> One thing I've always thought about is using a foreign constant in the > algorithm. Something like an reversal of an animal's name (like "noil" for > "lion") that has nothing to do with the company or product would be fed into > the algorithm. It's not something that is likely to be guessed, and it would > be necessary to know in order to hack the algorithm.
...unless they're watching the routine execute in a low-level debugger. But for purely sentimental reasons I tend to use string constants as part of the reg arithmetic myself, often the first name of whomever I'm dating at the time. :) The arithmetic used is trivial but annoyingly spaghetti-ized; it's more a test of the cracker's patience than their skill. Which raises an interesting point: why would someone spend $100-worth of their time to crack a $70 program? Ego: these folks live to be the most reliable supplier of cracks. In their insular world, reputation is currency. Some anti-crackers suggest this scheme, temptingly devious in the way it takes the ego factor into account: between releases, embed any known stolen reg codes in the software, but don't reject them during registration. Instead, go ahead and let the program be unlocked -- but kick in a 30-day timer, after which the user is notified that the reg code was a stolen one and to contact you if they want a working code. The sweet part is the effect on the social standing of the crack-distributor: he cracks it, it works, so he posts it. Folks grab it, find it doesn't really work, and the cracker gets a rep for being sloppy and unreliable. :) Trivia from Reg Code History: it's been said that for years any MS product could be unlocked by entering all 1's. Marketshare over security. More good reading on the topic: Defending Shareware Against Cracks <http://www.senseofsecurity.com/sharenc.asp> How to shut down acrack sites <http://Anticrack.VirtualAve.net/> And the oft-cited "FRAVIA'S 'HOW TO PROTECT BETTER'" <http://www.searchlores.org/protec/protec.htm> -- Richard Gaskin Fourth World Media Corporation Custom Software and Web Development for All Major Platforms Developer of WebMerge 2.0: Publish any Database on Any Site ___________________________________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.FourthWorld.com Tel: 323-225-3717 AIM: FourthWorldInc _______________________________________________ use-revolution mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-revolution
