Prevent public access to my ATEM

Hello,

It seems to me that this is a basic and essential point of this kind of equipment but I really can't find how to set a password to the management interface of my ATEM Mini Extreme ISO.

I have to connect it to a public network during an event where I have to stream the speakers. If I don't protect the access to the ATEM, anyone can connect to it and hack the live stream

Thank you in advance for your advice.

Why don't you get a router with a basic firewall to put in between the public network and your control network?

Thank you Asgeir for the suggestion. I was looking for a device to create a VLAN and while searching for a firewall I came across the Ubiquiti USG (UniFi Security Gateway). I think it should do the trick.

But then there is no way to protect access to the ATEM? That's surprising.

Another approach I'm considering is to connect the ATEM via USB to a laptop and stream via OBS. It's a bit rubbish but saves an additional purchase. And depending on which public networks I need to connect to, I need to log in and the ATEM doesn't allow that.

Great answer! All my portable livestream units have a router in them. Peplink is what I use because of the flexibility to use wireless as a WAN and also USB connected devices like a phone or hotspot.

Best,

David

Why don't you get a router with a basic firewall to put in between the public network and your control network?

While I agree that adding your own firewall into the mix is a perfectly reasonable workaround for this situation, I also agree that password protection of some kind should have been a day 1 feature for something like this - it never should have been released without it.

While I agree that adding your own firewall into the mix is a perfectly reasonable workaround for this situation, I also agree that password protection of some kind should have been a day 1 feature for something like this - it never should have been released without it.

I disagree - if there's public / unauthorised access possible to your Atem then there's something fundamentally wrong with your network configuration. You should never think "what happens if someone bad on my network tries to do x" because by that point you've already lost - you need to be thinking "how did someone bad get on my network and how do I get them off" instead.

Even if there was a password, it would be trivial for someone on the same network to crash / overload / denial-of-service the network side of the Atem and make it unusable for everyone (and by trivial, I really mean that - it's easy to do with even an Arduino).

Ethernet routers are cheap and will completely protect your Atem from people on other networks from being able to connect to your device, while still allowing your Atem to stream to the internet. A router in out-of-the-box basic NAT mode will give you far more protection than any password.

if there's public / unauthorised access possible to your Atem then there's something fundamentally wrong with your network configuration.

First, you are assuming that the ATEM user has control over the network. That may not always be the case in some settings, and someone might need to set one up on a network that is shared by multiple parties, some of whom should not be able to directly control the ATEM even though they have legitimate reason to be on the network.

Second, there could be legitimate users of the network who would not be legitimate users of the ATEM. If sound, video and lighting are all sharing a show network, even if the users are generally trusted, there may not be any legitimate reason for the audio engineer to be able to control the ATEM. Why open it up to the entire crew if only a few of them should be able to use it?

Third, even if the network is 100% wired and limited to only those devices that are relevant to a performance, wired networks sometimes have accessible ports that someone might be able to sneak a connection into unnoticed and gain illegitimate access to what you would expect to be a private network. If they do, then a password is one more barrier to prevent them from disrupting the show by messing up the switcher.

Security is built up in layers: physical security is important, but it is not sufficient on its own.

If they do, then a password is one more barrier to prevent them from disrupting the show by messing up the switcher.

A password will not stop anyone wanting to mess up an Atem from doing so, if they are on the same network as the device. As soon as they are on that network - it's game over.

All a password would do is give a false sense of security to those who are unwilling to consider the wider risks of an open network.

Won't some corporate networks not allow you hooking up your own router?

All a password would do is give a false sense of security to those who are unwilling to consider the wider risks of an open network.

A thief can break a window to enter your house without a key. Should we all stop bothering to lock our doors?

No, a password by itself will never be sufficient... but you can never trust that a network is truly "closed" unless you control it completely (and even if you think you do sometimes) and even if it were there can still be bad players on a closed network if it is of any nontrivial size.

Seems like you want to argue your point. The answer was given and your only options are:

1. Install a router as several have recommended
2. Put in a request with BMD to add this feature (hint - they haven't done it yet and likely wont)
3. Keep arguing with people trying to help you and eventually they will just pass by your posts.

Best,

David

All a password would do is give a false sense of security to those who are unwilling to consider the wider risks of an open network.

A thief can break a window to enter your house without a key. Should we all stop bothering to lock our doors?

No, a password by itself will never be sufficient... but you can never trust that a network is truly "closed" unless you control it completely (and even if you think you do sometimes) and even if it were there can still be bad players on a closed network if it is of any nontrivial size.

Thank you all for your advice and feedback. I opted for the small router solution (Ubiquiti Unifi Security Gateway) and it works perfectly.

We're in exactly this situation this week.
We're in a conference centre with network across 10 breakout rooms, all streaming. We have no control over the network as it's in-house infrastructure, but from room 1 i can get into room 10's ATEM HD8.

A simple password seems like a really really basic method to protect people either purposefully or inadvertently messing with stuff they shouldn't be messing with. And its something most other switchers provide.
Will a password guarantee safety against malicious activity? No of course not, but you can't protect against everything, if someone wants to mess with you they'll just pull the plug out of the wall...

Do you know what, I've just discovered that you can turn off network discovery, so thats a good start.

do you have publice network ? crazy ..

I am using Slate AX (GL-AXT1800)
That way I have all my network setup for my gear the same all the time and secured in my own local network, even when connecting to public network if needed using WAN Port.
found this video on it on Doug´s channel

Well... having a password feature would then allow a way for... less technically inclined people to lock themselves out of their/someone else's ATEM... Which then would mean Blackmagic would need a way of having a back door to fix that, therefore they would need to additional resourcing in their support department, for a feature that has not much monetary value... just sayin'...