How to prevent my programme from being cracked? :((

[eEniquEe]

Hi,

I'm writing to ask you guys some of the methods to make my programme harder to crack... I have try many thing to make my anti-cracking system more efficient, but nothing seems to work.

• The very first version of my programme has a few features. And I just put all IDs, and pass in a list of arrays. If the user enters the ID and password correctly, then the programme will run, ortherwise, it'll quit. This is easy to crack...
• Then, I use Obfuscator to make my programme harder to crack.
• The third, and also the most advanced version of my anti-cracking system is that I put all the IDs, and pass inside a text file, and up it to a host. Then, when the programme runs, it'll download the file, and put it in an array. But it's still crackable... And worse, some of them even DDOS my host, and my account just simply gets banned.

Now I'm thinking of making a server, and when the user starts the application (the client, with some of the needed data removed), it'll connect to the server. The server then checks the genuineness of the programme. If the application is genuine, the needed data will be sent back from the server so that the programme could work.

However, there are something that troubles me:

• First of all, the server costs money. This can be easily tackled by using my computer as a server.
• However, if I use my computer as a server, my IP address will be known. And crackers can hack (or hi-jack) straight into my comp. This is just horrible, thinking of this makes me shiver... (

So I think I'll store my IP address somewhere on the NET, and on detecting cracking activity, the server will automatically change the address stored on the NET to 0.0.0.0. However, I'm not sure how I can do it. I can up my IP address to the host using a web explorer, but I wonder if I can change it automatically using AutoIT? Which I mean is, can I modified a file stored in a host on the internet through AutoIT?

Or, can anyone recommend me any method to prevent cracking?

Thanks guys a lot in advance,

Best regards,

[MvGulik]

For starters, don't release them ... Or code them in a other language than AutoIt.

And last. As far as I know there is no method yet that is proven to be cracking save. (and there probably also never will be that also allows you to run the program.)

[Juvigy]

There wont be any "free" solution. I would advise you to use Citrix . But that costs.

[JohnOne]

If you have an app so good that its got the interest of people wanting to crack/hack it or whatever, just licence it or something at let it be known its yours, dont waste time engaging them, you will lose, just concentrate on improving it.

[eEniquEe]

If you have an app so good that its got the interest of people wanting to crack/hack it or whatever, just licence it or something at let it be known its yours, dont waste time engaging them, you will lose, just concentrate on improving it.

Thanks for your reply... But, the problem is that licensing in Vietnam here does not work at all. Yes, I know that it's impossible to prevent cracks. Even Microsoft softwares can get cracked, right? However, I really want to reduce the risk of being cracked as low as possible...

Well... I still want to ask if there's anyway that I can modified a file stored in a host by using AutoIT?

[JohnOne]

Sure you can, so long as you have access to the host

For instance, do it manually, and then automate it.

[Zedna]

Well... I still want to ask if there's anyway that I can modified a file stored in a host by using AutoIT?

Use FTP for this.

[MyDream]

Its never an easy answer, but if you have spent too much working on it using autoit, converting to another language is not any easier.

Once of a easier solution which I have been using is hide it under a wrapper.

Or even inside another language(I use another language as a wrapper(fileinstall)).

These are just simple method which can be undone(!!!!) by an expert(know-how).

But as long as I dont brag about the language I code it in, whose going to bother to find out, unless its a very very very hot app that receive unwanted attention too much.

[AdamSteele]

Encryption is your answer.

Specifically, Asymmetric Public-Private key encryption. You'll have a tough job implementing the protocol.

The stronger your private key and it's bit depth, the tougher a malicious attacker's job will be at cracking your script. At a rough estimate a 256 bit grade encryption will take 30 years on an Opteron 2.2 Ghz machine.

Adam

PS: Some laws do not allow export of certain relevant algorithms. Sorry, guv.

[jchd]

@AdamSteel

It isn't the size of keys, the hardness of the encryption algorithm or protocol that makes the whole chain weak.

It's that you can circumvent any "protection" by finally changing one bit: allowed or not.

Given the determination of OP opponents, I don't recommend him spending much time trying to protect something that weak. He's better devising another business model.

[Werty]

Dont add too much security, that's often the mistake newly started and small companies make, look at the big guys like M$, Adobe, AutoDesk etc. etc., they could put way more security into their programs than they do, but they know that for every 1 million cracked copies, they get 10000 sales that they wouldnt have gotten if it wasnt cracked.

The more your software spreads by piracy, the more people hear about it, and there are always those honest people that will pay for the software, something like 1% to 3%, but that's 1 to 3% more than you would have gotten if it wasnt cracked, and add to that the explosion in growth the more people hearing about it, and when it really spreads, those 1 to 3%, although not sounding like much, may equal several 1000% increase in your income.

My suggestion, get completely rid of the online/web checking, leave your other security as you need to have some, just incase you need to drag someone to court later on when you have grown big, like if you dont lock your bike you get no insurance, no lock on software, no help in court.

Ease up on the security

/edit

So what I was saying, why spend hours after hours, weeks after weeks, trying to secure your program, with the end result that nobody's gonna hear about it, so then you have to spend thousands on advertising to spread knowledge about your program, when you can just let the pirates do the advertising for your, and then spend all those hours improving your program so it get's even more interesting and spread more, plus save the thousands you would have spend on advertising.

I mean, does the software cost you anything ? it's already made, it cost you nothing using the "copy" command in dos prompt

Edited July 6, 2011 by Werty

[PELock]

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Edited July 4, 2016 by Melba23
Removed link and image

[Melba23]

PELock,

it is also payware and we do not accept advertising.

M23