rejoin. Some platforms allow participants to rejoin immediately and by disabling this feature, the host can better control entry and exit. The host should also consider turning off the ability for attendees to share their screen. When the attendees can share their screen they are able to take control of the meeting and show whatever they’re viewing on their screen. This can shift the focus off the host and possibly leave your meeting in the hands of an unwanted attendee. Unless this feature is necessary for your meeting (i.e. a guest presenter) then we would strongly suggest turning off this feature. 

Using these tips can not only keep you from falling victim to unwanted meeting attendees but can also protect those you care about. There are many people that take advantage during a times of need. Don’t let the pandemic get your guard down. Predators are in the shadows waiting for you to get comfortable. Learn from the mistakes of others and stay prepared. For a consultation on private investigations, professional armed security or handgun training please email, call, or visit our website. covertresults@gmail.com 615-861-1680 Covertresults.com

Private Investigations, Professional Security, Proven Results