How to keep your virtual events secure

Security for larger virtual events

If you are running a larger scale virtual event, then you will almost certainly want to use a virtual event platform to help you run it efficiently and securely. These software platforms allow you to split the event into multiple streams, offer live and "on-demand" sessions, record live sessions for later viewing, operate break-out rooms, and make it easy for delegates to network with each other.

But perhaps the most important feature from a security standpoint is that most allow attendees to register online before the event. Before registration opens you may choose to load the system with the email addresses of everyone who has been invited to attend, to prevent unwanted registrations from unknown people. Alternatively, you may allow registration to be open to all.

When delegates register, they choose their own password, and at the end of the process they are sent a personal link to the event. Each link should be individual, so only the person with that link, and who knows their own password, can join the event. This helps prevent anyone who gains access to the link from joining unless they also know the password.

Popular event management software includes:

• VirtualCrowd
• ON24
• Aventri
• Cvent Event Management
• BlueJeans
• Accelevents
• ClickMeeting
• Airmeet

Other security measures that should be in place include:

• Making it clear to delegates when they register not to share their event link
• Requiring the selection of a strong password when delegates sign up, to ensure that their account is well protected.
• Limit the screen sharing capabilities of attendees to speakers and moderators only. This measure is designed to prevent the possibility of anyone sharing undesirable content or images deliberately, and also prevents attendees from sharing their desktops accidentally and revealing private information
• Ensure that at least one member of your charity staff is monitoring your virtual event at all times so that they can act quickly to eject any Zoombombers or take other appropriate actions as necessary.

If your charity uses virtual event software then it is likely to store personal information such as names and email addresses, so it is essential that the software is used securely – not least to ensure you comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

In practice that means that you (or any other charity staff member who is helping to manage the virtual event) should:

• Connect to the event management software running in your offices from home using a remote access VPN
• Use two factor authentication (2FA) when logging on to the system to help prevent unauthorised access
• Ensure that the event management software and any systems that it runs on are up-to-date and running the latest security patches to minimise the risk of a hacker exploiting any known vulnerabilities in the software.
• Ensure that your computer is running endpoint security software from a reputable company such as Avast or Bitdefender to minimise the risk of hackers installing ransomware, a keylogger, or other malware which could be used to compromise the event management system.