Zoom issues apology, outlines plan to address security failures amid explosive growth and usage

Video conference platform Zoom announced in late February that it would offer free services during the global coronavirus crisis in order to help keep people connected while social distancing. Almost overnight, Zoom usage exploded — and by March, Zoom was hosting more than 200 million users, up from 10 million in December.

It also has significant security issues that it is now pledging to address.

“We did not design the product with the foresight that, in a matter of weeks, every person in the world would suddenly be working, studying and socializing from home,” said Zoom CEO Eric Yuan in a blog post Wednesday. “We now have a much broader set of users who are utilizing our product in a myriad of unexpected ways, presenting us with challenges we did not anticipate when the platform was conceived.”

The company provided an outline of the steps and actions it will take over the next 90 days o focus on the safety and security of its users. The company immediately enacted a feature freeze, shifting all engineering resources to focus on safety and privacy issues. A third-party comprehensive review will be performed and Zoom will launch its CISO council to help facilitate an ongoing conversation around security and privacy best practices.

Yuan will also be holding a weekly webinar on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. PT to address the ongoing security updates and features for users.

Why we care

As we said above, Zoom’s popularity has exploded in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic with professional, and even personal, use skyrocketing. But the quick adoption points out what can happen when technology, especially martech, is installed and adopted without at least a moment of pause to consider whether the tool is safe to use and truly meets your needs.