Installing Protected Software Product Using Unprotected Installation Image

• US 20090083730A1
• Filed: 09/22/2008
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (FIG LLC (d/b/a Fortress Investment Group LLC))
• Original Assignee: Uniloc Luxembourg S.à r.l. (f/k/a Uniloc Luxembourg S.A.) (Uniloc Corporation Pty. Limited)
• Inventors: Richardson, Ric B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,160,962 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/175
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]

Abstract

An installation image for installing an unprotected software product is used to install a protected version of the same product. A protected version of the executable file is embedded in a new installation image with the original installation image, in which the unprotected version of the executable file is damaged so as to be unusable and unreadable. The new installation image causes the original installation image to operate, installing the damaged installation file and other data files. The new installation image then replaces the damaged installation file with the protected installation file.

Claims

1. A method for installing a protected software product using an unprotected installation image, comprising:

initiating an installation process on a client computer system for installation of a protected software product;

in response to initiating the installation process, installing an unprotected software executable file included in a first installation image into the client computer system;

deleting the unprotected software executable from the client computer system after installing the unprotected software and before terminating the installation process; and

writing a protected version of the software executable to a memory of the client computer in place of the unprotected software executable that is deleted from the client computer system, to complete installation of the protected software product.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein installing the unprotected software executable file includes installing only a damaged version of the unprotected software executable that is deliberately damaged so as to be inoperable.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein installing the unprotected software executable file is performed using an installation executable included in the first installation image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein writing the protected software executable to the memory comprises saving the protected software executable as an executable file in a file system of the client computer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein saving the protected software executable as an executable file comprises assigning a file name to the executable file that is identical to a prior file name previously used to save the unprotected software executable in the file system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein writing the protected software executable as an executable file causes the unprotected software executable to be overwritten and deleted from the file system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the installation process is performed using a second installation image comprising the first installation image, the protected software executable, a first executable for initiating the installation process, and second executable for writing the protected version of the software executable to the client memory.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising reading the installation image from a computer-readable medium.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the installation image at the client computer from a remote server.

10. A computer-readable medium encoded with instructions comprising:

initiating an installation process on a client system for installation of a protected software executable;

in response to initiating the installation process, installing an unprotected software executable file included in a first installation image into the client computer system;

deleting the unprotected software executable from the client system after installing the unprotected software and before terminating the installation process; and

writing the protected software executable to a memory of the client computer in place of the unprotected software executable that is deleted from the client computer system, to complete installation of the protected software product.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further encoded with instructions for installing only a damaged version of the unprotected software executable that is deliberately damaged so as to be inoperable.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further encoded with instructions for installing the unprotected software executable file using an installation executable included in the first installation image.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further encoded with instructions for saving the protected software executable as an executable file in a file system of the client.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further encoded with instructions for assigning a file name to the executable file that is identical to a prior file name previously used to save the unprotected software executable in the file system.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further encoded with instructions for writing the protected software executable as an executable file, thereby causing the unprotected software executable to be overwritten and deleted from the file system.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further encoded with instructions for initiating the installation process using a second installation image comprising the first installation image, the protected software executable, a first executable for initiating the installation process, and second executable for writing the protected software executable to the client memory.

17. A method for altering an unprotected software installation image to install a protected software version of an unprotected executable file included in the installation image, instead of installing the unprotected executable file, the method comprising:

receiving a first installation image configured for installing a first executable file in a target computer;

receiving a second executable file that is identical in function to the first software executable file except for incorporating additional code configured to protect the second executable file from unauthorized use;

receiving a third executable file configured for replacing the first executable file with the second executable file in a computer-readable medium, in response to completion of installation of the first executable file in the computer-readable medium; and

integrating the first installation image, the second executable file, and the third executable file to produce a second installation image configured for installing the second executable file instead of the first executable file.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving a fourth executable file configured for initiating operation of the first installation image on the target computer.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising integrating the fourth executable file into the second installation image.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising disabling the first executable file included in the second installation image so as to render the first executable file inoperable.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising irreversibly altering information in the first executable file to disable the first executable file.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising randomly altering information in the first executable file to disable the first executable file.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising transmitting the second installation image to a target computer.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising writing the second installation image to a computer-readable medium.