Month: August 2014

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Knowledge Support Support Categories exacqVision Webservice Products

Shellshock Bash Vulnerability

What is it?

A critical vulnerability has been reported in the GNU Bourne-Again Shell (also known as Bash), the common command-line shell used in many Linux/UNIX operating systems and Apple’s Mac OS X. This flaw could allow an attacker to remotely execute shell commands by attaching malicious code in environment variables used by the operating system.

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Are Exacq products affected?

Exacq does not believe that any current exacqVision software packages have direct vulnerability associated with Bash. However, several Ubuntu/Linux core operating system components and other software used within the operating system are affected. Also, exacqVision Web Service versions released before December 2013 are vulnerable (versions 3.2.1 and later are not affected).

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How do I protect my systems?

NOTE: As the Linux community improves its solutions to patch the vulnerable code, this article will be updated with new information. Please revisit this article periodically to check for any changes. (Permalink: https://exacq.com/kb/?crc=13518)

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Currently, there are several things you can do to limit the situations that could make your system vulnerable:

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  1. Make sure exacqVision Web Service is updated (https://exacq.com/support/downloads.php).

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  1. Use static IP addresses to reduce vulnerability, as DHCP is affected

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  1. Update Bash to the latest version using one of the following options:

    a.) Browse to https://exacq.com/files and click the Shellshock folder. Download the .deb file and copy it to the Ubuntu Desktop. Double-click the file and wait for the patch to install.

    b.) Open a command prompt and run the following commands:

    sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get install bash

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NOTE: All exacqVision systems shipped after October 6, 2014 will have the latest Bash version installed at the time of manufacture.

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For more information, please read this article from Ubuntu.

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NOTE: If you are running 8.04 Ubuntu, these patches will not work. You must either upgrade your server to 10.04 Ubuntu or higher, or apply a third-party patch. Exacq has tested the patch at the following location and has not found any issues with the DEB file near the bottom of the page: http://uwekamper.de/how-i-patched-the-gnu-bash-shellshock-bug-on-ubuntu-804-hardy-heron.html

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Shellshock-Bash-Vulnerability.pdf
Categories
Knowledge Support Documentation Support exacqVision Server Categories Products exacqVision Hardware

RS-485-to-USB Adapter Compatibility with ExacqVision

Two RS-485-to-USB adapters have been tested for compatibility with exacqVision: B&B Electronics, model 485USB9F-4W and VSCom, model USB-COMi-TB. The tests used the drivers supplied with the devices, and data has successfully been transmitted and received to and from each adapter. They were also tested in a loopback configuration with the RS-485 port built into an exacqVision server equipped with an analog capture board.


B&B Electronics, model 485USB9F-4W

VSCom, model USB-COMi-TB


Installation

  1. Install the adapter driver (included with the device or downloaded).
  2. Plug the device in to the USB port of the exacqVision server.
  3. Ensure that Windows discovers and configures the device properly. (Use Device Manager, found in Control Panel.)
  4. Restart the exacqVision Server service.
  5. In exacqVision Client, open the Serial Ports page.
  6. Verify that a new COM port exists in the UART section of the Serial Ports page.
  7. Configure the port as you normally would for PTZ control output or POS data input.

Notes

  1. The B&B adapter is equipped with a standard D-sub, 9-pin, female connector on the RS-485 side. A pinout diagram is included with this device.
  2. The VSCom adapter has terminal blocks on the RS-485 side, allowing easy connection of bare wires. The dip switches and jumpers were left in their default settings for testing.

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Categories
Knowledge Support Documentation Support exacqVision Server Categories Products

Enabling Automount in Linux

This procedure is useful if you cannot export to a non-optical USB drive using the operating system’s user account.


Requirements

Non-bootable USB drive with at least 2GB of available space.
USBMount.tar.gz file copied to USB drive (file attached below).
An exacqVision Server running Ubuntu version 10.04.


Notes

Only one USB drive can be auto-mounted at a time. This means that only one USB drive can be seen by the OS user, while the OS admin can see multiple drives as normal.
Performance while exporting video is affected by usbmount because cache is not used.


Step 1: Use the Auto-mount script to install needed packages

  1. Log out of user account and log in to admin account on the exacqVision server:
    a.) Press Alt-F4 to close exacqVision Client.
    b.) Click the Power icon in the bottom-left corner.
    c.) Select OK and then select admin.
    d.) Type the password for admin (default: admin256)
  2. Insert the USB drive into the exacqVision server.
  3. Press Alt-F4 to close exacqVision Client.
  4. Click Places and then the USB drive name.
  5. Navigate to and right-click USBMount.tar.gz, and then Copy to, and then Desktop.
  6. Double-click USBMount.tar.gz and then select Extract.
  1. Confirm that the extracted USBMount folder is going to the Desktop and select Extract.
  2. Select Show the Files and then open the USBMount folder.
  3. Double-click Automount.sh and then select Run in Terminal. Type the admin password.
  1. Close all open windows. Select the Power icon in the upper-right corner and select Restart.
    NOTE: Leave the USB drive in the system.

Step 2: Export to the USB Drive

  1. After the server restarts, exacqVision Client will be open. Navigate to the Search Page. Select a camera and enter a short search range (no more than 15 minutes). Click Search.
  1. When the results are returned, scrub to the start of the export and right-click the timeline to mark the start point. Then scrub to the end of the export and right-click to mark the stop point. Then right-click and select Download and Export Video.
  1. A /media/usb0 option should now be available in the Download and Export Video window.
  1. Double-click /media/usb0, then give the video a name, and select Save.

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