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in reply to Encrypted Perl?

I pointed out the other day the ability to release encrypted Perl source using a decrypting Perl source filter ('perldoc perlfilter' on your local system). The fact that it still really is source (just encrypted) and is still run through normal Perl compilation/execution paths means it still can be intercepted as some other monk(s) so astutely pointed out. But it's not a bad start. It at least prevents casual source viewing. You'd have to work some to get back to the real source state.

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Re: Re: Encrypted Perl?
by jens (Pilgrim) on Feb 06, 2003 at 03:22 UTC
    Could you encrypt the source using public/private key cryptography?
    --
    Microsoft delendum est.

      Of course you can. The object here is the difference between making life hard for the source-code thief and making things (practically) impossible. If the program "just runs" but is otherwise unreadable then you've just throw up some obstacles for an attacker to work around. This is true regardless of what language you used to implement your program - C, perl, Visual Basic, whatever.

      The other idea is that using the program requires some form of secret to unlock it. This doesn't really work for the environment you specified since the program must ultimately be unlocked for use on the potentially hostile computer. You could use some form of encryption to prevent all access to something but once you've allowed something to be decrypted ... the game is over. Or... you could view encryption as yet another technical barrier for use in preventing the clients from accessing the source — just another hurdle.


      Seeking Green geeks in Minnesota

Re: Re: Encrypted Perl?
by Beatnik (Parson) on Feb 06, 2003 at 13:20 UTC
    Ofcourse this has been done ages ago :)

    Filter::CBC

    Greetz
    Beatnik
    ... Quidquid perl dictum sit, altum viditur.