Remote-access Guide

plex remote access security concerns

by Ms. Antonia O'Kon DVM Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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For remote access, there is no need to use this same port, but a lot of users do just to keep the setup simpler. There are hackers out there that are aware of Plex and that users may be using port 32400 so they randomly access this port to see if there is a PMS setup. Change the port to something more random and you’ll not have this issue.

Full Answer

How to properly secure remote access?

  • Windows or Mac login when connecting remotely
  • Request permission to connect to the user’s computer
  • Automatically blank the remote screen when connected
  • Automatically lock remote computer when disconnected
  • Lock the remote computer’s keyboard and mouse while in session
  • Lock the streamer settings using Splashtop admin credentials

How to enable remote access on Plex Media Server?

Remote Access

  • Quick Guide. If Remote Access is currently disabled, then use the Enable Remote Access button to trigger your server to try to configure a connection.
  • Normal Settings. The information displayed by default will depend on the current state of the Plex Media Server. ...
  • Advanced Settings. ...

Do you need Plex Pass for remote access?

However, the perception is that you need a premium Plex Pass to watch remotely. It's not true. All users can stream remotely providing you've configured your Plex Server correctly. Head to Settings > Remote Access > Enable Remote Access to set it up.

Do I need a VPN for Plex remote access?

· 4y You shouldn't need a VPN to share via Plex, assuming you are sending the content over SSL which is the vast majority of use cases. Just to speak generally, if you were to send data to someone over the VPN it would be the people on the other end receiving the data in an unencrypted format.

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Is Plex remote access secure?

Plex has teamed up with Let's Encrypt to provide our users with high-quality secure certificates for your media servers, at no cost to you. There's no need to set up VPNs and no need to create and install your own certs. You can safely and securely connect to your media no matter where you are.

Is Plex a security risk?

UPDATED Security researchers uncovered vulnerabilities in Plex that created a means for attackers to compromise devices or access private video or picture files on a vulnerable server.

Is it safe to open ports for Plex?

Yes, port forwarding Plex is safe. Just make sure your internet connection is secured with AES 256-bit encryption for optimal online privacy and security.

Can Plex server be hacked?

"Plex's startup processes unintentionally expose a Plex UPnP-enabled service registration responder to the general Internet, where it can be abused to generate reflection/amplification DDoS attacks," Netscout researchers said in a Thursday alert.

Should I use a VPN when using Plex?

If you're experiencing slow speeds when trying to stream your Plex videos, you could be a victim of ISP throttling. This can be avoided with a VPN for Plex as it safeguards all the data you send across the Internet using AES 256-bit encryption.

Is Plex vulnerable to log4j?

The Plex Industrial Internet of Things product was affected by the vulnerability, but the proper mitigation technique has been put into place and it is no longer affected. A patch will be released on Monday to upgrade the product to Log4j2 version 2.15 which is not susceptible to the vulnerability.

What does Plex remote access do?

Enable access to your Plex Media Server from outside your local network so that you can reach it when away from home or for sharing content with family or close, personal friends. You can do this under Settings > Server > Remote Access in Plex Web App.

What port should I use for Plex remote access?

WAN/External Port: Port 32400 (TCP) is default, but you can generally use any available port in the 20,000 to 50,000 range. LAN/Internal Port: This will always be 32400. IP Address: The local IP Address of the computer running the Plex Media Server.

Does Plex share your data?

Your personal content is stored on your personal hardware (“Personal Content”). Except in the limited circumstances described below, we do not collect filenames or content titles of your Personal Content. We do, however, keep usage statistics to allow us to better serve you and improve our Services.

Does Plex share your data?

Your personal content is stored on your personal hardware (“Personal Content”). Except in the limited circumstances described below, we do not collect filenames or content titles of your Personal Content. We do, however, keep usage statistics to allow us to better serve you and improve our Services.

Is Plex any good?

Plex Is a Media Powerhouse To top it all off, Plex's free version covers much of the functionality that most users need. Plex also lets you stream movies and shows without hosting them. However, users who want more customization options and more public HTPC capabilities should look at Kodi instead.

How much does it cost for Plex?

Plex is available both as a free service and a premium tier it calls Plex Pass. While free tier doesn't bill you monthly, there's a $5-per-platform activation fee if you want to use the Plex Android and iOS apps. The Premium tier costs $5 per month, $40 per year or $120 for a lifetime pass.

Is Plex TV free?

The basic functionality of Plex is completely free, which includes playback of anything on your server, as well as Movies & Shows, Live TV (from Plex), podcasts, and web shows.

What is plex server?

Plex has become a popular server and software choice for anyone who wants to easily organize, stream, and share their media libraries - including their favorite movies and music. Plex Media Server can be installed on your main desktop, enabling you to manage all your media in one place and then stream it on as many platforms ...

Why use a VPN for Plex?

A VPN is a useful way to protect your online security and safety. If you already use a VPN for streaming, or wish to use one alongside Plex, it can add an extra layer of privacy to your Plex server and account. It might also help prevent possible problems encountered while streaming, such as bandwidth throttling (which can cause buffering).

Why is there a green lock on Plex?

Furthermore, on the Plex app interface, the green lock icon is easily visible to signify that your server, media library and currently used device all have secure connections.

Does Plex have SSL certificates?

Since 2015, Plex has provided all its users with free SSL certificates for their Plex media servers.

Is Plex a security system?

For Plex, security really does appear to be a top priority. It provides all-round security to ensure that your media library, Plex account/server details, and Plex-connected devices for streaming are all kept safe from data leaks, privacy infringement, and hacking attempts. It also provides security measures to ensure you can share your media ...

Can you share media on Plex?

Plex enables you to share media with friends and family. With your permission, other people can browse and stream the media on your Plex server.

Is Plex streaming secure and safe to use?

For Plex, security really does appear to be a top priority. It provides all-round security to ensure that your media library, Plex account/server details, and Plex-connected devices for streaming are all kept safe from data leaks, privacy infringement, and hacking attempts. It also provides security measures to ensure you can share your media library safely with friends and family.

How many plex servers are there?

Netscout said that its analyses turned up roughly 27,000 Plex servers currently connected to the web that can be used for these sorts of exploits. In the past, the firm has seen these Plex-based attacks send out packets ranging from 52 to 281 bytes. That’s certainly not the biggest DDoS attack we’ve seen as of late, but when enough of these servers are leveraged in a single attack (or when these servers get exploited in conjunction with other pieces of insecure tech ), you can see how that would be enough to do some serious damage.

Can an attacker access your private data?

This issue does not allow attackers to access any of your private data or make changes to your account. It only allows attackers to cause an affected server to “reflect” UDP packets in order to increase the volume of a denial-of-service attack against some other server or network on the public internet. These “amplification” techniques are common in a variety of widely-used, UDP-based network protocols when services are exposed directly to the public internet (such as DNS or NTP). For more information on amplification attacks and how to protect Internet-facing systems against them, we recommend you review the US-CERT article explaining them 4.

Can SSDP be exploited?

Things get pretty precarious here because SSDP connection s, in general, can be pretty easily exploited by bad actors who want to beef up a given DDOS attack. You can read the full technical specs of how this amplification works over here, but in a nutshell: plug-and-play devices show up on a network and say a little something to introduce themselves (“Nice to meet you. I’m a wireless thermostat. Here’s are some neat tricks I can do.”) Normally the network and device get to know each other and things work out fine. This being a reflection attack though, some nefarious person can request loads of these devices to introduce themselves all at once to a given target, and instead of a pleasant meet-and-greet, the unfortunate recipient gets a deafening earful.

Can a router forward UDP traffic to Plex Media Server?

When using a router performing NAT (this includes most consumer systems), configure it not to forward UDP traffic (on the “additional” ports mentioned in this support article 108) from the public internet to the device running Plex Media Server.

Is Plex Media Server public?

the entire device running Plex Media Server be exposed to the public internet (such as one hosted in a data center or the computer being placed in the public “DMZ” of the network router), or

Is Plex Media Server exposed to the internet?

The vast majority of Plex Media Server setups are not exposed or affected by this. It specifically requires that either: the entire device running Plex Media Server be exposed to the public internet (such as one hosted in a data center or the computer being placed in the public “DMZ” of the network router), or.

Can you use Plex on other devices?

One of Plex’s main selling points is that its customers are able to set up their own Plex server on a bevy of different devices, and then use that server to both house their own custom video, photo, or music libraries, and stream those libraries on other devices. It’s a really handy tool if you want to, say, compile channels with your parent’s ...

Why is Plex blocking my network connection?

In some cases, you may have a firewall or something else on your computer/network that may be blocking a network connection that’s required for Plex and your server to test whether Remote Access is working correctly for you. This is most likely to occur for users running “advanced” firewalls, such as pfSense or similar.

How to use plex port forwarding?

To do so: Open Plex Web App and make sure you’re signed in to your Plex account on the server under Settings > Server > General. Go to Settings > Server > Remote Access.

What port is plex media server?

Forward that unique external port number to LAN/internal port 32400 for the local IP address of the corresponding computer running that Plex Media Server – follow the previous instructions

What to do if your computer has a firewall?

If your computer has a firewall, proxy, ad-blocking software, anti-virus software, or similar installed, try temporarily disabling them and then attempt to connect the server again

Does plex.tv work with uPnP?

Enabling Remote Access to connect your server with plex.tv works best with modern routers that support uPnP or NAT-PMP auto-configuration. These allow an application like Plex Media Server to automatically configure a forwarded port on the router without you needing to do anything. Not all routers have these protocols, and some have implementations that don’t work so well. If enabling Remote Access isn’t successful for you automatically:

Can you manually forward plex port?

If you need (or wish) to manually forward the port that Plex Media Server uses in your router, this is typically straightforward and fairly easy to do. This is not an inferior configuration, it just takes a little more work. To configure the manual port-forward:

Do all routers have remote access?

Not all routers have these protocols, and some have implementations that don’t work so well. If enabling Remote Access isn’t successful for you automatically: Find your router’s user manual or on-line documentation. If they do, you may need to switch the feature on in the router’s software.

How to check if Plex is disabled?

While logged into your Plex Media Server’s web control panel, select the Settings icon from the upper right toolbar. Within the Settings menu select, the “Server” tab.

What does the control panel indicate on Plex?

In addition to telling you that the server is accessible, the control panel will also indicate the internal IP address and port number of the Plex Media Server on your local network as well as external, or public, IP address and port number.

How to set up static IP address on Plex?

You’ll need to identify your Plex Media Server computer on the network and then look for an option in your router to create a “static IP”, “static lease”, or “DHCP reservation” to permanently associate the Plex Media Center with a given IP address. Below you can see an example of what adding a static IP address looks like, via our DD-WRT router.

How to port forward on Plex?

First, let’s turn on the manual port mode in Plex. To do so navigate to Settings > Server > Remote Access (as we did in the previous section of the tutorial).

What does it mean when a server says "Not available outside network"?

If your server is currently not configured for remote access, it will say “Not available outside your network” as seen above. Click the large orange button that reads “Enable Remote Access”.

Can you use Plex Media Server on a TV?

If you primarily use Plex Media Server for watching content on your local network (like streaming your favorite shows to your HDTV or smartphone), you may not have given much though to the benefits of remote access. RELATED: How to Set Up Plex (and Watch Your Movies on Any Device)

Can you watch Plex on your phone?

One of the greatest things about the Plex Media Server platform, however, is the ease with which you can access your media from anywhere. With remote access enabled and properly configured, you can watch your favorite TV shows anywhere you have internet access: on your phone while you’re sitting in a waiting room, on your laptop while you’re vacationing, or even on a smart TV at a friend’s house.

Why is Plex server error?

This usually occurs because Plex is a heavy application with numerous parameters going on simultaneously. If any one of these gets into an error state or load a bad configuration, it might be unusable.

Why is Plex not working?

There are many instances where several bugs are induced into the Plex application which causes it not to work as expected. Software all around us get updates every once in a while and sometimes these updates are not compatible with Plex. Hence its engineers roll out an update targeting this issue solely.

Why does Plex Media Server buffer?

This scenario usually occurs when your internet connection is not sound which forces the server to use less bandwidth in order to provide access to the media.

What is plex media?

Plex is a client-server media stream and software suite. It has a Plex Media Server desktop application which is available on Windows, Ubuntu, and macOS. This applications allows you to organize different media files in your computer and allows players over the internet to access them if given the correct credentials.

What happens if you don't have a stable internet connection?

The same scenario also applies to the requesting computer; if you do not have a stable internet connection, you will not be able to request and stream media efficiently. First, you should check the number of devices running on your network (both the server and requesting computer).

Does a plex router need NAT?

If these are not enabled or have different configurations set than required, Plex Remote Access will not work.

Does Plex update itself?

Normally, Plex’s web application updates itself over time as you use it. The case is different in case of Ubuntu or other platforms where Plex is running. Below is the method on how to update Plex on an Ubuntu machine. You can easily google other methods for updating if you have it running on another platform.

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