Security | Encryption

[hallaplay835]

Hello everyone.

Now it may be a stupid question but maybe any of you know some answer.

I have just finished a script and it is a very extensive one; the thing is I want to send it to a friend by email because it may be useful to him. But, you know, it took me more than a month to do this script, and it may have the potential to be then compiled in Visual Studio as a professional mini-app, so I do not want my friend to see how I have done the script.

The question is simple: is there any way I can send him the script (.au3 file) with the supporting files (images, assets...), and that he will be unable to view the code of the .au3 file? He has AutoIT installed on his computer so I do not need to send him any #includes, right? Once he receives the file, he will be able to run it, but not to view/edit it. He will be unable to see how I have done the script. Encrypting, protecting, anything...

And I also have a second question. I am aware that AutoIT scripts use a BASIC-like syntax. As I said before, maybe in a near future I will want to compile a good looking professional mini-application in Visual Basic. I know the Visual Basic language, and I think I would be able to code the same script in VB, but it is so extensive that it is going to be a real pain to translate all the code. Is not there some app out there that could read my .au3 file and convert it to a .vb file? Or even better, to compile it directly to an .exe file?

Thanks in advance: you are being really helpful.

Edited April 19, 2011 by hallaplay835

[smartee]

Hi hallaplay835,

In fact you can compile the script to executable form quite easily. Search the help file for compiling scripts. Good luck

-smartee

[hannes08]

Hello hallaplay,

are you using the SciTe editor? from there you have the possibility to directly Compile the autoit source to a exe.

Also you have the possibility to "obfuscate" the code so it is hard to read it and see what it actually does.

Link to AutoIT Editor SciTe

[smartee]

Hi again hallaplay835,

Here is how i usually do it. With a simple right-click

Clicking "Compile with Options" will provide you with a more advanced interface to change your applications' icon, change/add/delete resources etc. Good luck

-smartee

Edit: Placed image on a new line.

Edited April 19, 2011 by smartee

[hallaplay835]

Awesome, Hannes123 and smartee. Just what I was looking for; I did not know about this. Thanks a lot.

[Tvern]

Meh. I got interrupted while writing this post, so some of this has already been answered by ninjaposter, but I can't be bothered to retype and it still contains some usefull hints.

First of all, make sure you are using SciTE4AutoIT. The package can be found on the download page if you don't have it yet. It contains many usefull tools.

Now for your question. If you want to protect your script the first step should always be to run obfuscator. In Scite, click "Tools->Compile", or press Ctrl+F7, then activate obfuscator on the relevant tab.

Using obfuscator will make your code very hard to understand and the bigger the script, the worse it gets.

Secondly you can "compile" the script. This won't actually compile, but it does serve in making a standalone *.exe, or a *.a3x file, which can be run by people with AutoIt installed. (or through another AutoIt exe).

Either way your script won't be a plain textfile anymore and it will discourage people from stealing your code.

This will not stop anyone determined to get something that resembles your code, it is hard, if not impossible to do in any language and as interpreted languages AutoIt and VB are probably more vulnerable than true compiled languages.

Lastly I don't recall seeing a script to translate from AutoIt to VB (I think I saw the reverse) and the question would probably belong on a VB forum, rather than this one, but perhaps someone has a solution.

With the ability to make an AutoIt exe it should not be needed to translate to VB first though.

[hallaplay835]

Meh. I got interrupted while writing this post, so some of this has already been answered by ninjaposter, but I can't be bothered to retype and it still contains some usefull hints.

First of all, make sure you are using SciTE4AutoIT. The package can be found on the download page if you don't have it yet. It contains many usefull tools.

Now for your question. If you want to protect your script the first step should always be to run obfuscator. In Scite, click "Tools->Compile", or press Ctrl+F7, then activate obfuscator on the relevant tab.

Using obfuscator will make your code very hard to understand and the bigger the script, the worse it gets.

Secondly you can "compile" the script. This won't actually compile, but it does serve in making a standalone *.exe, or a *.a3x file, which can be run by people with AutoIt installed. (or through another AutoIt exe).

Either way your script won't be a plain textfile anymore and it will discourage people from stealing your code.

This will not stop anyone determined to get something that resembles your code, it is hard, if not impossible to do in any language and as interpreted languages AutoIt and VB are probably more vulnerable than true compiled languages.

Lastly I don't recall seeing a script to translate from AutoIt to VB (I think I saw the reverse) and the question would probably belong on a VB forum, rather than this one, but perhaps someone has a solution.

With the ability to make an AutoIt exe it should not be needed to translate to VB first though.

Thanks Tvern. I will follow your advice and run the obfuscator.