Re: How to retrieve serial number of OS or CPU for copy protection?

From: R.Wieser (address_at_not.available)
Date: 09/11/04 

Date: Sat, 11 Sep 2004 12:48:14 +0200

Slava M. Usov <stripit.slough@gmx.net> schreef in berichtnieuws
e26whl0lEHA.3612@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...

Hello Slava,

> "R.Wieser" <address@not.available> wrote in message
> news:e85caI0lEHA.1656@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
>
> [...]
>
> > > Option three: find a job that will provide you with this software.
> >
> > Same problems apply : Those persons will have to learn a new package,
> > which (outside of people like in this newgroup) they might not desire
...
>
> Why? They use the same software.

Sorry, I over-read the "same" word :-\

Yes, if you can find a company that will want to do that, you can continue
using your accumulated knowledge & data.

But what are the chances to that ? When you enter a company where there
are more people doing a job like yours, or to replace someone, you will have
to adapt to whatever is allready there ....

> [...]
>
> > Well, I just can imagine a cubicle for a software-engeneer, having
(quite
> > a number) of those "super dongles" sitting around :-)
>
> Who's talking about software engineers? We're talking about play stations.

And I was projecting your "super dongle"/playstation-idea to a
software-engeneers work-cubicle :-) What I ment is that such a "super
dongle" which, as far as I understood, cannot be tampered with, as it's an
(allmost) self-enclosed piece of firmware, only accepting input, and
providing output, would look like a play-station, would take a lot of space.

Now I say that, I do remember having seen a computer with multiple old-style
dongles plugged in into it's printer-port : they actually had an
extention-cord between the computer and the dongles, so they could place the
dongles on a flat surface, not mechanical tugging on the computer (about 5
attached to each other !)

> [...]
>
> > Alas, playstation software has allready been cracked, and can be copied
> > too.
>
> Because they do not use a "single-chip" technology. If you have a bit of
> silicone that cannot be programmed, how are you going to crack it? Your
only
> option is to crack it _physically_, which is a bit too expensive to do.

Well, I've worked with micro-controllers which where fitted with a "disable
reading-out of the contents" -bit (you could leave it clear, or set it in
software). The controllers where based on EPROM technology, but without the
erasure-window fitted (you could actually order some with such a window, for
experimenting purposes, but they where four times the price), making it
PROM's.

The "read-disable" -bit could be erased, just like the rest of the memory,
although they made sure that that specific cell would need a lot more time
to get erased.

Later versions that cell could not be disabled anymore, as (so the story
goes) some handy gauy had found a method to remove the plastic body from
above the chip, and use some sort of laser-UV to erase just that cell
(enabeling him to read-out the chip again)

I did not hear of the cost that was involved with it, but the process was
described as "easy" ... :-\ :-)

> [...]
>
> > Maybe. But just *one* crack would be enough, the internet would take
care
> > of a rapid spread of the resulting, unencumbered software.
>
> How? What are going to be the results of this crack? Code that executes on
> hardware that does not exist except for this very software? This is as
> useful as cracking P4 for its microcode.

Did not think of that. Well, you got me there :-)

Ofcourse, if that specific processor could be bought, I do think that some
people would just place the ripped code in a new procesor, and merrily
continue their way (much like chip-cards that are used to unscramble
sattelite-tv receiver signals can be bought empty, and the code that should
be put in it is available within certain circles ...)

Regards,
  Rudy Wieser

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