Re: String / Character Conversion Question

Tech-Archive recommends: Fix windows errors by optimizing your registry

From: anon (anon_at_hotmail.com)
Date: 04/23/04 

Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 01:44:27 -0700

see below...

"Jon Skeet [C# MVP]" <skeet@pobox.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.1af2d3e27b51d4f298a731@msnews.microsoft.com...
> anon <anon@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > Do you think these guys know something we don't know? At least for
changing
> > the names to system classes?
> >
> > But in regards to obfuscating source code, let's say if you did compile
it
> > and then decompiled it.
> >
> > The decompiled version would like or be similar to the source code which
> > would be obfuscated anyway.
>
> Well, the decompiled source code wouldn't have the \uxxxx bits in when
> they're not needed, and it would have appropriate line breaks. For
> instance, here's a similar program to the one they were talking about,
> but done by hand:
>
> using System;class \u0051{static void \u004d\u0061\u0069\u006e()
> {\u0043\u006f\u006e\u0073\u006f\u006c\u0065.\u0057rite\u004cine
> ("\u0048\u0065\u006c\u006c\u006f");}}
>
> (It could be made worse, but that'll do...)
>
> Looks pretty bad, right? Until you run it through a decompiler, which
> gives (for the Main method, for instance):

When you say run it through a decompiler, Is that the very first step?

Or do you mean (1st) compile, then (2nd) decompile?

And which decompiler would you be talking about?

>
> private static void Main()
> {
> Console.WriteLine("Hello");
> }
>
> The only bit of obfuscation left is the class name (Q).
>
> > The name changes would be, at least to me, a somewhat considerable
hurdle to
> > figure out or use the source code in the first place. You would have
only a
> > glimmer of an idea of what the source code did as you could not read
that
> > anyway.
>
> Absolutely. Obfuscators renaming code is absolutely great - it's the
> extra "features" they're promoting (like putting everything on one
> line, changing some of the text to include unicode escapes, etc) which
> make no odds in the long run.
>
> --
> Jon Skeet - <skeet@pobox.com>
> http://www.pobox.com/~skeet
> If replying to the group, please do not mail me too

Relevant Pages

  • Re: String / Character Conversion Question
    ... >> But in regards to obfuscating source code, let's say if you did compile ... Or do you mean compile, ... And which decompiler would you be talking about? ...
    (microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.csharp)
  • Re: String / Character Conversion Question
    ... >> But in regards to obfuscating source code, let's say if you did compile ... Or do you mean compile, ... And which decompiler would you be talking about? ...
    (microsoft.public.dotnet.framework)
  • Re: String / Character Conversion Question
    ... > But in regards to obfuscating source code, let's say if you did compile it ... Until you run it through a decompiler, ... private static void Main ...
    (microsoft.public.dotnet.framework)
  • Re: String / Character Conversion Question
    ... > But in regards to obfuscating source code, let's say if you did compile it ... Until you run it through a decompiler, ... private static void Main ...
    (microsoft.public.dotnet.general)
  • Re: String / Character Conversion Question
    ... > But in regards to obfuscating source code, let's say if you did compile it ... Until you run it through a decompiler, ... private static void Main ...
    (microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.csharp)