Slashdot Mirror


On the (Im)possibility of Obfuscating Programs

sl956 writes: "We all know that anybody using the words 'tamper resistant' to describe a software-based solution is incompetent at best. But some of the big players in the DRM field are believing in software-only protection schemes (see Cloakware, Hitachi, IBM or Intel). A mostly unnoticed paper presented to CRYPTO'01 (Santa Barbara, CA, August 19-23, 2001, LNCS vol.2139) *proved* the impossibility of efficiently obfuscating programs. It is the mathematical proof of the impossibility of a software-only DRM system on an untrusted client such as a PC. There are also a lot of interesting theoretical side-effects. You can read the html abstract here, or the postcript full paper here." The paper is from last year, but that doesn't make its conclusion less interesting. (Of course, even hardware isn't always all that secure, either.)

7 of 215 comments (clear)

  1. rm by tanveer1979 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    who says u cant obfuscate.
    rm -> obfuscate to white space

    --
    My Aurora : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o91ZsGwJYyg
    FB : https://www.facebook.com/TanveersPhotography
  2. 8th post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    neener neeer neenrer! :-p

  3. ...damn! by rnicey · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    A lot obviously because I trust IE with my data. It just lost my last post.

    F#*k

  4. Re:Ask Slashdot! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I would suggest asking her to "tuck" back in her anus. if this doesn't work, perhaps she just needs to have her anal glands expressed, like they do with your dog at the vet. This is a fairly easy procedure and can be done using a rake and an exacto knife. good luck

  5. Re:software protection by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Software wants to be free. You should consider giving your software away. That is the best way.

  6. Blah, too much coffee today! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Its 3 am and I'm awake for no reason. Worse is
    I'm reading /.

  7. Re:Ask Slashdot! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    dump her. anyone with a lumpy pooper can't be trusted.