Zoom VDI Client failing to launch

Issue

The Zoom VDI Client fails to load or crashes when attempting to load. 

Environment

This issue impacts 64-bit versions of the Zoom VDI Client and plugins version 5.16.0 and higher.

Note: 32-bit versions are unaffected by this issue. 

Hosts utilizing the following processors have been verified to be affected by the issue: 

  • Intel Xeon E5-2699 v4  
  • Intel Xeon Gold 6140     
  • AMD Phenom II X6 1045T
  • AMD Phenom II X6 1055T
  • AMD Phenom II X6 1100T
  • AMD Athlon II x645
  • AMD Phenom II 1100T
  • AMD Phenom II 810
  • AMD Athlon II X4 645
  • AMD Opteron Processor 617

However, hosts using other processors may also experience the issue.

Cause

This issue is caused by Control Flow Guard (CFG), an optional security feature, being enabled by default on the 64-bit version of the Zoom Client. Changes in the latest release of a third-party library (OpenSSL V3.0.4) introduced a problem that affects specific computer chipsets. 

Resolution

Upgrading the Zoom VDI Client

Zoom recommends upgrading the Zoom VDI client to version 6.0.14 or 6.1.12, as these versions address the issue and provide a solution that enables Control Flow Guard. Microsoft strongly encourages enabling CFG for their applications. Due to this, failing to enable CFG for all code can open gaps in the protection. It is for this reason that Zoom recommends updating to the above versions.

Disable Control Flow Guard for the 64-bit Zoom VDI Client and plugin

If organizations desire not to upgrade to either version 6.0.14 or 6.1.12, as a workaround, Control Flow Guard can be disabled using one of the following methods:

Disable via Powershell

  1. Launch Windows PowerShell using the Run as administrator option.
  2. Run the following command Set-ProcessMitigation -Name Zoom.exe -Disable CFG
  3. Relaunch the Zoom Client to confirm the CFG has been disabled.

Disable via Registry entry

  1. Launch the Registry Editor.
  2. Navigate to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\zoom.exe".
  3. Create a registry key with the following parameters:
    • Name: MitigationOptions
    • Value Type: REG_QWORD
    • Value Data: 0x20000000000

Install the 32-bit version of the Zoom VDI Client and plugin

Since this problem does not affect the 32-bit version of the client and plugin, administrators using an older release of the VDI Zoom Meeting client can optionally install the 32-bit version to resolve the issue. Support for 32-bit VDI Zoom Meeting client versions is available for releases up to version 5.17.x. Starting with release 6.0.10, Zoom only provides a 64-bit release of the VDI Zoom Meeting client.