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compiled vs p-code - secure?
Started by Art Bonds, Aug., 08 2003 8:07 AM - 1 reply
#1
Posted on August, 08 2003 - 8:07 AM
In a recent thread, you stated:
> We did go into this and found out that WinDev is much more secure than any compiled language. The source is in the delivered exe, but it's p-code there, not machine language which could be disassembled easily.
I had heard that one of the knocks against WD was the p-code could be read easily, and you program reverse engineered. If you don't mind me asking, how is the p-code any more secure than an executable?
Art Bonds
#2
Posted on August, 08 2003 - 10:59 AM
In a recent thread, you stated:
We did go into this and found out that WinDev is much more secure than any compiled language. The source is in the delivered exe, but it's p-code there, not machine language which could be disassembled easily.
I had heard that one of the knocks against WD was the p-code could be read easily, and you program reverse engineered. If you don't mind me asking, how is the p-code any more secure than an executable?

Art Bonds

Hi Arthur,
the p-code has nothing to do with machine language. It's worked on by a 'software CPU' during execution and generally ends up in an endless bunch of subroutines. From outside, the 'source' itself cannot be seen as a program - it's data for the software CPU. 'Disassembling' and 'cracking' a program is generally based on machine machine language. Once upon a time I could read disassembled 8086 machine language like you can read the source of a WinDev program today. Originally, the makers of compiled languages were proud of producing pure assembly out of source, comparing each others optimizatiÎ
know the p-code language first (a series of bytes for the command plus addresses for the parameters) to identify even that simple loop. 'Cracking' a program is genrally done two ways: Either the cracker inserts a simple jump instruction in order to bypass the serial number check or s/he identifies the checking algorithm, makes a little program and generates her/his own correct serial number. Doesn't work with WinDev programs that easy, because you cannot read/identify the program.
Best regards,
Guenter
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