[CALUG] What would YOU do?

Mike Miller calug at mikemiller.net
Mon Mar 13 10:14:44 CST 2006


Look at Acme::Bleach<http://cpan.org/modules/by-module/Acme/Acme-Bleach-1.12.tar.gz>and
Acme::Eyedrops<http://cpan.org/modules/by-module/Acme/Acme-EyeDrops-1.51.tar.gz>.
Both are code-obfuscation modules written (or inspired) by Damian Conway.
They're intended more as an exercise in silliness than for actual production
code.  But they do work.

-Mike


On 3/13/06, jason maxwell <decepticon at gmail.com> wrote:
> you could write your code in whitespace:
> http://compsoc.dur.ac.uk/whitespace/
>
> seriously tho, i vaguely remember some kind of script for perl that
> inserts some whitespace and bogus characters to make your code
> completely illegible, but i really cant remember what its called.
> sorry.
> --Jason
>
> On 3/11/06, Rajiv Gunja <opn.src.rocks at gmail.com> wrote:
> > All,
> > Even though I love Open Source and would love everyone to share their
work,
> > I will have to go with Jason on this one. Yes open source is all fun and
> > gay, but there comes a time, when you are developing a product or a
solution
> > which might need a little hide and seek.
> >
> > I do not know how you will be able to use crypt to achieve your goal.
There
> > is an Open Source solution for this. I had to use it almost a year ago,
in
> > my office, to encrypt an expect script, so that my users or level 1
admins
> > will not be able to get to my passwords on certain machines.
> >
> > "shc", basically creates a C binary out of your shell script. Yes, I do
know
> > that is very simple to do the same from our side, but why bother when we
> > have a tool for it. (not to mention my C programing skills are a little
> > rusty).
> >
> > Jason, I do not know if this will help, but do look into it.
> >
> > http://www.linuxsecurity.com/content/view/117920/49/
> >
> > Just in case, I am including the pdf of that page.
> >
> > -GGR
> >
> > ---
> > Rajiv G Gunja
> > System Analyst / Engg
> > SUN / AIX / HPUX / Linux Admin
> > IM: AOL / Yahoo / MSN : ggvrsn
> >
> >
> > On 3/10/06, Jason C. Miller <jason.c.miller at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > With all due respect, I can tell that you probably don't operate under
> > > the same business models that we (my company and I) do.  In our
> > > business, it's about value-added software and often the need to deploy
> > > rapidly prototyped applications that are well in the infancy of their
> > > life cycles.  Anyone who's ever gone head-to-head with another company
> > > to win a contract based solely on your ability to out-innovate your
> > > competition (and quickly) would understand that.
> > >
> > > Allowing access to our software by these competitors with blatantly
open
> > > scripts is unacceptable, at best.
> > >
> > > I'm really going to try to avoid going into the ages-old rhetoric of
> > > open and closed source software.  This is also hardly a contractual
> > > issue.  I would love to see someone tell Microsoft...."Sure....beat
> > > everyone to market with your innovations and make sure that you have a
> > > great EULA to blanket your yet-to-be-secured source because that will
> > > DEFINATELY keep any drooling competitors from being influenced by your
> > > problem solving and coding methods".
> > >
> > > I'm just a grunt engineer.  I hate dealing with money and I hate
dealing
> > > with managment and contractual issues even more.  I simply wanted to
ask
> > > some seasoned geeks how they would go about protecting the privacy of
> > > their work until their projects became a little more mature and
secure.
> > > I most certainly am not advocating closed source software or even the
> > > proprietarization (is that a real word??) of any open source software.
> > >
> > > I mean, things like iptables/ipchains is open source, yet there are
> > > probably plenty of people out there that wouldn't share their firewall
> > > rules with ANYBODY because maybe they have a particular way of doing
> > > things that they think brings value to them.  Same concept!  There's
> > > also openssh.  You can use that to secure everything but the kitchen
> > > sink.  Just because you're securing your stuff doesn't mean you're
> > > wanting to close-source everything.
> > >
> > > My question is a technical one...pure and simple.  I've got some stuff
> > > that I want to keep prying eyes away from.
> > > When I want good insight from some good professionals on how to get
> > > things done, I typically come here first (well...after Google).  I
> > > seriously doubt that telling a lawyer "They stole lines from my
> > > script!!" is the solution to my problem.
> > >
> > > Anyway...for anyone out there who's interested.  I'm currently looking
> > > at the Solaris 'crypt' utility.   Hopefully that'll bring me down some
> > > good roads.  :)
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > -j
> > >
> > > James Ewing Cottrell 3rd wrote:
> > >
> > > > Don't confuse Ownership with Visibility. You can still write
contracts
> > > > and restrict usage and distribution even tho the source code is
> > > > available. Your attempt to hide it only does the following: [1]
delays
> > > > your development time while you work out a solution [2] further
delays
> > > > your development while you debug the mess. [3] delays the finish
> > > > product  while the finished product runs [4] pisses off your
customers
> > > > and everyone who hears about it because you are assuming that they
> > > > will steal it if you don't hide it.
> > > >
> > > > Given that Linux is Open Source Software, you won't get much support
> > > > here for what you are trying to do here.
> > > >
> > > > We understand that you wish to make money, retain ownership and
> > > > rights. There is still a way to do that without closing your source.
> > > > Take the High Road and Find the Middle Ground.
> > > >
> > > > JIM
> > > >
> > > > Jason C. Miller wrote:
> > > >
> > > >> I would like to get some advice from all the smart folks out there.
> > > >>
> > > >> I was tasked to create a non-trivial application in an unbelievably
> > > >> unreasonable amount of time.  So, I basically just made a nice
> > > >> front-end with a bunch of buttons (using Glade) and simply made
> > > >> system() calls to external bash scripts for each button.  Not my
> > > >> favorite way of doing business, but, gotta do what ya gotta do.
> > > >> Anyhoo, I will be making incremental releases of this software and
> > > >> will be filling in the gaps as I go along.  One problem is that it
is
> > > >> going to be a while before I have the time to implement all of the
> > > >> button functions in C/C++.
> > > >> My question to everyone is this...
> > > >> For the sake of trying to keep code proprietary in the interim ,
does
> > > >> anybody have any ideas as to how one could maintain the scripts in
a
> > > >> way that would make it difficult for someone else to understand the
> > > >> logic that executes within them?
> > > >> As an example, I considered writing the scripts in PERL and using
> > > >> perlcc to compile the scripts into system binaries.  This would
allow
> > > >> me to maintain the scripts for development but deploy them as
> > > >> binaries for delivery. However, in the past, I haven't been very
> > > >> pleased with the perl compiler and would be happy to avoid it.
> > > >>
> > > >> I don't have a very extensive history in subversive development
> > > >> practices, so I was hoping that someone out there might have some
> > > >> ideas.  :)
> > > >>
> > > >>                                       -jason
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > ***************************************************
> > > My blog: http://millersplace.blogspot.com/
> > > ***************************************************
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
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> >
> >
> >
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