Google bans Zoom for employees over "security vulnerabilities"

Zoom will no longer be available for Google employees to use at on desktops at work as of this week, Buzzfeed News first reported and Axios has confirmed.

Why it matters: Zoom, which millions of people have turned to as a communications platform in the coronavirus era, is a competitor to Google's own Meet app. Google said Zoom did not meet its security standards for employees.

The big picture: The New York attorney general's office has highlighted security flaws and vulnerabilities in Zoom "that could enable malicious third parties to, among other things, gain surreptitious access to consumer webcams."

• Researchers have reported several security flaws in Zoom this month, as more workers videoconference from home amid widespread stay-at-home orders designed to fight the spread of the coronavirus.
• One flaw allows attackers to steal system login credentials from Windows users.
• Another gives attackers access to Zoom users' Mac computers, including their video cameras and microphones.

What they're saying: “We have long had a policy of not allowing employees to use unapproved apps for work that are outside of our corporate network,” Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda told Axios.

• “Recently, our security team informed employees using Zoom Desktop Client that it will no longer run on corporate computers as it does not meet our security standards for apps used by our employees. Employees who have been using Zoom to stay in touch with family and friends can continue to do so through a web browser or via mobile.”

Go deeper: More trouble piles on for Zoom amid coronavirus usage spike