How To Prevent Xtramail Lockout Due to CCTV Notifications

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › How To Prevent Xtramail Lockout Due to CCTV Notifications

Yoban

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#240380 5-Sep-2018 13:38

Hi there

After some guidance/alternative methods of sending email notifications from my CCTV (dahua) running on Netgear ReadyNAS Surveillance app so that Xtramail do not think I am sending spam - even though they are from me to me.

I have been working hard to get the sensitivity right over the last few days and I am guessing that all the emails been sent plus some alerts from my NAS contributed to my account being locked last night. Support has unlocked it and suggested the issue was someone trying passwords to gain access.

Objective is to get the email with a snapshot of who/what triggered the motion.

Have had a look at AWS SES as an option.

wellygary

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#2084329 5-Sep-2018 13:48

Create a new account and use Gmail's servers to send the notification email?

shk292

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#2084331 5-Sep-2018 13:50

Set up a separate gmail account and use that to send the emails? I use an existing gmail account for NAS health emails and it works OK

Yoban

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#2084333 5-Sep-2018 13:50

wellygary:

Create a new account and use Gmail's servers to send the notification email?

Thanks for that! Will look deeper in to that as well. Not a gmail user at present.

Yoban

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#2084334 5-Sep-2018 13:52

shk292:

Set up a separate gmail account and use that to send the emails? I use an existing gmail account for NAS health emails and it works OK

Good thinking to separate out NAS alerts from CCTV.

cheshirecat

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#2084408 5-Sep-2018 15:44

Are you using SMTP-AUTH to send.xtra.co.nz to send the emails, or are you just injecting into mx.xtra.co.nz with normal (unauthenticated) SMTP?

If the latter, then you're likely being identified as a possible spammer. However, if you can use authenticated SMTP, you should be able to send messages successfully.

Spark will generally only lock your account if they have a good reason to believe it was compromised.

Any comments are my own personal opinion and should not be taken to be that of my current or previous employers

...

davidcole

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#2084417 5-Sep-2018 16:02

Like others, create a seperate gmail account for your camera alerts and use the gmail smtp server directly..

If you then want to get really smart, you can put a script on gmail that will pull attachments out into google drive. Making for a nice scrollable interface.

I think I have a script somewhere doing this. But I now dump to a folder and use the google photos uploader for uploading to the camera gmail accounts photo library.

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Yoban

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#2085798 7-Sep-2018 17:05

Thanks all for the guidance. As @davidcole has mentioned time to get in to google photos and utilising that along with a gmail account as also mentioned above by @wellygary/@shk292.

Been a follower of Mr Cole's home automation posts, so this sounds like a good project as I am embarking down the home assistant path in parallel also.

Yoban

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#2085800 7-Sep-2018 17:07

cheshirecat:

Are you using SMTP-AUTH to send.xtra.co.nz to send the emails, or are you just injecting into mx.xtra.co.nz with normal (unauthenticated) SMTP?

If the latter, then you're likely being identified as a possible spammer. However, if you can use authenticated SMTP, you should be able to send messages successfully.

Spark will generally only lock your account if they have a good reason to believe it was compromised.

Yeah had all the SSL etc. setup for emails from the cameras and was a bit puzzled why I was locked out especially as they were from me to me....volume could have been the trigger as the cat plus trees and wind caused a fair few triggers as I tried with sensitivity etc.

Yoban

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#2087416 11-Sep-2018 11:11

Just an update. Further investigation has revealed that my account was automatically suspended because it had been compromised by someone on an IP in the US, not because of the suspected spam - go the Spark detection systems.

First time this has happened and looks like the culprit could by either my Dahua camera or the ReadyNAS Surveillence NVR software of which I am leaning towards the camera at this stage...arrggghh.

Off to wireshark them both tonight and see what can be seen with regards to "unsavory traffic".

Jase2985

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#2087523 11-Sep-2018 14:12

you are not port forwarding your camera are you?

KrazyKid

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#2087588 11-Sep-2018 15:17

If you are not already consider setting up a VPN so you connect to the camera footage via the local network when out.

That's is what I do to view my CCTV via an app on my phone.
First I open a VPN to home then open the app on the phone to view footage.

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Yoban

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#2087592 11-Sep-2018 15:21

Jase2985:

you are not port forwarding your camera are you?

No, have followed @sbiddle gospel on that front. I had configure the email capability to send a motion notification only.

Yoban

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#2087594 11-Sep-2018 15:23

KrazyKid:

If you are not already consider setting up a VPN so you connect to the camera footage via the local network when out.

That's is what I do to view my CCTV via an app on my phone.
First I open a VPN to home then open the app on the phone to view footage.

Yep, have one setup for that purpose, but have not used it in along time. Thought I would rekindle the email notifications after a few years and look what happens....