Zoom has announced that it will add end-to-end encryption (E2EE) to Zoom Phone, its VoIP service for collaboration, as it looks to further strengthen security protections.
According to a blog post (opens in a new tab) by Zoom security engineering manager Max Krohn, video conferencing users will be able to switch to E2EE "during calls between users on the same Zoom account that occur over the Zoom client" using cryptographic keys known only to the devices on both ends of the call.
Zoom Phone (opens in a new tab) isn't the only tool for achieving end-to-end encryption. Meeting rooms will soon have this feature too. Most of the changes will go unnoticed, with little change to the experience of a break room beyond each room receiving its own unique encryption key.
End-to-End Zoom Encryption
The option to perform this upgrade is in the "More" section of a call interface, but there are some prerequisites to check if you can't encrypt your call. First, the account administrator must enable the feature. Callers must also be on the same account, use the Zoom Phone desktop or mobile client, and disable automatic call recording.
In an effort to provide "adequate protection," the company has already implemented data routing control, in-product privacy notifications, and end-to-end encryption elsewhere.
The company says using end-to-end encryption in a meeting room will be "the same experience" as a standard meeting, but will help protect private conversations and interactions outside of the main meeting space.
End-to-end encryption for Zoom meetings and calls requires version 5.4.0 of the app, which is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux computers, and iOS and Android mobile devices.
"Whether it's E2EE for Zoom Phone and Breakout Rooms, our account theft protection tool, or automatic updates, we strive to make security accessible to everyone," Krohn wrote.
"These are just a few of the easy-to-use tools you can use to protect your information while keeping the Zoom experience flexible and reliable. Our innovative, frictionless design isn't mutually exclusive with a strong security posture—in fact, they're a ."