After a long announcement phase, Zoom users worldwide can now hold video conferences with end-to-end encryption (E2EE). It is initially available for the desktop client version 5.4.0 for macOS and PC as well as the Android app and Zoom Rooms. An expansion, also for the Linux client, is planned. However, encryption must be activated in each case and cannot be combined with all other functions.

By default, a 256 – Bit-AES-GCM encryption application, this also applies to the E2EE – only the keys are not with Zoom, but with the host, who distributes them using public key cryptography . Cisco Webex and other providers do a similar thing. The keys can be compared among the participants so that man-in-the-middle attacks can be prevented.

Like Axel Albrecht, Manager Sales Engineering, in a conversation with heise online, says the provider has tested conferences with up to 1000 participants and the E2EE without any loss of performance. As end users, only up to 200 participants can come together in such a conference.

Restrictions by E2EE If you set an E2EE for a video conference, there are restrictions on other functions of the service. For example, conversations can no longer be recorded because they end up in the cloud. Numerous telephone systems are simply not compatible with the technology. This is also one reason why the new encryption option is not set by default. Zooms Germany boss Peer Stemmler explains that not all conversations between colleagues need to be E2EE, but that numerous other communications are particularly worth protecting – for example in the medical sector.

Admins can basically block or allow the function for the user accounts, which in turn gives the user the option of activi