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1. Embed this notice
   kajer (kajer@infosec.exchange)'s status on Tuesday, 06-May-2025 16:29:37 JST kajer

   If anyone here has a PTZoptics 20X Generation1 camera, I would like a word please. I need some firmware that the vendor claims they don't have.

   The firmware can be extracted and stored as a backup using their archaic update tool that isn't shady looking at all.

   • Embed this notice
     kajer (kajer@infosec.exchange)'s status on Tuesday, 06-May-2025 16:29:35 JST kajer

     in reply to

     PTZ camera update:

     I attempted to contact VHD directly to ask for old v50u firmware. I setup a burner PC on cellular and had a teamviewer session with a VHD-Corp support engineer. They sent over v50u images and was able to flash the images to the camera.

     But... The camera/PTZ system still do not respond to IR remote, web interface issued commands, nor is a picture output via HDMI. Flashing the 2015 image resulted in HDMI output of just black rather than no signal at all so that was nice... I am guessing the FPGA image flashed bricked the video subsystem. :(

     Shout out to VHD for taking a remote support call for a 10+ year old camera from some internet rando. All it took was giving them teamviewer access to the box. 🌶️

   • Embed this notice
     kajer (kajer@infosec.exchange)'s status on Tuesday, 06-May-2025 16:29:35 JST kajer

     in reply to

     Final PTZ camera update:

     It's e-waste. Nobody anywhere, even the OEM, has the USB/FPGA firmware bin files needed to unbrick the camera.

     The SoC works, and I can interact with the webapp, but the camera functions and PTZ controls are cooked. We can even flash an older firmware image which is the USB firmware+JFFS2 filesystem, but no FPGA code anywhere.

     :(

   • Embed this notice
     Ryan Castellucci :nonbinary_flag: (ryanc@infosec.exchange)'s status on Tuesday, 06-May-2025 16:29:35 JST Ryan Castellucci :nonbinary_flag:

     in reply to

     @kajer fucking vendors

   • Embed this notice
     kajer (kajer@infosec.exchange)'s status on Tuesday, 06-May-2025 16:29:36 JST kajer

     in reply to

     Lol, the one youtube video showing how to update firmware for that camera mode is from the same support person telling me they don't have firmware files for that camera.

     🤦♂️

   • Embed this notice
     kajer (kajer@infosec.exchange)'s status on Tuesday, 06-May-2025 16:29:36 JST kajer

     in reply to

     Sadly due to CSS and JS fuckery back in 2017, the wayback machine doesn't have the page or links to the old firmware files published by ptzoptics. The firmware page uses onclick to show things, and wayback can't handle that, at least not back in 2017 archives.

     I really hate javascript.

   • Embed this notice
     kajer (kajer@infosec.exchange)'s status on Tuesday, 06-May-2025 16:29:36 JST kajer

     in reply to

     Getting desperate - found someone from the OEM on linked in that was offering firmware files via DM/email for various VHD-based camera models. I sent and email asking for VHD-V50U usb/fpga bin files. Let's see if this pans out.

     get it, pans, as in PTZ camera?
     thatsthejoke.jpg

   • Embed this notice
     kajer (kajer@infosec.exchange)'s status on Tuesday, 06-May-2025 16:29:37 JST kajer

     in reply to

     I went down the rabbit hole of "free stuff is not free" and here I am.

   • Embed this notice
     kajer (kajer@infosec.exchange)'s status on Tuesday, 06-May-2025 16:29:37 JST kajer

     in reply to

     This camera was OEM branded a few other places too, but the best I can find is this is originally a VHD-V50U camera.

     Finding firmware images from 15 years ago is not as easy as I was hoping for. SO MANY MANUALS though... :(

   • Embed this notice
     kajer (kajer@infosec.exchange)'s status on Tuesday, 06-May-2025 23:43:54 JST kajer

     in reply to

     • Ryan Castellucci :nonbinary_flag:

     @ryanc there may be a bonus update today...