[Resolved] Script protection?

[Demeant0r]

Script protection?

Hi,

I have been noticing lately that some pirates have decided to upload my pay-to-use script on their forums/file-host and are distributing freely. It's main language is PHP. Is there any tool/code/technique the script can run to validate user before it installs on their host?

 

[Daniel]

You could try encoding it, and put in some sort of licensing tool, Although it can be broken.

If it's hosted at RapidShare or similar, send them a C&D and an abuse report (My script was taken down within 15 minutes of emailing, they take it insanely seriously), if it's hosted on a normal website, contact the registrar, and contact them via any details you can find in the Whois, it's what I did when mine was pirated and it worked.

Dan

 

[ApeXX]

In the future, you could always create a validation system where in order to use the script, you have to input a valid license key.

 

[edit]

You should always encode your scripting when selling if and where possible. Ioncube is a pretty popular service for this, they sell a program for it if you will be using it with any normal consistency, and they also have a per-file online service if you have a few files you'd like encoded.

For licensing you can try phpaudit.com they offer php licensing so only users with valid license keys can access and use your product and it also gives you the ability to suspend a license at anytime for any reason you deem fit.

 

[Peter]

In the future, you could always create a validation system where in order to use the script, you have to input a valid license key.

Having licence keys is pretty poor security unless it is coupled with the scripts being encoded. Look at vbulletin for example. This software can be downloaded very easily. All the person has to do is track down the code that activates/deactivates the software and disable it.

 

[Demeant0r]

Thanks for you advice guys, the previous full-rights owner of the script did not think to encode/license the script, so I will be getting my programmer to do it for me. Just one question, PhpAudit will encode the script?

 

[edit]

phpAudit gives you the backend to license the script, you'll still need to encode it after adding their code to it. They have bundled deals where they give you an encoder as well, but again if you only sell this one script it will be easier to setup a phpaudit account get the code you need and have the ioncube online encoder do the work for you for a couple of bucks.

 

[Keral_Patel]

http://phplockit.com/

Not an unbreakable encoding but still enough to break the morale of problem creators.

You can use expiry dates and features like domain lock.