![]() ![]() When we convert the string into an array, we want to shuffle it so the order will be (almost) random, making it harder to analyze. ![]() ![]() W_szProcessStr += p_szOriginalStr.GetAt(i) Int w_nLength = p_szOriginalStr.GetLength() I have created a small console application named CodeProjectTest.exe which has one line:ĬString ProcessEscapeString(CString p_szOriginalStr) The methods used to obfuscate Windows-sensitive components goes way beyond obfuscating only strings but also include obfuscating function names, variables, etc. For example, Microsoft Windows'’ Patch Guard is fully obfuscated, making it harder to reverse engineer it. Large corporates use obfuscation for any sensitive software. We developed such POCįor a large government agency several years ago. Even though we could hide any communication between our program and a server, including the IP of that server, we still needed to develop an end-to-end encrypted communication protocol and obfuscate the IP address (along with other sensitive data) inside the program's file itself. There is a way to hide IP and data from sniffing tools (for example, Wireshark). However, once you communicate with a remote server, sniffing tools will show the IP and anything sent or received. The data will only be hidden from the executable file. This way, you can mask and hide sensitive data. Let's say your software connects to a remote server you store the IP being used and don't want it revealed. When the obfuscated version is used, the string won't be found. You can test each option by building an executable and searching for the string " My secret string" (Best to use Strings along with the ' Findstr' option). You will get an initialization source code to use. Instead, copy and paste your sensitive string (for example, " my secret string") and name the variable you plan to use (by default, to support UNICODE, that would be wchar_t). There is no need to run any tool or scan your project. I have written about string obfuscation in the past, but what makes this article unique is the easy method for obfuscating strings in your source code. When obfuscation is performed in commercial products, it includes obfuscating functions, API calls, and more. Furthermore, the article only describes one aspect of obfuscation, strings obfuscation. Obfuscation systems are sold for $10K+, and my tool is intended to provide you with only a small taste of what obfuscation is. Note that the tool shown in this article is a limited and elementary version to be used only for learning purposes. The advantage of obfuscation is that nothing is encrypted, so nothing needs to be decrypted. The purpose of the TinyObfuscate tool is to obfuscate, not to encrypt. Once you have added layers of encryption and thoroughly debugged the program, it's an excellent time to obfuscate it (note that an obfuscated source code is hard to maintain and update, so it's recommended to maintain the non-obfuscated version and obfuscate it before deploying a new version). Obfuscation should come last after everything else is implemented. Security always requires using several methods in conjunction with each other if one fails (or is hacked), the others will still maintain effective protection. With obfuscation, it may take longer and require more resources to find the 'needle' than just decrypting an encrypted string, which can be easily found in some cases. Obfuscation hides the needle in the haystack. When we obfuscate, we do not encrypt we are Hiding in Plain Sight. This is where obfuscation's advantage comes into play. ![]() You will achieve stronger security if you encrypt the strings and then decrypt them during runtime. Keep in mind that every lock can be broken, as at some point, anything encrypted must be decrypted to be used. The purpose of TinyObfuscate is to hide these strings.īefore we begin, remember obfuscation is NOT a form of encryption. If you take a typical executable and dive into it using any hex editor, Strings, or even Notepad :), you may find many strings among the binary data that reveal trade secrets, IP addresses, or other pieces of information, all in the form of strings you don't want to give away. The following source code-level string obfuscator can be helpful in such cases. Sometimes, you need to obfuscate strings in your program and don't want to use expensive and complex obfuscation tools (and there are quite a few out there). Obfuscation will make it harder to reverse engineer it and reveal the 'secret sauce' if your program uses an algorithm that is a trade secret. The purpose of obfuscators is to hide parts of a program's code, flow, and functionality in a way that will make them unintelligible. This article won second prize: Best C++ Article of October 2017 Introduction Download Obfuscated and original EXE - 28.1 KB. ![]()
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