diff --git a/app/Lib/Tools/PubSubTool.php b/app/Lib/Tools/PubSubTool.php
index f60db152a..87752fa3f 100644
--- a/app/Lib/Tools/PubSubTool.php
+++ b/app/Lib/Tools/PubSubTool.php
@@ -84,7 +84,8 @@ class PubSubTool
 
     public function checkIfPythonLibInstalled()
     {
-        $result = trim(shell_exec('python3 ' . APP . 'files' . DS . 'scripts' . DS . 'mispzmq' . DS . 'mispzmqtest.py'));
+        $my_server = ClassRegistry::init('Server');
+        $result = trim(shell_exec($my_server->getPythonVersion() . ' ' . APP . 'files' . DS . 'scripts' . DS . 'mispzmq' . DS . 'mispzmqtest.py'));
         if ($result === "OK") {
             return true;
         }
@@ -94,9 +95,10 @@ class PubSubTool
     private function __setupPubServer()
     {
         App::uses('File', 'Utility');
+        $my_server = ClassRegistry::init('Server');
         $settings = $this->__getSetSettings();
         if ($this->checkIfRunning() === false) {
-            shell_exec('python3 ' . APP . 'files' . DS . 'scripts' . DS . 'mispzmq' . DS . 'mispzmq.py > ' . APP . 'tmp' . DS . 'logs' . DS . 'mispzmq.log 2> ' . APP . 'tmp' . DS . 'logs' . DS . 'mispzmq.error.log &');
+            shell_exec($my_server->getPythonVersion() . ' ' . APP . 'files' . DS . 'scripts' . DS . 'mispzmq' . DS . 'mispzmq.py > ' . APP . 'tmp' . DS . 'logs' . DS . 'mispzmq.log 2> ' . APP . 'tmp' . DS . 'logs' . DS . 'mispzmq.error.log &');
         }
         return $settings;
     }
diff --git a/app/Model/Server.php b/app/Model/Server.php
index 687be3a00..2a398cb92 100644
--- a/app/Model/Server.php
+++ b/app/Model/Server.php
@@ -168,10 +168,11 @@ class Server extends AppModel
                         'python_bin' => array(
                                 'level' => 1,
                                 'description' => __('It is highly recommended to install all the python dependencies in a virtualenv. The recommended location is: %s/venv', ROOT),
-                                'value' =>  ROOT . '/venv/bin/python', # GUI display purpose only.
+                                'value' => false,
                                 'errorMessage' => '',
                                 'null' => false,
-                                'test' => 'testForEmpty',
+                                'test' => 'testForBinExec',
+                                'beforeHook' => 'beforeHookBinExec',
                                 'type' => 'string',
                         ),
                         'disable_auto_logout' => array(
@@ -2676,6 +2677,30 @@ class Server extends AppModel
         return 'Invalid characters in the path.';
     }
 
+    public function beforeHookBinExec($setting, $value)
+    {
+        return $this->testForBinExec($value);
+    }
+
+    public function testForBinExec($value)
+    {
+        $finfo = finfo_open(FILEINFO_MIME_TYPE);
+        if ($value === '') {
+            return true;
+        }
+        if (is_executable($value)) {
+            if (finfo_file($finfo, $value) == "application/x-executable") {
+                finfo_close($finfo);
+                return true;
+            } else {
+                return 'Binary file not executable.';
+            }
+        }
+        else {
+            return false;
+       }
+    }
+
     public function testForWritableDir($value)
     {
         if (!is_dir($value)) {