Given the current Covid-19 pandemic, thermal cameras are receiving increasingly more interest. It is a natural idea to utilize a thermal camera to detect elevated body temperatures. Right now, the Internet is full of information on the subject (including brand new companies), but it’s difficult to understand what is real, what is wishful thinking and what is exaggeration. At Eagle Eye Networks we have purchased a number of thermal cameras and have run a series of tests to determine what is practical with today’s technology. This document details some of the testing we have done and some of our conclusions. We do not claim that our testing is comprehensive or perfect, but we hope, that in sharing it, we can help. This document focuses on the application of thermal cameras to read human body temperature. However, it is important to note, that before the Covid-19 pandemic, thermal cameras, at least as it relates to video surveillance, were primarily used for detecting perimeter breaches. This use case does not require the same level of precision that a thermal camera detecting an elevated body temperature requires. Therefore, typical general-purpose thermal cameras in the market have an accuracy of +/- 5 degrees Fahrenheit, which is not accurate enough to detect elevated body temperatures. It’s also important to note that elevated temperature screening is not screening for coronavirus or for any other illness. In fact, some people who have a virus or illness may not have an elevated body temperature. Additionally, the majority of thermal cameras are not approved for medical use or approved by the FDA, but they may be well suited to provide an initial reading to allow appropriate personnel to perform follow up evaluation and potential diagnosis. Executive summary Thermal cameras can be used to detect elevated temperatures in humans under the right conditions. Creating those conditions can be challenging, but it’s not impossible or impractical. Our experience in testing has shown that the preferred solution includes cooperative subjects and limits measurement to a small number of people simultaneously. Given appropriate conditions we have tested cameras and found they consistently report temperatures within +/- 0.7 degrees Fahrenheit of measurements taken with a traditional thermometer. System components There are various systems in the market place; however, most cameras that are connected to a traditional surveillance system include these: Camera – Thermal and Visible Spectrum. Thermal Calibration Unit (blackbody). Recording System/ Video Management System. Local Display Device (optional). Cameras Some of the more advanced thermal cameras are effectively two cameras in a single housing, these are known by several different names – dual spectrum and bi-spectrum are the most common names. The image below (Figure 1) is a dual spectrum camera from Sunell that was designed to resemble a panda bear. This was originally deployed in Chinese schools where children would look at it as they entered. Each camera produces a video stream, the visible spectrum camera works like most typical surveillance cameras. The thermal camera produces an image that is a visual representation of the different temperatures it has detected. These images can be either in grayscale or in color. Most cameras have several visual choices for how to represent the thermal data. The images above (Figure 2) are from a dual spectrum thermal camera connected to the Eagle Eye Cloud VMS. This is a traditional video surveillance dual spectrum thermal camera, not a camera used to detect elevated body temperatures. There are a few things to note about the images. One is that the field of view is different. The visible camera can capture a wider field of view than the thermal camera. The visible camera has two vehicles in the field of view while the thermal camera only has one. The visible camera captures the street at the top of the image, while the thermal camera does not. The difference in camera field of view is quite common. Also, the thermal camera has a much lower resolution. The figures appear more ‘blocky.’ Thermal cameras today are generally much lower resolution than visible spectrum cameras.   Thermal calibration unit A thermal calibration unit, sometimes referred to as a blackbody, is a device that maintains a specific temperature and does not reflect any energy from the surroundings. It is used as a constant point of reference for the thermal camera. Not all thermal cameras require a calibration unit, but many can make use of them if they are present. A calibration unit requires electrical power, but is not wired to the camera or the VMS/ recorder. It is manually set at a prescribed temperature, and the thermal cameras are configured based on that temperature. Thermal calibration units are typically used when more precise temperature readings are required such as in elevated temperature screening. Some suppliers include a thermal calibration unit with the sale of the camera, but most do not. Calibration units are generally not present for most cameras connected to a video surveillance system. Many security industry personnel are not familiar with thermal calibration units or their use. Recording system/ video management system The cameras are generally connected to a recorder. For this discussion we utilized the Eagle Eye Cloud VMS with its enhancements for support of elevated temperature screening. The cameras are connected to an Eagle Eye Bridge. As shown above (figure 2), The Eagle Eye VMS records both the visible spectrum camera as well as the thermal camera. Additionally, Eagle Eye VMS captures the temperature measurement data that the camera generates. This means that the temperature is associated with specific to me, so searches can be performed based on the temperature, time or person. Notifications can be generated if the temperature is outside of a specified range. In other words, if the temperature is too high, a notification can be made. The notifications can be delivered via various methods, but the most common is via email. Typical notifications will have an image of the person, the temperature detected, as well as name and location of the camera that…

  INTRODUCTION Scope and purpose of this white paper The scope of this white paper is the security for embedded electronic systems and IoT systems, which are generally based on programmable microcontrollers. Examples are electronic consumer and industrial devices, IoT sensors, medical devices. The purpose is to stress the fact that although security countermeasures are necessary to protect embedded systems and IoT systems, they are unfortunately not sufficient to avoid surface attacks. Embedded systems and IoT systems are more and more exposed to a wider range of new security threats, and this trend will very probably accelerate. To prevent damages from security attacks, companies are taking measures to protect their assets, including more specifically their software IP. Unfortunately, in ecosystems where the supply chain is getting more complex, it is frequent that the ones deciding the security levels are not the ones that will be accountable for their choices. Even when security measures have been duly selected and implemented, facts are showing that there are still some underlying vulnerabilities. On average, security experts will break security of more than 80% of implementations during their evaluation phase, for multiple reasons: Security attacks are getting easier to set-up, even by players who have limited technical skills and could use tools available on the web. It costs just a few dollars to launch massive DDoS attacks capable of generating up to 300Gb/s. Security countermeasures have their own limitations, and having an overreliance on those countermeasures could lead to potential hidden security risks. Security implementation matters. Technical challenges in implementing security could potentially lead to vulnerabilities exploited by hackers. A good approach is to do a formal security evaluation with security experts. However, before taking this path, it will be efficient and cost effective to have a second view with a deeper dive into security. In most cases, it will highlight some vulnerabilities and will provide useful guidelines to improve the resistance of embedded systems against security attacks. In this whitepaper, we will: Describe the most frequently used security countermeasures. Review the limitations of these countermeasures and explain why a deeper dive is recommended. Share the views from our security experts. The benefit of this deeper dive is to reduce exposure to security attacks without having to reconsider the whole security approach. Security principles Basic principles It is widely accepted that security must rely on 3 basic principles: Security by design (and not after the facts). End to end security (at OT and IT levels). Security all along the product life. The last one is equally important compared to the first two. We observe that several electronic industries are getting conscious about the security by design and end to end security, and are not considering the importance of security all along the product life. For instance, having a secure mechanism for firmware update over the air (OTA) will prevent a lot of security breaches. Deeper dive I t would be great if a simple application of those basic principles will be enough to counter any potential security attack. Facts are showing that even by applying those principles, there are still remaining vulnerabilities exploited by hackers. Embedded systems are all different and have their own specificities; on the other side, security requirements vary considerably depending on market, applications or risk management policies. Considering that security must be scalable, and that no security scheme fits all, we recommend a deeper dive into security to ensure that the security schemes have been implemented in adequation with the system architecture. A strong security scheme which has not been properly implemented is simply useless. We will explain in this white paper the reasons why these basic security principles are necessary and not sufficient. Disclaimer The information in this white paper provides general information and guidance about cybersecurity; it is not intended as legal advice nor should you consider it as such. WHY DOES A DEEPER DIVE INTO SECURITY MAKE SENSE? Security attacks on embedded systems are getting more frequent There are several reasons that could explain why embedded and IoT systems are getting more vulnerable to security attacks: Systems complexity Embedded and IoT systems are becoming more and more complex due to rich, broad and diverse ecosystems which could be interconnected with each other’s. IoT ecosystems are an illustration of this trend; they include a wider range of technologies like sensors, gateways, networks, clouds with many different standards and limited regulations on security. Limited capacities in devices Many embedded and IoT systems are based on programmable microcontrollers with limitations in processing power and memory storage. Several security countermeasures have not been designed based on those limitations. As a result, they require compromising between security and performance, and most of the time the decision is in favor of the last one. Human errors are always possible The development of new technologies is accelerating, and we do not have enough background of previous threats to know enough about failures in protection. This is leading to an increase of human errors in life of a product – at the design stage, at manufacturing stage and during the implementation of security. Time to market and costs Generally, manufacturers shorten the launch time of products, putting higher priorities on volume of sales, and not always considering fundamental security best practices such as security by design. Security is often seen as an additional cost; this is why, in order to reduce costs, manufacturing companies are also limiting or ignoring security features in their devices. The result would be equipment that can never provide adequate protection. Any countermeasure has its own limitations Deciding a security strategy often means making compromises between risk, cost and time – the easier approach is to rely on legacy security mechanisms proposed by silicon and IP vendors, network providers or other third parties in the value chain. The issue with this approach is that there is no ‘one size fits all’ security solution that can protect any embedded system. The characteristics of each system is different and should be considered…

With the increased prevalence of  IP-based video surveillance systems on the market, and the growing adoption of higher resolution HD and megapixel cameras, organizations and system integrators must take into account how implementing these systems can impact their network resources. Without realistic system design considerations, organizations can risk significant network and storage cost overruns while also compromising the reliability of their network to support applications that are critical to their business operations. By implementing an advanced video management system (VMS), an organization can effectively manage video streams on their network using built-in camera and software functionalities to optimize network resources and bandwidth consumption. With such optimizations, a VMS will also help to decrease networking and storage costs over the lifetime of a video surveillance system. Challenges For organizations choosing to implement or expand an IP video surveillance system, the ability to efficiently manage video streams and storage is crucial to ensure the best use of the network and reduce costs associated with deploying and operating the system. While organizations continue to benefit from greater network speeds and capacity, the use of IP-based video systems can generate a significant increase in the amount of data traveling on their network as a result of: Deploying high-definition and megapixel cameras, Additional cameras to address a need for coverage across Larger areas, Increases to the number of users accessing video, Recording and maintaining redundant video recordings, Transferring video from one site to another to maintain long-term orcentralized recordings. When planning and designing an IP video surveillance system, an organization must take into account the unique aspects of its security environment and its business operations in order to ensure the reliable transmission of video and avoid overloading available network resources. For example, certain deployments will require greater flexibility to manage video streams and bandwidth due to their complex nature,further driving the need for advanced video management capabilities. These scenarios can include: Distributed sites requiring operators to connect to remote cameras, Cameras connected to networks with limited bandwidth such as DSL, wireless, or cellular, Sharing bandwidth with other operation-critical applications because video is not the top priority for the business. It is equally important for organizations to realize that optimizing the use of network resources does not necessarily require large capital investments but is more a matter of putting the right solutions in place. With bandwidth and storage representing important ongoing costs of operating an IP system, organization scan significantly reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of their video surveillance system by investing in solutions that allow them to optimize their use of bandwidth and storage based on the requirements of their application. This white paper will focus on those unique and powerful capabilities that one should look for in a VMS in order to optimize the use of network resources and reduce the costs associated with operating an IP-based surveillance system. Optimizing network resource utilization VMS applications allow an organization to manage its security infrastructure including video cameras, encoders, and recording servers, within the unique context of the organization’s deployment. The effectiveness of the VMS will depend on its ability to handle the demands of the operating environment, whether those demands include deploying a system in sites with limited bandwidth, monitoring cameras across distributed locations, or ensuring that multiple operators can access necessary video streams in the case of an incident, regardless of the number of concurrent requests. Although system administrators will intuitively manage video quality settings and define recording settings and schedules, addressing the needs of a specific security department can require manual intervention and adjustment. While most VMS applications support these features, some VMS applications also support powerful functionalities and technologies that serve to further reduce the total cost of operating an IP video system. In fact, organizations can deploy a surveillance system that operates with greater efficiency on their network by choosing a VMS application that supports the following capabilities: End-to-end multicast transmission, Stream redirection and multicast-to-unicast conversion, Multi-streaming, Video caching, Archive transfer. By leveraging some or all of these capabilities, organizations can significantly reduce the number of servers required to manage and store video, reduce their network bandwidth requirements, and reliably scale their system while minimizing their investment in new infrastructure. A. Video stream transmission: unicast and multicast I n IP video surveillance, unicast and multicast are the two most commonly used methods to transmit video from cameras to client workstations. While all VMS platforms can configure unicast, only a few also offer multicast transmission, and, among these, even fewer support end-to-end multicast that provides communication from the edge device (IP cameras and encoders) to the workstation. Though many VMS platforms may claim multicast support, the majority will only provide limited support for multicast transmission between the recording server and the client station, and require multicast to be set for all cameras on the server, or even implemented system wide. It is important for organizations to consider that certain VMS provide far greater flexibility with regards to transmission, in order to implement the best design for their application. This includes the ability to set up cameras per select network branch or per viewer and the ability to automatically detect the ideal transmission method for different segments of the network, thereby allowing organizations to optimize the performance of their video surveillance system and minimize the network resources that are required. i. Unicast overview Unicast is usually done in TCP or UDP and requires a direct connection between the source and the destination. Unicast only works if the source has the capability to accept concurrent connections when multiple destinations want to view or record the same video at the same time. In IP video surveillance, unicast involves a camera streaming as many copies of the video feed as are requested by the destinations, so a 6 Mbps video stream that is requested by three operators will produce a transmission of 18 Mbps of data across multiple network segments (6 Mbps per stream x 3 requests = a total of 18 Mbps). This…

Around the world, governments are responding to the unprecedented circumstances related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic. In many countries and regions, authorities have placed restrictions on their citizens movements and have increased guidance on the basic hygiene required to reduce the spread of the virus. The primary aim of this activity is to reduce the reproduction number (Ro ) of COVID-19 by limiting contact between groups of people as much as possible. Similarly, many government and healthcare authorities have provided guidance on the key symptoms associated with the disease. One of the key symptoms is an increased body temperature or fever. How can thermal cameras help? There are several activities and approaches being applied to help reduce the reproduction rate of COVID-19. These include self-isolation methods such as working from home, improved basic hygiene such as increased hand washing and the deployment of personal protective equipment (PPE) to reduce the prospect of infection. Similarly, when symptoms appear there is clear guidance on what to do next. Primarily this involves limiting social contact through self-isolation for up to 14 days. Medical professionals should be contacted digitally if symptoms persist or deteriorate. Ultimately, prior to any vaccine being available, the fight against COVID-19 is being led by the ability to detect symptoms and isolate people suspected of an infection. This is a combined effort between different key workers and technology applications. Thermal cameras can play a part in this coordinated approach. These cameras provide thermal imaging for body temperature solutions which can quickly and accurately identify people with elevated body temperatures, one of the key symptoms of COVID-19. These solutions can provide organizations with an additional layer of protection to their facility from increased exposure to the coronavirus. Organizations can then decide how best to deploy this information based on region, culture and the critical nature of the facility. In some circumstances a security officer may ask the person to scan their temperature using a medically approved sensor. In others, the person may be denied access to the facility. Ultimately, it is a decision for each organization on how best to deploy the solution. Thermal body temperature solutions An important distinction to make in the overall societal response to COVID-19 is that body temperature solutions are not a medical solution. They cannot identify the virus and they do not protect organizations or individuals from catching the virus. Thermal body temperature solutions are a tool that can support the identification of a key symptom of the disease. They can help organizations identify people showing these symptoms, but they do not diagnose or treat COVID-19. However, this does not mean that thermal body temperature solutions do not add value in the overall response. In fact, they provide a non-invasive method to check body temperature, can do this at faster rates than hand-held scanners and at a greater (potentially safer) distance. The deployment of these solutions in a facility may even encourage positive behaviour with staff more likely to stay at home when they are unwell with a fever. Thermal body temperature solutions require, at a minimum, a radiometric thermal camera to measure temperature differences in people entering the field of view. More advanced solutions will use blackbody devices to help calibrate the temperature measurement, especially in less controlled environments where the elements can influence the reading. AI (artificial intelligence) algorithms can also be integrated to help target the temperature reading on the most accurate part of the body, typically the forehead or near the eyes. The blackbody calibration tool consists of a target object whose temperature is precisely known and controlled. Specifically, this is important in human temperature measurement where accuracy to +/- 0.3 degrees Celsius is advised by many international standards organizations. By deploying the blackbody calibration tool, it is easier to establish an accurate relationship between gray level and temperature. Essentially there is known, fixed temperature object in the field of view which can be used to calibrate and measure all other objects’ temperatures. Using this method, false temperature alarms caused by environmental influence can be effectively reduced, and the accuracy of the thermal body temperature solution can be controlled to more precise parameters. However, monitoring accuracy does depend on the stability of the body temperature and it is recommended to install the system in a stable environmental condition to ensure that the skin temperature is stable. The emergence of AI technology, and specifically face detection algorithms, will play an important role in the evolution of these solutions too. Algorithms can help complete more accurate temperature tests. Cameras can do this by locating specific areas of the face such as the forehead or eyes, more accurately. This could be critical in the case of people wearing masks. Combining thermal cameras and facial detection can enable thermal body temperature solutions to combine accurate temperature scanning with the best face location to take the measurement from, improving the overall measurement accuracy. It should also be noted that the facial detection, as opposed to recognition, is used to improve the accuracy of the solution with better positioning of the measuring point on the face. It is not used to detect specific individuals and does not break privacy compliances (such as GDPR). While there remain challenges to the effectiveness of thermal imaging cameras for measuring human body temperature in public areas, especially when face masks are commonplace, the introduction of facial detection and AI can improve the accuracy of temperature scanning. Managing expectations for use Comparisons can be made between the current stage of the market for thermal body temperature solutions and another physical security technology – video analytics. Here, the expectation level for object detection or activity tracking algorithms was extremely high. The expectation was that video analytics would be near 100 percent accurate in spotting, identifying and tracking objects through the field of vision. However, analytics would sometimes misunderstand a scene, potentially alerting to the same object multiple times or mis-allocating an object – essentially false alerts. The reality was that these solutions…