Video Calls and Video Chat is used today for a multitude of things that require privacy, such as communications between governments, trial testimony, confidential medical information, and many other applications.
It is common for people to assume that their conversation cannot be overheard by anyone who should not be hearing it, but that is not always the case.
Video Chat Room Privacy
It can be relatively easy to ensure that the room you are using to conduct a video Chat call is reasonably secure.
You can lock the door to prevent anyone from entering the room, and make sure you are speaking in a low enough voice that you will not be easily overheard.
You can also take steps to ensure that the person or persons you are talking to lock their doors as well.
Beyond that, though, what can you do to ensure that your transmission is not intercepted by hackers?
General Security Risk
I once heard a security expert say “If it is on the internet, it is vulnerable to hackers. Period.”
And he was right. There are steps you can take that will minimize the chances of your conference being hacked, if the steps are followed properly by each and every participant in the call.
Using a moderator who issues precise instructions for participant conduct, takes charge of the meeting access, issues passwords to each participant, and creates a virtual meeting room to conduct the meeting in can improve the security of the meeting immensely.
This person must also make sure to instruct all participants to log out of the meeting properly.
Leaving the virtual space without, in effect, closing the door behind you, can allow a hacker access to a treasure trove of information.
Participant Error
Most breaches in video Chat security come about through participant error.
Someone could record the conference without your knowledge.
You could leave a window open on your computer that shows confidential information to the other participants.
It is possible for someone to see what you are typing, so don’t type in any passwords while you are on video.
Try to avoid using this format to disseminate confidential information without encryption.
In short, you must have a thorough understanding of how the security features of a video Chat work.
You will be able to use them properly, or you are risking a security breach.
