Protect Hub
Library
Official articles, defensive only, arranged in paths and tied to the matching layer of armour
Fundamentals
- Why a binary can never keep a shared secretEverything inside the file you ship can be read. An API key, a password or a decryption key shared by every buyer is a key for everyone. A sound design leaves only public material in the file.No Embedded Secrets · 4 min read
- Signing requests and responses: what each signature provesThe device's signature proves a request came from that machine unchanged. The app's signature proves the answer came from the real server. Missing either one leaves a door open.Response Signing · 4 min read
- Let the server hold the verdictAn if-statement in a binary can be patched to always be true. What cannot be patched is data or computation that only the server hands out, and only to a valid session.Server-Side Enforcement · 4 min read
- A threat model for a licensed desktop applicationBefore choosing tools, list who wants what, what they hold and what you lose if they succeed. Most real-world risk comes from key sharing, not from reverse-engineering experts.Threat Signals · 6 min read
Network
- Stopping replays: nonces, time and binding to the requestA valid request recorded once stays valid if the server does not remember seeing it. One-time nonces, a narrow time window and short sessions close this attack together.Replay Protection · 3 min read
- TLS pinning without locking yourself outPinning stops intercepting proxies even when the machine trusts a forged certificate. Done carelessly, it can cut every shipped build off the moment you change certificates.Certificate Pinning · 4 min read
Devices
- Device identity that is hard to fake: TPM, Secure Enclave and fingerprintsComponent fingerprints change easily and are easy to spoof. A key created inside a security chip cannot be copied off the machine. Together they recognise real machines without punishing honest users.Device Binding (Node Locking) · 5 min read
- Safe offline licenses: signed tokens, short lives, untrusted clocksWorking without a network is convenient, but every offline day is a day a revoked license keeps running. Signed tokens, short lifetimes and rewind detection keep both promises.Signed Offline License · 4 min read
Integrity
- Integrity, anti-debug, anti-hook: layers of defence and their real limitsIntegrity and anti-debug checks make analysis costlier, but they run on the attacker's machine and can always be switched off. Use them as signals sent to the server, not as the last wall.Build Integrity Verification · 5 min read
- Obfuscation and virtualization: costs, benefits and known weak spotsPackers and code virtualization raise the time needed for analysis, paid for in performance, size and antivirus false positives. Wrap the parts that matter instead of wrapping everything.Code Obfuscation · 5 min read
Operations
- Detecting cracks in the wild: signals and tuning thresholdsCracked builds leave traces on the server: bad signatures, replays, one key on too many machines, unknown builds. Watch them as a scoring system, not as separate alarms.Graduated Enforcement · 5 min read
- Watermarking licenses to trace a leakWhen a cracked copy appears, the first question is which license it came from. A hidden mark tied to the buyer and the machine answers it without guessing.Forensic Watermarking · 4 min read