Zoom acquires cryptography platform Keybase

Zoom has bought cryptography platform Keybase. The video call maker has deposited an undisclosed amount for Keybase so that Zoom conversations will be provided with better security and encryption in the future.

Zoom wants to build end-to-end encryption into video calls on the platform with Keybase. The company is working on an option to offer that encryption with paid accounts, it writes in a blog post. In that case, users can generate a public cryptographic key that is stored with Zoom. When setting up a call, a one-time symmetric key is then generated by the host that can be shared with other participants in a call.

Keybase is a platform that generates such public keys, among other things. It is not entirely clear what Keybase will do within Zoom. “Ultimately, the future of Keybase is in Zoom’s hands, and we’ll see where that leads us,” Keybase writes on its own website.

Under the partnership, Keybase will become a business unit within Zoom. Keybase co-founder Max Krohn will lead Zoom’s security team. Keybase has about 25 employees and has been in existence since 2014. It is not known what the acquisition price was.

Zoom has often come under fire in recent months for multiple security incidents. Since then, the company has temporarily paused development of new features to focus solely on security features. Zoom has now also established an advisory board of security experts.