US government says in memo that Zoom is taking security seriously

By Raphael Satter and Christopher Bing

WASHINGTON, Apr 7 (Reuters) – The video conferencing application Zoom has responded to concerns about its software, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a memorandum recently distributed to top government cyber security officials that was seen by Reuters.

The document marks a positive note regarding teleworking, which has been engulfed by security concerns since the coronavirus outbreak occurred in the face of the increase in users connected from home.

The DHS Infrastructure and Cybersecurity Security Agency and the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program, which looks at software used by government agencies, said Zoom Video Communication Inc. is responding to criticism and understanding the seriousness of the matter. .

Zoom’s shares have plummeted after hitting record highs last month amid concerns about its safety.

Some school districts in the United States have started to ban the app for online learning, while the New York City Department of Education said teachers should work through Microsoft Teams, The Washington Post reported Saturday.

Reuters also reported last week that Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket company had banned its employees from using Zoom, citing “significant privacy and security concerns.”

Zoom did not comment on the memo, though it highlighted the words previously said by the company’s CEO, Eric Yuan, who publicly promised to improve.

“We will double and triple privacy and security,” Yuan recently told CNN.

(Reporting by Raphael Satter and Christopher Bing; Editing by Sandra Maler)