All posts by Oban

About Oban

Oban manages the Brownrice Internet staff, keeps the network humming, and chases his wife and twin boys around during his time off.

New Apache HTTP Server Vulnerabilities! What they mean and what we’re doing about them.

Systems Administration


This week has been a whirlwind for Linux vulnerabilities! Fortunately for you, Brownrice is on it!

There are five new vulnerabilities that affect modern Apache versions:

CVE-2026-23918
CVE-2026-24072
CVE-2026-28780
CVE-2026-29168
CVE-2026-29169

The main two being CVE-2026-23918 and CVE-2026-24072. One is a memory corruption flaw that could crash your server, the other is a privilege escalation bug that could allow an attacker to access server files or data that is otherwise off-limits. The other three are all minor module exploits that cause server slow downs and crashes. We’re patching them all.

Apache powers most of the internet, so we aren’t alone in this. Fortunately this means these issues are already patched in the Apache latest release version!

Our patching schedule is underway, with updates to Apache 2.4.67 rolling out across all Brownrice VPS nodes. Your server may already be patched, or will be soon! Feel free to contact us to see if you are patched, and if not, we’ll bump you to the head of the queue and get things patched up for you immediately.

New Linux ‘Copy Fail’ Vulnerability – What is it and how is Brownrice handling it?

Systems Administration



You might have heard the buzz, there’s a new Linux ‘Copy Fail’ vulnerability – CVE-2026-31431. ‘Copy Fail’ is a recently discovered exploit that affects all newer Linux kernels and is very serious. It’s a privilege escalation exploit that should be patched immediately on all affected production systems.

Fortunately, if you are on our Gen6 or Gen7 VPS platform your VPS (and the host machine that it’s on) was never vulnerable to this exploit. This is due the Openvz virtualization that we use and its base kernel (based off Linux Kernel branch 3.10) being prior to the introduction of this exploit (introduced in Linux Kernel branch 4.14).

Of course this older kernel is back-ported with modern security fixes, which is common practice for Enterprise Linux distributions often used for webhosting that prioritize stability over bleeding edge features – so there’s nothing to worry about regarding the older kernel version from a security perspective.

As always, contact us if you have any specific questions regarding this, or anything else!

Ready-Set-Stream: The Easiest Way to Launch a Live Webcam

Webcams

Running a live webcam shouldn’t require a crash course in networking. But if you’ve ever tried connecting an IP camera to the internet, you’ve probably run into roadblocks like firewalls, router settings, port forwarding, and compatibility checks — all buried inside configuration menus that seem to speak a different language and look like they were designed sometime around the invention of dial-up. It’s more swearing than streaming ;)

At Brownrice, we’ve been hosting live webcams for years, and we’ve seen just about every setup challenge imaginable. So we decided to make the first step easier with a webcam that practically introduces itself. No complicated setup. No networking puzzles. Just live video ready out of the box.

Hello, Ready-Set-Stream Cam

This lightweight, weatherproof, mount-anywhere webcam is preconfigured to work with Brownrice Webcam Hosting, so once it’s powered on and connected to your network, it automatically connects to your account on our platform and starts streaming.

Plug it. Mount it. Stream it.
Peep the No-Setup Guide FAQ + See What’s in the Box

Ready. Set. Stream. Meet your next webcam ›

You’re Live — Now See What You Can Do

Live webcams capture all kinds of things — ski slopes, beaches, wildlife, city views, dogs at play, and cats licking their chops when the fish show up on our office Tankcam. Whatever you’re streaming, it just works.

This quick demo gives you a look at the Ready-Set-Stream Cam and Brownrice Dashboard in action — highlighting a few of our pro-level features, the player experience, and what your stream can look like once you’re live.

WATCH DEMO

And there’s a lot more behind the scenes — a smart streaming platform designed to make your stream look good and run effortlessly, powered by Brownrice Webcam Hosting.  

Seriously, just a few clicks in the Dash and your stream runs itself.


Simple controls. Powerful streaming.
Built to impress your audience. You’re welcome.

Check out our hosting plans, learn more about pro-level features,
and Start Streaming with a FREE 30-Day Trial.

Ready. Set. Go Live ›

BRI is Fully Green Powered (100% Renewable) — With Receipts

Web Hosting

Yes, really. Our annual energy report adds it up:

Solar + Renewables + RECs = 100% clean-powered websites.

Most web hosts make vague “green” claims. We actually show you the math. Every website we host runs on a mix of our own solar array, renewable grid power, and certified Renewable Energy Certificates — and we’ve got the receipts to prove it.

Clean Power Without the Compromise

You shouldn’t have to choose between fast, secure hosting and being environmentally responsible. Brownrice gives you both: performance-tuned servers, friendly U.S.–based support, and verified 100% clean power.

What Powers Our 100% Green Hosting

Here’s how we keep every site clean-powered:

  • On-site solar generation supplies about one-third of our annual electricity needs.
  • Renewable grid power from Kit Carson Electric/Guzman Energy provides another large share.
  • Certified Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) offset the rest — bringing us to 100% renewable on a net annual basis.

Inside Our Green Datacenter

Our New Mexico facility is designed from the ground up to be efficient and resilient:

  • A huge on-site solar array supplies a third of our annual energy needs.
  • Outside-air cooling keeps servers chill without air conditioners nine months of the year.
  • Triple-redundant fiber, generators and power supplies keep your site fast and online.
  • Clean-agent fire suppression protects equipment and the planet at the same time.

Real Green Hosting You Can Measure

Fast, secure, worry-free hosting that scales with you and keeps the planet a little cleaner. With Brownrice, you get transparent numbers, annual energy reports, and renewable receipts — not marketing fluff.

Show Me the Receipts: How Brownrice Powers 100 % Green Hosting »

A Fast-Loading WordPress Site Doesn’t Have to Be a Unicorn

Systems Administration

Sometimes a speedy WordPress site feels as rare as spotting a unicorn in the wild. Pages crawl, images lag, and visitors bounce before you can say “loading enchanted pixels.”

The good news? You don’t need magic to make your site fast. You just need a few smart, proven optimizations—and we’ve gathered them all in our WordPress Speed Optimization FAQ.

Code So Fast, Leave the Competition in a Cloud of Glitter Dust

Here’s a peek at the strategies you’ll find in the full guide:

  • Run on the right foundation. Our Gen7 SmartVPS templates are built for speed, with SSD storage, tuned MariaDB databases, PHP-FPM, HTTP/2, and other performance-focused server settings.
  • Lighten the load. Heavy themes and plugin bloat increase processing time and slow every page request. Choose a lean theme and disable plugins you don’t truly need.
  • Enable caching everywhere. Page caching, browser caching, and lazy loading reduce repeated processing and keep visitors from waiting on server-side generation every time.
  • Stay updated. WordPress core, themes, and plugins often include performance improvements in updates—plus they keep your site secure.
  • Optimize the database. Periodic cleanup of post revisions, transients, and overhead keeps queries fast.

Mythical No More: WordPress Speed You Can Measure

Faster sites improve user experience, search rankings, and conversion rates. And with many optimizations just a few clicks away in the Brownrice Dashboard, there’s no reason to settle for “slow.”

Follow the Rainbow to the Full Sparkle-Spec Sheet:
What Can I Do to Speed Up My WordPress Site?

SmartPull Streaming is now live!

Webcams

Less Glitch. More Wag.

Because watching a pixelated pug isn’t nearly as cute as the real thing. SmartPull Streaming keeps your streams smooth and tail-waggingly good.

Our new SmartPull Streaming feature only pulls video from your webcams when someone is actually watching. That means if you’ve got multiple cameras—like in a pet resort, kennel, or any high-traffic setup—you’re no longer wasting bandwidth streaming video when no one is viewing. SmartPull Streaming is FREE for all Brownrice webcam hosting plans.

No viewers? No stream. It’s that simple.
As soon as someone presses play, SmartPull kicks in, starts the feed, and keeps it going for 10 extra minutes after the last viewer leaves—just in case more eyeballs show up.

Cutting down bandwidth? Just another day at the dog park for SmartPull.
Less network congestion, faster internet speeds, and a better experience for everyone—with fewer clicks than a cat walking across your keyboard.

Think of it as one more treat in your tech toy box.
See what else Brownrice webcam hosting offers ›

You can enable SmartPull Streaming right now in your Dashboard:
Once logged in, click Webcams -> Select Your Stream -> Camera Settings and toggle SmartPull Streaming ON. That’s it!

Heads up! SmartPull Streaming can’t run alongside Recordings or Timelapses. If you enable SmartPull, those features will be automatically disabled.

Want the nerdy details?
Read the SmartPull Streaming FAQ ›

Still need help enabling it? Contact us—we’re happy to assist!

Thanks for streaming with Brownrice—your bandwidth (and viewers) will thank you.

Live Rewind for webcams is now live!

Webcams
Live Webcam Rewind

Missed a moment? No problem, our new Live Rewind service (NVR)lets your viewers go back and watch it again. It’s like having a time machine for live streams!

You can enable Live Rewind for your webcam in our Dashboard right now.  Once logged in click Webcams -> Manage -> Player Settings -> toggle Live Rewind ON.

Live Rewind is a FREE service for all cameras on our 2TB plan or higher. 

Also, if your camera is on a 1TB plan you can enable Live Rewind now and trial it FREE through the end of the month!

We’ve been busy building a slew of new features into our webcam hosting service so be sure to keep an eye out for these release announcement emails to see what your new options are.

Need a feature badly?  Reply this email and let us know.  We program all of our own stuff, so if enough people ask for it we might just build it!

Thank you for your Webcam Hosting business!

Vastly upgraded webcam media manager!

Webcams

It used to be that when you wanted to have a logo added to the top of your webcam player you’d need to upload that logo to your website then use our dashboard to create a image source link back to the image on your website.  And what we found is that you practically needed a four year coding degree to figure out how to get all of that done.  No fun for you and no fun for us having to do it for you!

Continue reading Vastly upgraded webcam media manager! →

How do I clone my website to another site, like a development site?

Programming, Web Development, Web Hosting
The Clone!

It’s easy to clone a website (including its files, database and all settings) from a live site to a development via the Brownrice Dashboard.  Or you can do the opposite and clone a development website and/or database to your live site when you want to move development changes live.  Or you can clone a site to a totally different site!  

Continue reading How do I clone my website to another site, like a development site? →