Anti-pirate security
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I am trying to develop an anti-pirating scheme. Ok I know that a good assembler programmer can crack just about anything, but here is my thought. Have the installer only install a registration and update app. Upon registering, where you grab and record the MAC address and other info, you allow them to download the remaining files to their computer. Then every time they run the app you both check for updates and confirm their registration against their MAC address. If there are updates then you just download them. If there registration fails you start deleting their application in the background. If they replaced their NIC or simply get a new computer a quick reinstall of your app reregisters it to the new NIC. This would effectively only allow one copy of your program to function per registration. So what do you think? I am sure there is a hole in the process somewhere. But, imho, a little incontinence to the customer when they switch out a NIC is nothing compared to having only one working copy per registration. Please comment on this. I need feedback before I go about designing this. Thanks Darroll
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I am trying to develop an anti-pirating scheme. Ok I know that a good assembler programmer can crack just about anything, but here is my thought. Have the installer only install a registration and update app. Upon registering, where you grab and record the MAC address and other info, you allow them to download the remaining files to their computer. Then every time they run the app you both check for updates and confirm their registration against their MAC address. If there are updates then you just download them. If there registration fails you start deleting their application in the background. If they replaced their NIC or simply get a new computer a quick reinstall of your app reregisters it to the new NIC. This would effectively only allow one copy of your program to function per registration. So what do you think? I am sure there is a hole in the process somewhere. But, imho, a little incontinence to the customer when they switch out a NIC is nothing compared to having only one working copy per registration. Please comment on this. I need feedback before I go about designing this. Thanks Darroll
well, I think, this depends on the application. I think, that checking the MAC is quite decent way, but also quite easy to crack. But anyway, don't forget, that there are still computers without network cards(!) and don't forget how users appreciate the hardware-locking from the Microsoft. So your anti-pirate decision should be dependent on the application focus and market. I personally prefer the way of 'locking' the instalation through support & additional features for registered users, like automatic bugfix notifications, possibility to make customized changes to the product and many others, depends only on your imagination ;)
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I am trying to develop an anti-pirating scheme. Ok I know that a good assembler programmer can crack just about anything, but here is my thought. Have the installer only install a registration and update app. Upon registering, where you grab and record the MAC address and other info, you allow them to download the remaining files to their computer. Then every time they run the app you both check for updates and confirm their registration against their MAC address. If there are updates then you just download them. If there registration fails you start deleting their application in the background. If they replaced their NIC or simply get a new computer a quick reinstall of your app reregisters it to the new NIC. This would effectively only allow one copy of your program to function per registration. So what do you think? I am sure there is a hole in the process somewhere. But, imho, a little incontinence to the customer when they switch out a NIC is nothing compared to having only one working copy per registration. Please comment on this. I need feedback before I go about designing this. Thanks Darroll
That assumes that everyone who'll run your app has a permanent internet connection. Oh yeah, and MAC addresses on network cards can be reconfigured or spoofed. Also I'd be very wary of having your app try and delete stuff from the user's machine. Firstly can you be certain that you'll never release a version that could contain a bug that'd delete files from a legitimate user, and secondly you may actually be breaking the law by deleting files without the user's knowledge/permission (even if they are using a pirated copy of your software) -- Help me! I'm turning into a grapefruit!