Publicly shared Zoom links might attract and allow disruptors to join your meetings. Enabling appropriate Zoom settings protects your sessions from offensive and embarrassing intrusions by uninvited guests, and helps you provide a positive meeting environment for attendees.

When creating a meeting, ITS strongly recommends using at least one of the Zoom security options for passcodes, waiting rooms, or authentication. 

  • Internal meetings with only @WPI.edu attendees are best protected by the "Require Authentication" option when scheduling from the Zoom web portal. This will prevent anyone not logged in to a WPI IT service from accessing your meeting. 
  • A meeting passcode and waiting room can be enabled when scheduling a meeting from the Zoom Client, Outlook plugin or from the Zoom web portal. Passcodes should not be shared on open webpages. 
  • Additional settings can be chosen at the user account level to apply to all Zoom meetings you host.

Changes to Zoom security options will not get applied to existing meetings where no security options were in place. Please add security to existing and recurring meeting instances.

As a reminder, also protect the details of your Zoom session.  The time, date and session ID should only be known by the people you are inviting to the session.

  • Meeting Passcode

    Set up allowed from:

    • WPI Zoom web portal
    • Outlook plugin

    Can invite:

    • @wpi.edu attendees
    • non-@wpi.edu (external) attendees

    Best Practices:

    • Embed the meeting passcode within your Zoom invitation and share privately over email, in a calendar invite, or within Canvas.
    • Do not post the meeting link and password on a publicly-visible website as uninvited guests can still join your meeting.
    Check Passcode to secure your meeting with a custom passcode. 

  • Waiting Room

    Zoom will automatically enable Waiting Rooms if a meeting Passcode is not enabled.

    Waiting Rooms allow the host/co-host the ability to allow or block participants' entry. This allows the host/co-host full control over the participants inside of the meeting. If uninvited users try attending your meeting, simply deny their entry!

    Set up allowed from:

    • WPI Zoom web portal
    • Outlook plugin

    Can invite:

    • @wpi.edu attendees
    • non-@wpi.edu (external) attendees

    Options:

    • Allows selective admission of participants. The host or co-host has the ability to control who is admitted to the meeting.
    • Non-@WPI.edu users can request to join your meeting; only allow known invitees.
    Check Waiting Room to secure your meeting such that only admitted users can join.  

  • Require Authentication

    Set up allowed from:

    • WPI Zoom web portal
    • Outlook plugin  (only for @wpi.edu invitees)

    Can invite:

    • @wpi.edu attendees
    • non-@wpi.edu (external) attendees
      • must invite through WPI Zoom web portal
      • must add prior to meeting start

    When requiring authentication, @WPI.edu Zoom users will have a seamless join experience if they are logged in to their Zoom software on their device. If they are not, refer them to Login to Zoom (Related Articles).

    Video instructions to require authentication:

    Check Require authentication to join to secure your meeting to only @WPI.edu users.  
    Inviting non-@WPI.edu user with authentication requires WPI Zoom web portal:
    Inviting an external user when authentication is required can only be done from the WPI Zoom web portal. Exceptions for external users cannot be added from the Zoom Outlook plugin. If you add an external invitee to the Outlook meeting invite, they will receive an error when joining the meeting.   
    To invite an external, non @WPI.edu user to your meeting, Add Authentication Exception in your meeting from the WPI Zoom web portal.   
    If your meeting is secured with Require Authentication, @WPI.edu users who are not signed in to Zoom will see a prompt asking them to sign in. If a non @WPI.edu user has not been added as an exception, they will also see this error message. 

  • Additional Settings

    Settings can be chosen at the user account level to apply to all Zoom meetings you host. Access settings by:

    1. Login to WPI Zoom web portal.
    2. Under the Personal menu, click Settings and choose the Meeting tab.
    3. Toggle settings on/off.

    Numerous options are available! Here are a few highlights:

    • Change the screensharing feature to Host Only: Disabling default sharing by all will prevent uninvited attendees from sharing malicious content during your session.
    • Disable the Join Before Host option: Preventing users from joining before you arrive preserves your control over the session. Use the waiting room feature vs. allowing people to join when host isn't present
    • Enable the Co-Host option: This will assign moderation duties to another host (user) during your session. It is always a good idea to have someone looking out for you while you are busy leading the session.
    • Disable the Allow Removed Participants to Rejoin option: This prevents anyone who was removed from the meeting from rejoining and creating a hostile environment.
    • The Host can have attendees join muted or the host can Manage Participants - Mute All.