Protect Your Zoom Webinars from Spam Registrations
September 2026
Recently, some University of Miami (UM) Zoom webinar hosts have reported receiving hundreds of suspected automated bot registrations, including entries with unusual names or unfamiliar email domains.
This issue originates within Zoom's platform. Zoom has informed UM Information Technology & Systems (ITS) that it is implementing security patches to address the issue and expects this work to be completed soon. While Zoom completes these updates, webinar hosts should take the following steps to help protect their events.
1. Require Attendees to Authenticate to Join
Enable Require authentication to join in your webinar settings. This requires attendees to sign in before joining and adds a layer of protection against unauthorized access.
Choose an authentication option appropriate for your audience. If your webinar includes external guests, avoid selecting an option that limits attendance to UM accounts. When authentication and registration are both required, attendees must register with an email address associated with an active Zoom account.
Review Zoom's instructions for requiring authentication.
2. Manually Approve Registrants
Set registration approval to Manually Approve so you can review registrations before Zoom sends attendees their join links.
To update this setting:
1. Sign in to the Zoom Web Portal and select Webinars.
2. Open your scheduled webinar and select the Invitations tab.
3. Next to Registration Settings, select Edit.
4. Under Approval, select Manually Approve, then select Save All.
5. Review pending registrations under Manage Attendees and approve or deny them as appropriate.
Manual approval may not stop automated registration submissions, but it helps prevent unapproved registrants from receiving join links. Review any previously approved registrations as well, and cancel those identified as spam.
Review Zoom's instructions for managing registrants.
+ Additional Best Practices
- Monitor registrations before and during your event. Look for sudden spikes, repeated information, or other unusual patterns. An unfamiliar email domain alone does not establish that a registration is fraudulent.
- Share registration links rather than attendee join links. Remind approved attendees to keep their individual join links private.
- Communicate attendance requirements in advance. Let attendees know that registrations require approval and that they must sign in to Zoom to join.
- Test the attendee experience. Before the event, confirm that your intended audience—including external guests—can register and join with your selected settings.
Need Assistance?
If your UM Zoom webinar receives a large volume of suspicious registrations or you need help configuring these settings, contact the IT Service Desk. Include the webinar ID, scheduled event date, and a description of the activity.
