Securing Your Sessions

To help secure your Zoom sessions, the Online & Digital Learning Department recommends you implement precautionary methods, such as:

  • User Registration
  • Authenticated Temple Users Only
  • Do NOT enable Join Before Host
  • Remove Unwanted Participants, then Lock the Meeting

Additional Best Practices for Securing Your Sessions

Scheduling Features

Below are features to secure your sessions and help limit access to your meetings.

User Registration for Sessions:

This will require users to register with their First Name, Last Name and Email address in order to join the session.

  • While scheduling your sessions or editing an already scheduled session, scroll down and check the box for “Registration Required”
screenshot of the Registration section of the Zoom 'Schedule Meeting' webpage when 'Recurring meeting' and Registration 'Required' are selected

Setting a Meeting Passcode:

This will require users to enter an alphanumeric passcode to join your session. Only people with both the meeting ID and passcode or the invite link can join your meeting.

  • While scheduling your sessions or editing an already scheduled session, scroll down and check the box for “Passcode”
    screenshot of the Security section of the Zoom 'Schedule Meeting' webpage with the 'Passcode' option selected
    • When you check “Passcode” a password will automatically be created for you.
    • You can change this password to whatever you’d like.
  • Select “Save” to save your session changes.

Authenticated Temple Users Only:

This will require users to sign into a Zoom account with an “@temple.edu” email address in order to join a meeting. Enabling the setting will disable any non-Temple University guests from attempting to join as they will need a valid Zoom account associated with Temple University to get in the meeting.

  1. Go to zoom.temple.edu
  2. Select “Settings” on your Zoom navigation (to the left).
    screenshot of the left navigation menu on the Zoom website with the 'Settings' page active
  3. Turn on the option for “Only authenticated users can join meetings”
    screenshot of the 'Only authenticated users can join meetings' options on the Zoom Settings webpage

Note: If you have outside guests attending your sessions (i.e. guest speakers, industry reps, etc.) you do NOT want to select this option. Instead, require registration for your session and then set a session password that can be shared for entry.

Join Before Host Option:

While scheduling your sessions, you are given the option to “Allow participants to join anytime”. If you keep this option unchecked, no one will be able to join the session before you as the host join. This gives you greater control over the meeting. If you do have “Allow participants to join anytime” on, you will receive a notification of when and who attempted to join your sessions.

  1. While scheduling your sessions or editing an already scheduled session, scroll down to “Options”, select “Show”, and you will see “Allow participants to join anytime”.
    screenshot of the 'Options' section on the Zoom 'Schedule Meeting' webpage with the 'Allow participants to join anytime' checkbox unchecked and highlighted by a red box
  2. Leave this option unchecked.
  3. Select “Save” to save you session changes.

Waiting Room:

While scheduling your sessions you are given the option to turn on a “waiting room.” This will place users in a virtual waiting room before they can join your meeting, giving you as the host, the option of choosing who to admit into the session.

This is a good tool to use for advising or office hours to ensure students cannot hear comments made by their peers or comments about a student’s grades.

  • While scheduling your sessions or editing an already scheduled session, scroll down to the “Security” section and select “Waiting Room”
screenshot of the 'Security' section of the Zoom Schedule Meeting webpage with the 'Waiting Room' option selected

In-Meeting Features

Below are features a meeting host has control over to secure their meeting.

Chat Control:

As the host, you have control whether participants can chat with everyone in the session or only with the host.

  1. During the Session select “Chat” on the Zoom navigation.
    screenshot of the Zoom Meeting Navigation bar with the 'Chat' button highlighted
  2. Select “…” on the chat panel.
    screenshot of the Zoom chat panel with the '...' options button highlighted
  3. Select whether you’d like participants to chat with: No one, Host and co-hosts, Everyone or Everyone and anyone directly.
    screenshot of the Zoom Meeting Chat options dropdown

Note: It is recommended that you allow attendees to chat with “Host only.” This enables them to ask questions but limits communication between attendees and potential rude or disruptive comments.

Lock the Meeting:

When you lock a meeting, no new participants can join, even if they have the meeting ID and password.

Note: Participants can get kicked out of a Zoom meeting due to internet speeds. Be careful when selecting this option as you may lock out students from returning to a session. You’ll need to “Unlock” the session for them to join again.

  1. During the Session select “Participants” in the Zoom navigation.
    screenshot of the Zoom Meeting navigation bar with the the 'Participants' button highlighted
  2. Select “…”
  3. Select “Lock meeting”
    screenshot of the Zoom 'Participants' options dialog with the 'Lock meeting' option highlighted

Remove a Participant:

Removing a user from your participants list will expel a participant from the meeting. That participant can return, however, unless you select to “Lock” your session after removing them.

  1. During the Session, select “Participants” on the Zoom navigation.
    screenshot of the Zoom Meeting navigation bar with the the 'Participants' button highlighted
  2. In the Participant’s panel, hover over the participant’s name and select “…”
  3. Select “Remove”
    screenshot of the Zoom Meeting Individual Participant options dropdown within the 'Participants' dialog with the 'Remove' option highlighted

Put Attendee in the waiting room:

Putting a user in the waiting room will disable their audio and video connection in the session.

  1. During the Session select “Participants” on the Zoom navigation.
    screenshot of the Zoom Meeting navigation bar with the the 'Participants' button highlighted
  2. In the Participant’s panel, hover over the participant’s name and select “…”
  3. Select “Put in waiting room”
    screenshot of the Zoom Meeting Individual Participant options dropdown within the 'Participants' dialog with the 'Put in waiting room' option highlighted