Sending and Receiving Encrypted Streams

Encryption Add-on Quick Start Guide

Introduction

The Streambox Encryption Add-on provides AES-128 encoder encryption and decoder decryption for point-to-point and Streambox Cloud video streaming. AES-128 (Advanced Encryption Standard) provides a very high level of encryption without adding latency to the video stream. Every packet is encrypted: video, audio, and V-ANC. Both video stream and video recorded locally are encrypted.

Streambox Encryption Add-on is currently available for Streambox rackmount encoders and decoders. Streambox Avenir Mini, Micro and Drone encoders, and Streambox Media Player, OSX Cloud Encoder, and NODE decoders are slated to support the Encryption Add-on.

The Streambox Encryption Add-on provides the following benefits:

  • AES-128 is an established NIST standard that provides a very high level of data security (with less distribution restrictions than AES-192 or AES-256)
  • Streaming encrypted Streambox ACT-L3 video offers a higher degree of toughness given its proprietary compression and that video data has less predictable patterns
  • Streambox Encryption Add-on uses symmetric-key encryption for ease of use and implementation
  • Encryption keys are stored as salted md5sum hashes. A standard method for encrypting and securing passwords, salting enhances security by applying random data to the key before it is encrypted. These are nearly impossible to reverse back into plain text exposing the original password. Furthermore, this prevents the key from being misused elsewhere.


Getting Started


What's Needed:

  • Streambox Encryption Add-on will be available if your Encoder or Decoder has the most current updates. If in question, check updates from your Encoder and Decoder.
  • Enabling Encryption requires a product license; contact Streambox Sales to obtain an Encryption Add-on Product Key.

NOTE: There is a separate key for Encoding as for Decoding. Activating Encryption Add-on for Encoder will not activate the Add-on for Decoder on the same machine.


Activation

Activation is required for enabling the Encryption Add-on. For rackmount Encoders and Decoders select the Encryption tab, and press (click) the Activate button (see image below).

NOTE: The Activate button will only appear if you are using the web browser directly on the Encoder or Decoder; this cannot be done using a web browser on another machine.

Fill out the Encryption add-on form, provide the Product Key (contact Streambox Sales if you do not have a Product Key), and press (click) the Activate button. Note: for installations behind secure firewall, use phone activation.


Encryption / Decryption Keys

Once activated, the Encryption tab will display the following form for Streambox Encoders and a similar form for Streambox Decoders.

Here you enter the encryption key for a Streambox Encoder and, likewise, the identical decryption key for a Streambox Decoder. They must be applied to be actuated.

NOTE: Do not lose the encryption key; Streambox cannot recover an encrypted video without the encryption key.

Password strength is a corporate-level decision. We recommend that encryption keys are at least 12 characters in length, contain both alpha and numeric characters and have at least one special character (e.g., -, _, ~, ?, ?, etc?). Command line escape characters (e.g., &, :, /, \, ;) are not allowed. Avoid predictable keys like a company name and its phone number; e.g., Acme_123456789. Acme_Commercial#003_F1xm4 is a strong key, especially if the last 5 characters are a random alpha-numeric.

From the Decoder screen, the status of an encrypted stream is displayed. In the upper image below, an encrypted stream is being received and decryption is confirmed; see ENCRYPTED (green). In the lower image, the decryption failed ? likely due to an incorrect decryption key; see Bad Decryption Key (red).