Internal Senate memo warns Zoom poses ‘high risk’ to privacy, security
The Senate sergeant at arms has warned offices that the virtual conferencing platform Zoom poses a high risk to privacy and could leave their data and systems exposed, according to an internal memo obtained by POLITICO.
The sergeant at arms’ cybersecurity division wrote in an email to Senate offices Friday evening that Zoom and rival service MaestroConference have been “issued a high-risk notice” and pose the threat of “potential compromise of systems and loss of data, interruptions during a conference, and lack of privacy.”
The law enforcement chief urged lawmakers and their staff to instead use “preferred and supported video conferencing options” such as Skype for Business.
The Senate Rules Committee has also “instructed offices to only use Senate-supported technologies,” according to a panel spokesperson. Zoom is not among those supported services, they said.
A spokesperson said in a statement that Zoom is in contact with Senate offices regarding the firm's government-specific conferencing product. "Zoom takes user security extremely seriously and is committed to ensuring the privacy, security and trust of its service for all our users," the person added.
Federal agencies are authorized to use the government version of Zoom for some purposes, and the company has received at least eight federal purchase orders in the past three years, according to records reviewed by POLITICO. But two federal overseers, the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program and DHS' Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, advised agencies not to use Zoom’s free or commercial service in a statement Tuesday.
The Senate's move marks the latest blow to Zoom’s reputation on Capitol Hill, which has taken a hit amid a wave of damaging reports of data leaks, undisclosed data sharing and unwanted service interruptions.
The company has seen its usage soar as millions of Americans shift their daily routines online during the coronavirus outbreak. But Zoom’s newfound popularity has also triggered fresh scrutiny of its privacy and security practices, including state-level investigations and congressional calls for a federal probe.
To address criticisms, Zoom has tweaked its privacy policies and practices, and pledged to focus its efforts over the next three months on addressing concerns.
MaestroConference representatives did not respond to a request for comment. The office of the sergeant at arms could not be immediately reached for comment.
The Financial Times first reported that Senate offices had been urged not to use Zoom.
