[gentoo-user] [OT] Checking for a webcam with Nagios

[gentoo-user] [OT] Checking for a webcam with Nagios

[Mick]

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Hi All,

This is a Nagios M/L question, but I thought that some of you may have arrived 
at a best practice solution for this sort of problem, which is applicable to 
monitoring webpages/sites that require authentication.

I want to monitor that a webcam is up & functioning.  When I use the 
check_http Nagios command the webcam returns a request for passwd 
authentication.  This is because the webcam GUI requires passwd 
authentication.  Nagios registers a "HTTP WARNING: HTTP/1.0 401 Unauthorized" 
message and of courses generates an alert.

How would you recommend I monitor this webcam with Nagios?
-- 
Regards,
Mick

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Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Checking for a webcam with Nagios

[Arturo 'Buanzo' Busleiman]

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Mick wrote:
> I want to monitor that a webcam is up & functioning.  When I use the 
> check_http Nagios command the webcam returns a request for passwd 
> authentication.  This is because the webcam GUI requires passwd 
> authentication.  Nagios registers a "HTTP WARNING: HTTP/1.0 401 Unauthorized" 
> message and of courses generates an alert.
> 
> How would you recommend I monitor this webcam with Nagios?

Can't you add the username and password to the HTTP url?

Like http://username:password@ip.of.webcam/whatever/path

- --
Arturo "Buanzo" Busleiman - Consultor Independiente en Seguridad Informatica
Servicios Ofrecidos: http://www.buanzo.com.ar/pro/
Unase a los Foros GNU/Buanzo - La palabra Comunidad en su maxima expresion.
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Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Checking for a webcam with Nagios

[Mick]

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On Sunday 09 September 2007, Arturo 'Buanzo' Busleiman wrote:
> Mick wrote:
> > I want to monitor that a webcam is up & functioning.  When I use the
> > check_http Nagios command the webcam returns a request for passwd
> > authentication.  This is because the webcam GUI requires passwd
> > authentication.  Nagios registers a "HTTP WARNING: HTTP/1.0 401
> > Unauthorized" message and of courses generates an alert.
> >
> > How would you recommend I monitor this webcam with Nagios?
>
> Can't you add the username and password to the HTTP url?
>
> Like http://username:password@ip.of.webcam/whatever/path

Thanks Arturo,

Yes I can, but I thought that exposing authentication details in plain text 
config files is not particularly safe.  Isn't there another way?
-- 
Regards,
Mick

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Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Checking for a webcam with Nagios

[Arturo 'Buanzo' Busleiman]

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Mick wrote:
> Yes I can, but I thought that exposing authentication details in plain text 
> config files is not particularly safe.  Isn't there another way?

Maybe you could add a PHP script on a web server near the webcam, and "proxy" the request over it.
(i.e the PHP script can do the authenticated request, and return to nagios the webcam's http response).

- --
Arturo "Buanzo" Busleiman - Consultor Independiente en Seguridad Informatica
Servicios Ofrecidos: http://www.buanzo.com.ar/pro/
Unase a los Foros GNU/Buanzo - La palabra Comunidad en su maxima expresion.
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Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Checking for a webcam with Nagios

[Arturo 'Buanzo' Busleiman]

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OR maybe the webcam has an admin utility where you can add an unprivileged user that would be no
threat to the security?

- --
Arturo "Buanzo" Busleiman - Consultor Independiente en Seguridad Informatica
Servicios Ofrecidos: http://www.buanzo.com.ar/pro/
Unase a los Foros GNU/Buanzo - La palabra Comunidad en su maxima expresion.
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Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Checking for a webcam with Nagios

[Mick]

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On Sunday 09 September 2007, Arturo 'Buanzo' Busleiman wrote:
> OR maybe the webcam has an admin utility where you can add an unprivileged
> user that would be no threat to the security?

Aha!  That sounds like the simplest option.  Need to check with the webcam 
owner first that setting up a plain unauthenticated user on his webcam will 
not be against his security policy.

Thanks again.  If you've got some more ideas please let me know - I was 
wondering if there is a Nagios plugin somewhere that manages the 
authentication part.
-- 
Regards,
Mick

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Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Checking for a webcam with Nagios

[Arturo 'Buanzo' Busleiman]

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Mick wrote:
> Thanks again.  If you've got some more ideas please let me know - I was 
> wondering if there is a Nagios plugin somewhere that manages the 
> authentication part.

The nagios webinject plugin might be of help.

http://www.webinject.org/plugin.html

extract:

For example, lets say you wanted to monitor a web application's functionality through multiple phases:

Phase 1 - Connect to the application
Phase 2 - Authenticate a user under the web application's login/authentication system
Phase 3 - Verify that you can navigate through the application while you're authenticated
Phase 4 - Do a sample request that accesses a database to verify it is available to the web application

Phase 2 looks remarkably like "http auth" :)

(obtained from 'nagios http plugin' google search, 1st hit)

- --
Arturo "Buanzo" Busleiman - Consultor Independiente en Seguridad Informatica
Servicios Ofrecidos: http://www.buanzo.com.ar/pro/
Unase a los Foros GNU/Buanzo - La palabra Comunidad en su maxima expresion.
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Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] Checking for a webcam with Nagios

[Mick]

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On Sunday 09 September 2007, Arturo 'Buanzo' Busleiman wrote:
> Mick wrote:
> > Thanks again.  If you've got some more ideas please let me know - I was
> > wondering if there is a Nagios plugin somewhere that manages the
> > authentication part.
>
> The nagios webinject plugin might be of help.
>
> http://www.webinject.org/plugin.html
>
> extract:
>
> For example, lets say you wanted to monitor a web application's
> functionality through multiple phases:
>
> Phase 1 - Connect to the application
> Phase 2 - Authenticate a user under the web application's
> login/authentication system Phase 3 - Verify that you can navigate through
> the application while you're authenticated Phase 4 - Do a sample request
> that accesses a database to verify it is available to the web application
>
> Phase 2 looks remarkably like "http auth" :)
>
> (obtained from 'nagios http plugin' google search, 1st hit)

Yes, I also found this plugin while searching the Nagios archives and it seems 
to do the trick.  I'll give it a go.
-- 
Regards,
Mick

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