Re: Copy protection for a .NET application

From: William Stacey [MVP] (staceywREMOVE_at_mvps.org)
Date: 12/02/04 

Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2004 10:01:04 -0500

> The problem with decrypting the code yourself is that you have a readily
> accessable decryption module in your software to decrypt the DLL. That
> would make it a breeze for any decent cracker to break your protection.

True. But you have equal access to the either code in memory using a
debugger. So it does raise the bar, but not too high for crackers. They
use debugger anyway (after ildasm fails), so it is not much difference for
them.

> We have engineering software for factories and such where very simply
> put they store every connection (power/signal lines etc) and instrument
> and what not in a database. It's a very expensive piece of software.

Sounds interesting. Hope yall do well with it.

> Now I agree with you that for most software packages this solution is
> way to expensive. The hardlock itself costs about as much as the average
> game. But the same company also provides a software solution
> (http://www.ealaddin.com/HASPSL/default.asp) which may be much more
> interesting to more developers since it doesn't require a piece of
> hardware and this distribution via the web is so much easier. How secure
> that is, I can't say. But I do know the hardlock encryption is very
> tough to crack.

Thanks for the link. Thanks for the talk. Cheers. 

-- 
William Stacey, MVP
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

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