Test Proctoring via Camera

[quartermaster 0]

My daughter was taking the PA-CAT last month.  Since COVID-19 the test is now entirely online.  As part of the test, the Proctor of the test has to have access to the laptop's camera and for the duration of the test, must be able to see the test taker to ensure no cheating.  Last month, after about an hour of the test, the webcam blacked out the Proctor and my daughter was kicked out of the test costing hundreds of dollars.  We suspect ESET had something to do with this.  We suspect that ESET "noticed" someone using the camera and after time, blocked access.  I tried to contact ESET support but of course got a bot that is not too flexible in their answers.  I was advised to 1. Open the main program window of your ESET Windows home product. 2. Click Setup > Computer Protection. 3. Click the gear icon next to Webcam protection and click Configure. 4. Expand Webcam Protection and click Edit next to Rules. 5. Click the rule relevant to your webcam issue to edit it as Block/Ask/Allow. 6. Click OK to save your changes.  However, I have no comprehension on how to "add" the Proctor to the "allowed" rules.  The next suggestion was to disable the camera protection completely; Advanced Protection/Disable Webcam protection for the duration of the test.  Does any human have any guidance on how to REALLY be confident ESET won't kill her test taking ability again?

[Marcos 4,908]

You can try temporarily disabling Webcam protection to eliminate chances of encountering issues with blocking the webcam. However, I don't think the issue was caused by Webcam protection; in such case it would have been blocked at the beginning and not suddenly after some time.

[quartermaster 0]

Thank you.  I think that's what I'm going to have to do.  But the proctor was able to see my daughter for over an hour before they messaged her and said the camera suddenly went black.  

[SeriousHoax 83]

ESET is unlikely to be the villain here. If you want to be sure then you should check the logs like this. Also you may check other logs like detections and HIPS. 

 

 

 

[quartermaster 0]

Oh cool!  I'll check.  You can probably tell you are dealing with a neophyte on this kind of stuff.  If ESET is unlikely to be the villain, what gremlin may be creating such havoc?  I'm way open for any suggestions/options.

[itman 1,627]

7 hours ago, quartermaster said:

Click the rule relevant to your webcam issue to edit it as Block/Ask/Allow. 6. Click OK to save your changes.  However, I have no comprehension on how to "add" the Proctor to the "allowed" rules. 

Eset has a knowledge base article on how to set up Webcam access rules rules here: https://support.eset.com/en/kb7071-create-and-edit-webcam-rules-in-eset-windows-home-products .

Basically it just entails setting up which apps; e.g. Skype.exe, are allow access to the WebCam device.

It also appears that whatever app was being used for this Proctor session was not an issue pertaining to Eset's Webcam protection since you stated the session was active for over an hour prior to being terminated. At the beginning of the Proctor session, Eset's WebCam protection should have displayed an alert to Allow or Deny access to whatever app was running that was trying to access the Webcam. Assumed is Allow was selected. From this point on, the app being used by the Proctor session is allowed unrestricted access to the WebCam.

It really appears that somehow whatever app that was using the Webcam was terminated or malfuctioned. This in turn would have caused the Webcam to stop functioning and the screen to go black.

Another possibility is the Webcam session was terminated on the Proctor's device end by possibly a network issue or a malfunction on his device. Likewise, a network issue on your device might have caused the connection to be terminated.

Edited June 22, 2020 by itman

[quartermaster 0]

My suspicion was that the Proctor's app was at fault.  The Proctor had their "IT" investigate for over an hour before giving up and terminating the session.  However, they never looked into their own app (I wasn't a part of the session unfortunately otherwise I would have insisted they do so).  Thanks to everybody that participated.  We're going to try again next week!

[itman 1,627]

Prior to a new Proctor session, I will recommend this.

Set up a webcam session with a friend or family member. Leave the session open at least as long as when the prior Proctor session terminated. If this new session terminates after let's say an hour, I have a suspicion what might be the problem.

[local 0]

On 6/22/2020 at 11:22 AM, quartermaster said:

My daughter was taking the PA-CAT last month

Since this is a very important exam, to avoid any possibility, why don't you uninstall ESET for the duration of the exam????

Doesn't matter what settings are you going to change, still you will be in doubt.

[Marcos 4,908]

There's still a chance that the issue will occur after uninstalling ESET, however, you would at least minimize the risk of the issue occurring during the exam. If you have Windows 10, you'll be sufficiently protected during this time.

[quartermaster 0]

Thanks everybody.  We tried a Zoom meeting on her laptop yesterday and her camera never came on.  I'm beginning to wonder if her 5 year old laptop is beginning to out... starting with the camera.  And it's not ESET at all.  We're going to take all your suggestions and try with my newer laptop.  I'm not sure about uninstalling ESET though.