copy protection
BlitzMax Forums/BlitzMax Programming/copy protection
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| What are some methods of implementing a decent copy protection? (decent meaning the average person wouldnt be able to copy the program) |
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| Have some registry key or hidden file thats in an unsuspecting place which is required to copy it? I know my brother wouldn't know how to bypass that and hes an average user. |
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| "decent" is a good word, as it's about as good as it gets these days. If you're not looking for Fort Knox, this method will serve the purpose nicely: 1) Choose a configuration of your program which you are comfortable with being copied without restriction. This will probably mean it is limited in either functionality or time, possibly a bit of both. 2) Require a key to be entered to unlock the program and convert it to the paid version. You should not test for the key by comparing it to a literal - go through a bit of computation to arrive at it. 3) Write the status of the program in a remote, cryptic and totally unlikely place in the registry, a place not connected to your program by any logical means at all. 4) Check the status of the program each time it runs and it should behave based on what it finds in the registry. Bulletproof? No, but for this system to fail does take an experienced cracker. If you attract the attention of such a person, there is no protection you could apply that would stop him. |
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| Check the status of the program each time it runs and it should behave based on what it finds in the registry. Bulletproof? No, but for this system to fail does take an experienced cracker. I beg to differ. Such protection systems are unbelievably easy to remove by anyone with the slightest idea what they're doing. I've removed these sort of protection systems from games many times ( for personal entertainment, I hasten to add ) and I have very little idea what I'm doing. If you attract the attention of such a person, there is no protection you could apply that would stop him. Software Passport's highest level of protection has never been cracked. |
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| Software Passport's highest level of protection has never been cracked. Also I dont believe the Trymedia copy-protection has ever been cracked. For a small game though a inconspicuos registartion entry will do just fine, as netmaestro and mattvonfat explained. |
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| Thanks for the responses. Has anyone incorporated some sort of automated protection using the web (i.e. after the customer purchases the software, he/she must run it and it generates a key and registers to a database... while also checking to make sure he/she bought the software)? |
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