One-Net and DASDEC Users Must Update Certificate Before Sept. 24 to Maintain Proper Operation
LYNDONVILLE, N.Y. — Sept. 12, 2018 — Digital Alert Systems and Monroe Electronics, the global leaders in emergency communications solutions for video services providers, today announced the availability of an important update of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) digital certificates used to authenticate messaging from the IPAWS system. The companies have released updated IPAWS Certificate Authority (CA) credentials for the One-Net™ and DASDEC™ series of Emergency Alert System/Common Alerting Protocol (EAS/CAP) encoder/decoders to replace a certificate in the current certification chain that will expire on Sept. 24. One-Net and DASDEC users in the U.S. are advised to replace the soon-to-expire certificate to assure that devices configured to require message authentication will continue to operate properly.
“DASDEC and One-Net users are urged to take the simple step of updating their certificate files before Sept. 24 to allow continued authentication of IPAWS CAP alert messaging,” said Ed Czarnecki, senior director of strategy and government affairs for Monroe Electronics and Digital Alert Systems. “This is the second such certificate replacement this year, so we are actively working with FEMA IPAWS to look at methods for automating this update process and hope to have such a process in place before the next certificate update occurs in 2019.”
FEMA uses digital certificates called CAs to create a “chain of trust” between an EAS device and the IPAWS servers. The One-Net and DASDEC EAS/CAP devices use these special digital certificates to validate the authenticity of IPAWS-sourced CAP alerts. These certificates are designed to expire at a specific date and time, requiring the issuing authority to publish new certificates from time to time.
All One-Net and DASDEC customers using the IPAWS system must have the latest digital certificates in place to assure the validity of the communications chain of trust by only processing messages that are authenticated through the IPAWS system. IPAWS users who fail to update their equipment before Sept. 24 could see the error message: “Event Log:Digital Signature VERIFICATION ERROR : Signer UNTRUSTED! Check for correct CAP decoder CA file.;”
The new field service bulletin and CA file are available now from the Digital Alert Systems website at www.digitalalertsystems.com/resources_fsb.html. One-Net and DASDEC customers should go to the website, download the field service bulletin for instructions, and link to the new CA file.
Further information about Digital Alert Systems and its products is available at www.digitalalertsystems.com. More information about Monroe Electronics products is available at www.monroe-electronics.com.
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About Digital Alert Systems
From its headquarters in Lyndonville, New York, Digital Alert Systems provides R&D, manufacturing, sales, and customer service for all Monroe Electronics, One-Net™, and Digital Alert Systems brands. Monroe Electronics’ Emergency Alert Systems (EAS) are the widely accepted standard for CATV with a hard-earned reputation for quality, reliability, and service to valued customers around the world. In October 2009, Digital Alert Systems, the leading innovator of next-generation Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) and EAS, merged with Monroe Electronics to further extend its product offerings to radio and television broadcasters and better serve their collective customers into the future.
More information is available at www.digitalalertsystems.com and www.monroe-electronics.com.
All trademarks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners.
Link to Word Doc:www.wallstcom.com/Monroe-DAS/180912Monroe.docx
