[45776] in Cypherpunks
Re: ex encrypted script
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Beavis B. Thoopit)
Thu Dec 21 23:36:53 1995
From: "Beavis B. Thoopit" <beavis@bioanalytical.com>
To: andr0id@midwest.net (Jason Rentz)
Date: Thu, 21 Dec 1995 22:57:42 -0500 (EST)
Cc: cypherpunks@toad.com
In-Reply-To: <199512212047.OAA19022@cdale1.midwest.net> from "Jason Rentz" at Dec 21, 95 02:47:18 pm
> >| Is there a way to encrypt a script yet still allow it to be runnable? I
> >| know that the simple answer is to write it in C and compile it but I don't
> >| have the means of doing that at the moment. (i.e. there is not compiler on
> >| the system)
> >|
> >| I thought of a few simple protections but they all involve decrypting before
> >| running.
> >
> > Ever hear of chmod? chown?
> >Adam
>
> The vendor also has superuser access.. chmod chown won't protect it.. :(
I once had to obfuscate an awk script. "Cryptography is Economics." My
job was to make it difficult for the enemy to steal the source. There
was a license agreement...
The simple answer of "no" is right in the strong sense, but there are
tricks to make life difficult for the amateur attacker.
My approach was a self-decrypting program. The "real" script was
encrypted within the body of the encasing script. For increased
obfuscation, decrypt only small pieces at a time.
