UAE authority warns of Zoom vulnerabilities that compromise users' devices

People are urged to upgrade Zoom apps to latest version

Zoom users in the UAE have been warned of a vulnerability that could compromise their devices. Photo: Reuters

The Telecommunications and Digital Regulatory Authority has issued a warning to Zoom users in the UAE.

In a statement shared on Twitter, the TDRA asked users to be careful, saying vulnerabilities could compromise their devices.

Zoom, a free video and audio chat service that became popular globally when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, posted details of the vulnerabilities on its website.

In one of them, it was discovered that cybercriminals can launch a sophisticated attack to trick a user into downgrading to a less secure version of Zoom. This was affecting people who were using versions of Windows before 5.10.0.

By doing this, the user’s device and data could become vulnerable.

The security flaw has reportedly been fixed, but TDRA still urged UAE residents to upgrade their programs to the latest version.

“TDRA notes that some vulnerabilities have been discovered in Zoom application for communication on various platforms, which may cause users’ devices to be compromised,” the authority said on Friday.

“Accordingly, TDRA asks Zoom users to update the program and ensure to have its latest updated version.”

Zoom had 300 million daily meeting participants worldwide as of April 2020, according to database company Statista. There were only 10 million meeting participants the previous year.

The video communications company continues to be used worldwide, as companies embrace hybrid or work-from-home models.