EDITOR'S NOTE: Penn State was informed by the Zoom vendor on Sunday, Sept. 20, that the security updates planned for Sept. 27 will not take effect as announced. As a result, Penn State Zoom users will not see any changes to their current security settings. Details on any future security updates from Zoom will be provided to the Penn State community as soon as Penn State IT is made aware.
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — On Sept. 27, the Zoom vendor is implementing changes worldwide to enhance meeting security. Zoom meetings will require a passcode (formerly referred to as a password) or a waiting room to be enabled for all meetings. Any Zoom meetings that have already been scheduled and do not have a passcode configured will automatically have waiting rooms enabled.
Full details on meeting waiting rooms and passcode requirements are available on Zoom’s website.
Highlights of the changes include:
- The passcode will be embedded automatically into the Zoom meeting join links for ease of use.
- For recurring meetings already scheduled, calendar invites will need to be resent to include the passcode.
- If passcode is enabled for a meeting, during the meeting, the host may turn off the waiting room via the security menu.
- Please be aware that adding a passcode to a Zoom meeting from the web portal does not automatically populate the details into the calendar invite. Penn State encourages its users to use the Zoom desktop client whenever possible.
- Users can also customize the waiting room to allow individuals within Penn State’s domain, or on an approved list of domains, to bypass the waiting room, and directly join the meeting.
The Zoom client may need to be upgraded with administrative privileges. Some users also may require assistance from their local Penn State IT department to perform these updates.
For the latest Zoom updates, news, resources, support and training information, visit zoom.psu.edu.