Microsoft Teams vs. Zoom security

Video chat app Zoom was one of the most popular go-to apps for workers newly confined to their homes in recent weeks. And then it wasn’t. Privacy and security issues that surfaced during that surge have resulted in at least three class-action lawsuits and led some organizations to ban its use altogether. The New York attorney general is reportedly examining the company’s security practices. Google, the New York Public School System, and a growing list of others have banned the use of Zoom in their organizations.

Zoom added more than 2 million new users through the end of February, Forbes reported. That makes it a viable competitor to Microsoft Teams, which has reported an approximately 1,000% increase in use since the current crisis began. Teams reached 44 million active daily users in late March.

So for us, the obvious question: Is Microsoft Teams safe, private and secure? Here’s what we know.

The three most significant Zoom security issues raised by researchers, according to c/net, include: Facebook data-sharing, the company’s incomplete end-to-end encryption, and the vulnerability which allows malicious actors to access users’ webcams, infamously known as “Zoombombing.”

Zoom is working on those issues, and immediately closed the vulnerability that allowed chat sessions to be shared on Facebook.

With regard to the Facebook issue, Microsoft Teams has no access to users’ uploaded content. Microsoft Teams encrypts data “in transit and at rest, storing your data in our secure network of datacenters and using Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP) for video, audio, and desktop sharing,” Jared Sparato, vice president for Microsoft 365, wrote in a recent blog post.

Microsoft Teams also uses Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to protect identity and account information from prying eyes.

If you are using Zoom, or any of the other free video chat apps, c/net lists the privacy issues to be aware of.

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