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Security Best Practices Supplement for Cisco Digital Media Encoders

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Security Best Practices Supplement for Cisco Digital Media Encoders

Factory-Defined Login Credentials

Changing Factory-Defined Login Credentials

Other Required Password Maintenance (Only When Autologon Is Configured)

Tasks to Complete After Changing DME Login Passwords

Disabling Unneeded Services

After a Live Event Is Finished, Remove Its Encoded Video Files from the DME File Share

Learn More About...


Security Best Practices Supplement for Cisco Digital Media Encoders

Published: November 10, 2009
Revised: November 10, 2009

This supplement describes our recommendations about how to establish and maintain the most basic levels of security for these Cisco Digital Media Encoder models:

•DMS-DME 2200

•DMS-DME 2000

•DMS-DME 1100

•DMS-DME 1000

Warning Factory-defined passwords exist by default on all new and newly restored DMEs. These credentials persist until you change them. Because they are well-known, these credentials are a security vulnerability in your network. Therefore, we recommend very strongly that you change them promptly each time that you start to configure a DME.

In addition, some services are enabled by default that you might never use. We recommend that you disable all unneeded services.

•Factory-Defined Login Credentials

•Changing Factory-Defined Login Credentials

•Other Required Password Maintenance (Only When Autologon Is Configured)

•Tasks to Complete After Changing DME Login Passwords

•Disabling Unneeded Services

•After a Live Event Is Finished, Remove Its Encoded Video Files from the DME File Share

•Learn More About...

Factory-Defined Login Credentials

Table 1-1 lists login credentials that are predefined on DMEs.

Table 1-1 Factory-Defined User Accounts and Passwords 

Username
Password
DME Model
Notes
DMS-DME 2200
DMS-DME 2000
DMS-DME 1100
DMS-DME 1000

User Accounts for Microsoft Windows — See Harden Windows.

GoStream

password1

—

—

—

X

Warning Never configure a DME to log in automatically. Doing so prevents true security in your network.

If — despite our recommendation — you configure a DME to log into Windows automatically, password management becomes far more complex. Thus, any time that you neglect to change an auto-logon password specifically, you will prevent your DME from working as designed. See Other Required Password Maintenance (Only When Autologon Is Configured).

Niagara

password

X

X

X

—

SCXUser

viewcast

X

X

X

X

Used for the Niagara SCX service as well as the web service. This is not the user account that is used to log-in to Niagara SCX.


User Accounts for the Niagara SCX Web Interface — See Harden the web interface.

admin

admin

X

X

X

X

Used for the web-based administrative console on DMEs.

Login is possible only through a system from which your DME is reachable. Its connection to your DME might be either direct or networked.

1 In 5.2.187 and later releases on a DME 1000.


Changing Factory-Defined Login Credentials

Warning Be very careful as you complete this workflow. Any mistakes that you make might prevent your DME from booting correctly or functioning correctly.

Before You Begin

•This workflow uses the instance of Microsoft Windows that runs on your DME. Even though a remote management connection might be sufficient, we recommend instead that you connect a keyboard, a mouse, and a monitor to your DME directly and use them to control Windows.

•From Step 1, this workflow assumes that your DME is either new or in a factory-restored condition. If this is not true, or if you are not sure, we recommend very strongly that you perform a factory restore operation now.

Procedure

 
Task
Steps
Notes

Step 1 

Harden Windows

Change the Windows password for the main account.

a. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel > User Accounts, and then:

•If you have a DME 1000, choose GoStream > Change my password.

•Otherwise, choose Niagara > Change my password.

b. Change the password as desired.

c. Click Change Password.

Depending on your DME model type, the username is either Niagara or GoStream. See Table 1-1.

Step 2 

Harden Niagara SCX

Change the password for the SCXUser account, which you use to log in to Niagara SCX Encoder Explorer.

a. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel > User Accounts > SCXUser > Change my password.

b. Change the password as desired.

c. Click Change Password.

—

Step 3 

Stop agent services

a. Do either of the following:

•Choose Start > Run. Type system32 and press Enter. Double-click GoStreamStopServices.bat.

•Choose Start > All Programs > Viewcast > Niagara SCX > Niagara SCX Agent, and then click Stop.

—

Step 4 

Update web.config to use the new password

Edit the web.config file.

a. Use Windows Explorer to browse to \inetpub\wwwroot\encoderswebservice.

OR

Browse instead to one of the following:

•For a DMS-DME 1000, \inetpub\wwwroot\GoStream.

•Otherwise, \inetpub\wwwroot\Niagara.

b. Open the web.config file in a text editor, such as Notepad.exe.

c. Locate the line of text that looks like this: 

<identity impersonate="true" 
userName="scxuser" password="viewcast"/>

d. Edit the password string in this line of text.

e. Save your work and exit the text editor.

—

Step 5 

Restart your DME

—

Step 6 

Check for errors

Point the DME web browser at http://localhost/encoderswebservice/, and then verify that the SCX service is available.

—

Step 7 

Harden the web interface

a. Point your browser to the HTTP address of your DME.

b. Enter the username and the password, as prompted. The factory default for each of these is admin.

c. Click Log In.

d. Choose Configuration > My NiagaraPro.

e. Click the username admin in the NiagaraPro Properties area.

f. Enter the current password in the Password field.

g. Enter the new password identically in both of these fields:

•New Password

•Confirm New Password

h. Click Change Password.

The changed password takes effect immediately.

—

Tip Saved changes are lost each time that you perform a factory restore operation. Remember to repeat this procedure any time that login credentials use factory-defined values.

What to Do Next

•If Windows is configured to allow automatic logins, see Other Required Password Maintenance (Only When Autologon Is Configured).

•Otherwise, see Tasks to Complete After Changing DME Login Passwords.

Other Required Password Maintenance (Only When Autologon Is Configured)

Warning Never configure Microsoft Windows on your DME to enter login passwords automatically. Doing so creates a significant security vulnerability in your network.

If you disregard the warning against allowing automatic logins and you configure them nonetheless, you must take additional steps to ensure that logins occur as expected after you change the encrypted auto-logon password that Windows uses.

Procedure

Step 1 Search the DME hard drive for TweakUI.exe. In most cases, this file is in F:\Windows.

Alternatively, you can download this file as part of a Microsoft tools package at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx.

Step 2 Open TweakUI, and then choose Logon > Autologon.

Step 3 Click Set Password.

Step 4 Enter the new password twice, as prompted. Be careful that the password matches exactly.

Step 5 Click OK to save your work and exit TweakUI.

Step 6 Restart your DME.

Step 7 Verify that login occurs automatically and that the Windows desktop loads.

Note If you disregard the warning against allowing automatic logins and configure them nonetheless, ViewCast software will not work unless the Windows desktop loads correctly on your DME.

Tasks to Complete After Changing DME Login Passwords

Procedure

 
Task
Notes

Step 1 

Perform basic setup functions via the front panel.

See the "Basic Operation: Using the Front Panel" section in your DME user guide.

Step 2 

Test and validate that your DME performs as expected.

Tip If your DME does not perform as expected, we recommend that you complete a factory restore operation. In this case, the factory-defined login credentials that you changed will become active again and might expose your network to attack or other types of unauthorized use.

Disabling Unneeded Services

Caution Intruders might use exposed services as security attack vectors against your network.

If your DME enables and exposes any service that is not required, you can disable it. Possible examples of such services include NNTP, SMTP, and SNMP.

Procedure

Step 1 Choose Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Services.

Step 2 Double-click the name of a service that should be disabled.

Step 3 Click the Log On tab.

Step 4 Do one of the following:

•If only one hardware profile is listed, click it, and then click Disable.

•If multiple hardware profiles are listed, click one, then click Disable, and repeat as often as necessary until you have disabled this service on each profile.

Step 5 Click Apply, and then click OK.

Step 6 Restart Windows.

After a Live Event Is Finished, Remove Its Encoded Video Files from the DME File Share

Caution We strongly recommend that you save copies of the encoded video files on your DME file share, and then promptly delete the original files from your DME.

The file share uses a factory-default username and password, which you cannot change. Anyone who knows which network node is your DME and knows these login credentials can mount the file share and manipulate its files.

Learn More About...

To Learn About
Go To

Cisco DMS Components

Cisco DMS products and technologies

http://cisco.com/go/dms

Cisco DMS technical documentation

http://cisco.com/go/dms/docroadmap

Cisco DMS MIB

http://cisco.com/go/dms/mib


Cisco DMS Services

Cisco Academy of Digital Signage

http://cisco.com/go/dms/ads

Cisco Digital Media Creative Services

http://cisco.com/go/dms/services


Cisco

Service contracts

http://cisco.com/go/cscc

Standard warranties

http://cisco.com/go/warranty 1

Technical support

http://cisco.com/go/support

Technical documentation

http://cisco.com/go/techdocs

Product security

http://cisco.com/go/psirt

Sales

http://cisco.com/go/sales


Obtain Documentation or Submit a Service Request

For information on obtaining documentation, submitting a service request, and gathering additional information, see the monthly What's New in Cisco Product Documentation, which also lists all new and revised Cisco technical documentation, at: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/general/whatsnew/whatsnew.html

Subscribe to What's New in Cisco Product Documentation as a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed and set content to be delivered directly to your desktop using a reader application. The RSS feeds are a free service and Cisco currently supports RSS Version 2.0.

1 Then, for the device that this guide describes, click Cisco 90-Day Limited Hardware Warranty Terms


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Any Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and phone numbers used in this document are not intended to be actual addresses and phone numbers. Any examples, command display output, network topology diagrams, and other figures included in the document are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any use of actual IP addresses or phone numbers in illustrative content is unintentional and coincidental.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded, or otherwise without prior written permission from Cisco Systems, Inc. ViewCast®, the ViewCast logo, Niagara®, the Niagara logo, GoStream, Niagara SCX® , EZ Stream and SimulStream® and Osprey® are trademarks or registered trademarks of ViewCast Corporation or its subsidiaries. Macintosh® is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Microsoft®, Windows®, Windows® XP, Windows Media® and DirectDraw® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Linux® is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. RealNetworks®, RealAudio®, RealVideo®, RealMedia®, RealPlayer®, RealProducer®, Helix® and SureStream are the trademarks or registered trademarks of RealNetworks, Inc. Flash® is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Intel® is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. Indeo® is a registered trademark of Ligos Corporation.

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