Daily Buzz: A Conferencing Tool’s Big Vulnerability

If your association relies on Zoom videoconferencing and uses Macs, a word of warning: Security researcher Jonathan Leitschuh has disclosed  (opens in a new tab) a vulnerability in the Mac Zoom Client, namely that it allows any malicious website to enable your camera without your permission.

“This vulnerability allows any website to forcibly join a user to a Zoom call, with their video camera activated, without the user’s permission,” Leitschuh says.

But uninstalling the software doesn’t remedy the issue, writes Dieter Bohn on The Verge  (opens in a new tab). “You can ‘patch’ the camera issue yourself by ensuring the Mac app is up to date and also disabling the setting that allows Zoom to turn your camera on when joining a meeting,” he says. “Again, simply uninstalling Zoom won’t fix this problem, as that web server persists on your Mac.”

Leitschuh says he disclosed the issue to Zoom in March, but the company made no moves to fix the problem. In a statement to The Verge, Zoom said it developed the local web server to save users additional clicks after Apple updated Safari in a way that requires users to confirm if they want to launch Zoom each time they click a meeting link. The company defended the decision, saying it was a “legitimate solution to a poor user experience, enabling our users to have seamless, one-click-to-join meetings, which is our key product differentiator.”

However, after widespread backlash on Tuesday, the company had something of an about-face  (opens in a new tab), releasing an emergency patch that could remove the web server entirely.

“We also recognize and respect the view of others that say they don’t want to have an extra process installed on their local machine,” the company’s chief information security officer, Richard Farley, told The Verge Tuesday evening.  (opens in a new tab) “So that’s why we made the decision to remove that component—despite the fact that it’s going to require an extra click from Safari.”

Skills That Boost the Member Experience

Are you consistently sharpening your skills to better delight your members? Hopefully so! But to really deliver a five-star member experience, we recommend honing in on these five customer service skills: https://t.co/FSH0XsRGST  (opens in a new tab) #assnchat  (opens in a new tab)

— MemberClicks (@MemberClicks) July 9, 2019  (opens in a new tab)

If member relations often feels like customer service, that’s because it can be. Associations, like many other industries, are in the people business, says Callie Walker on the MemberClicks blog  (opens in a new tab). That’s why honing traits traditionally associated with customer-service roles can go a long way for members.

Walker pinpoints adaptability, empathy, strong communication skills, and authenticity as among the biggest characteristics to practice.

Other Links of Note

Using vacation to cure burnout? It won’t work  (opens in a new tab), says Sarah Todd on Quartz at Work.

Meeting planners should leverage Instagram for more than posting pictures. BizBash offers seven ways they can promote their work on the app  (opens in a new tab).

A well-managed nonprofit team exemplifies each member’s talents. The Wild Apricot blog shares how leaders cultivate that dynamic  (opens in a new tab).

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