If you want to verify that a genuine dongle is present, that's easy, but I have no idea how you would communicate with the dongle from ActionScript... You would almost definitely have to use an external program. I can think of a few Flash-drive-like dongle designs, but the development cost may be very near the development cost of your entire application.
Honestly, the best thing might be to go with a commercial anti-piracy package. These packages have already had the cost distributed over multiple sales. You won't have to reinvent the wheel, and you will have a reasonable balance between price and effectiveness. Now that the topic has come up though, I just might persue making such a dongle... Hmm. - Kipp > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf > Of nik crosina > Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 4:52 PM > To: flashcoders@chattyfig.figleaf.com > Subject: Re: [Flashcoders] [semi-OT] - Preventing Software Piracy > > > Hi Kipp, > > that sounds exactly like the strategies recommended to me by > the Aladdin guys, and their manuals. And it also sounds > logical to me. The question to me is now whether I can tie a > dongle into actions script and then e.g. obfuscate the code > to a high enough degree that it would be above the pain level > of most crackers hackers and pirates. > > I do understand that it is impossible to create something > bullet proof, but some big pain in the ass is what (and I > guess most) developers are after. At least it prevents the > layman user from just making a copy for their colleague, etc. > > Nik C > > On 4/17/07, Michael Mudge <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I can make a cheap, cryptographically secure USB or Serial > dongle no > > problem. > > > > However, the issue with any kind of software-based security is that > > once the software is on a client's machine, the client can > do whatever > > he wants with it; modify it not to use the dongle. > > > > But you CAN make it a serious pain in the ass. In > unmanaged languages > > like C, it is especially helpful to make the program inherently > > incapable of running without the dongle -- by using the dongle to > > perform some essential calculation that isn't in your > program, or by > > sending the dongle pieces of your program's code to > "verify" that it's > > been unaltered. Sometimes making a checksum of your own > code works, > > but then sometimes a hacker can use your own checksum algorithm to > > hack in a new checksum... > > > > ...so how far do you want to go with this? > > > > - Kipp > > > > > Hi Weyert, > > > > > > Can a dongle easily be circumvented then? > > > What's the best way of protection then, and do you know where I > > > would find a specialist in this? > > > > > > Thanks, > > > > > > Nik > > > > > > On 4/17/07, Weyert de Boer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > Hi Nik, > > > > > > > > I have done research for my dad a while ago, and I came to the > > > > conclusion that it wasn't worth the effort $$$ wise. > > > > > Not sure whether that is applicable to your project, > > > Pete, but has > > > > > anyone ever used dongle (i.e. hardware) protection for their > > > > > projects? I am currently testing out HASP from Aladdin, > > > and does the > > > > > job so far (have not come very far yet in testing though). > > > > Yes, the problem with dongles is that it's quite hard to > > > > implement, right. Especially, I would like to advice > you not take > > > > any of the included examples or even consider build on > top of it. > > > > The examples are weak. Please rent some person who is > fully into > > > > the dongle and encryption. If not, it will be lost money. > > > > > > > > > What do you guys think about this kind of protection? Why > > > isn't it > > > > > used more often? > > > > Because it's a big investment to implement. > > > > > > > > Yours, > > > > Weyert de Boer > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Flashcoders@chattyfig.figleaf.com > > > > To change your subscription options or search the archive: > > > > http://chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/listinfo/flashcoders > > > > > > > > Brought to you by Fig Leaf Software > > > > Premier Authorized Adobe Consulting and Training > > > > http://www.figleaf.com http://training.figleaf.com > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > Nik C > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Flashcoders@chattyfig.figleaf.com > > > To change your subscription options or search the archive: > > > http://chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/listinfo/flashcoders > > > > > > Brought to you by Fig Leaf Software > > > Premier Authorized Adobe Consulting and Training > > > http://www.figleaf.com http://training.figleaf.com > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Flashcoders@chattyfig.figleaf.com > > To change your subscription options or search the archive: > > http://chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/listinfo/flashcoders > > > > Brought to you by Fig Leaf Software > > Premier Authorized Adobe Consulting and Training > > http://www.figleaf.com http://training.figleaf.com > > > > > -- > Nik C > _______________________________________________ > Flashcoders@chattyfig.figleaf.com > To change your subscription options or search the archive: > http://chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/listinfo/flashcoders > > Brought to you by Fig Leaf Software > Premier Authorized Adobe Consulting and Training > http://www.figleaf.com > http://training.figleaf.com > _______________________________________________ Flashcoders@chattyfig.figleaf.com To change your subscription options or search the archive: http://chattyfig.figleaf.com/mailman/listinfo/flashcoders Brought to you by Fig Leaf Software Premier Authorized Adobe Consulting and Training http://www.figleaf.com http://training.figleaf.com
