Piracy is a Costly, But Preventable, Global Problem

Globally, software piracy costs companies tens of billions of dollars in licensing revenue every year.There are several reasons for the problem. Many countries have very relaxed intellectual property standards and if anti-piracy laws are on the books, they are rarely enforced. This relaxed culture around software and intellectual property rights allows pirates to search for ways to circumvent your licensing system with little danger of retribution. These blatant attackswill put a strain on your software and business model, making it imperative you consider licensing security.

Unlicensed software usage comes in two forms: unknowingly and knowingly disregarding licensing systems. Both types of piracy can be prevented using hardware-based software licensing, which we discussed in a recent post, “Key Factors When Considering Hardware-Based Software Licensing.” Preventing unintended license abuse can be achieved with a simple licensing system. When it comes to deterring malicious attempts to circumvent monetization systems in place, security of the system should be a top priority. 

Secure Software Licensing, the Best and Only Line of Defense

The security of software licensing needs to be analyzed in depth because it is the only line of defense between your application and software pirates.  The higher the security of your software licensing system, the more piracy you will prevent. The value? You’ll generate more revenue and unlock access to high-risk markets that you couldn’t previously sell into.

KEYLOK has designed its security systems with these licensing features to help you realize the revenue you should from your existing customer base and build new relationships:

• Proprietary Encryption – KEYLOK encrypts communication between the dongle and the secured application, invalidating the common tactic of sniffing values being passed between the two.
• Anti-Debugger – A common tactic of software pirates is to debug software to see where licensing information is stored in source code so it can be avoided. The Anti-Debugger prevents would-be attackers from debugging the application to review source code.
• CodeVault – CodeVault allows you to store and execute application critical code directly on the dongle. If a pirate were to gain access to your source code, it would be useless to them because the most important piece of your code would be missing.
• Cryptographic Algorithms – KEYLOK gives you the ability to store and execute cryptographic functions from the Fortress dongle. You utilize SHA-1, RSA, and DES algorithms to encrypt data inside the application increasing the security of your application.

So, when you are developing new applications or enhancing your current solutions, keep this adage in mind: “Think globally and secure licenses locally.” It just might save you a whole lot of money.

If you would like to discuss further how KEYLOK can secure your software please contact us.