New Security == Game File Protection?

[Ray Beez]

Has anyone looked into the new security implementations in Flash 8 and determined how, if at all, it benefits us game authors who wish to protect our files from A. Decompilers and B. File copiers (maybe C. Hot linkers).

I read the sticky. Nothing's been mentioned since Flash 8 came out.

[SaphuA]

Haven't been realy bussy with protection since Flash 8..
More enjoying all the sweet new features

But do you mean that Flash 8 has given us more options to secure our swf files?
I'd actualy be very intersted into hearing more about this...

~Sph

[tonypa]

Sadly, I dont see any improvements in that area.

[WilloughbyJackson]

I'm not sure if it's new but you can set it so all files loaded into the SWF MUST be from X server. If it's not on X server, it won't work...

[DancingOctopus]

I'm not sure if it's new but you can set it so all files loaded into the SWF MUST be from X server. If it's not on X server, it won't work...

Any sort of in-swf protection is pointless if anyone can simply bust open their decompiler and change the file as they want.

[Ray Beez]

I was reading the Security whitepaper and they mentioned 3 sandboxes.

Administrator
Web
Author

It's the "author" level security that made me think, maybe files can be secured so only the "author" can use them.

I dunno, that whole paper was a bit confusing and perhaps I misinterpreted some of it.

[tonypa]

I was reading the Security whitepaper and they mentioned 3 sandboxes.

Administrator
Web
Author

It's the "author" level security that made me think, maybe files can be secured so only the "author" can use them.

I believe the "author" mode happens when you test your movie in the Flash. Once swf is created, it has nothing to do with "author" mode anymore.

Whole 50 pages of security whitepaper never even mention protection of swf content, preventing decompiling or hotlinking. These are obviously no "security" issues for Macromedia.

[mark_horsell]

The security whitepaper is here:
http://weblogs.macromedia.com/mesh/a...lash_8_pla.cfm

As far as i understand any code in any language can in theory be decompiled, so i think the point about obfuscation is the only way to stop people understanding what your code does, if they do go to that much trouble.

Much of the new security seems to do with accessing data across domains with cross policy files, i think these were first introduced in mx2004 but now there are a few more options.

[mr_malee]

my solution: code your game with a mixture of 10 languages

[Markp.com]

The problem is SWF is an open format. So unless that changes anytime soon anyone, in theory, can convert your SWF into another format, or rebuild it to an FLA again.

You can make it difficult for people to get your work, but at the end of the day, if they want it bad enough they are going to take it.

Its sad, but there isn't much else we can do as developers...

[tonypa]

Java and .NET both provide obfuscator as standard tool, I dont see any reason why it should not be included in Flash too. It doesnt prevent all thieves, but anything to make stealing more difficult is welcomed.

Yet, we have now Flash8 and it has exactly same code protection (meaning "none") as we had with Flash4. Which shows how much MM is supporting developers in this area (meaning "not at all"). If MM would want to improve code protection, they could do it, doesnt matter if its 100% secure or not, but they havent done anything to improve it.

[Gloo pot]

I think thats fair poor of them, but then even if they did do something people will find ways around it and then that time spent on protecting out stuff was just a big fat waist...

What can they do to protect our work being a game or not?

[mr_malee]

Only fool proof solution i could see would be a sytem like steam with halflife 2. Everytime a swf is created through the flash enviroment it would check a master server for a flash developer account and then authenticate the users flash program. From what i've heard and know steam has not yet been cracked!

But that is really impracticle, being connected to the Internet everytime you press CTRL+ENTER in flash would really pee me off.

[Hereje]

You could trap CTRL+ENTER if you put the command

fscommand("trappallkeys","true");

at the beginning of your movie.