Software license management

• US 8,966,646 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2012
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kelce S. Wilson
• Original Assignee: Kelce S. Wilson
• Inventors: Wilson, Kelce S.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THU HA T
• Application Number:
  US13/726,478
• Publication Number:
  US 20130340087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: 726/2, 726/4, 726/6, 726/30, 726 22- 26, 713/187, 713189-193, 717/168, 717/139, 717173-178, 711/164, 380/287
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1056 Updating check bits on partial write, i.e. read/modify/write
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/125 by manipulating the program code, e.g. source code, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2211/1085 RMW, i.e. Read-Modify-Write method for RAID systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/30181 Instruction operation extension or modification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3812 with instruction modification, e.g. store into instruction stream

Abstract

A method of managing a software license comprises loading a software program into volatile memory, obtaining authorization data, modifying a portion of the volatile memory relied upon by the program in accordance with the authorization data, executing the program, and causing the modifications to be deleted from the volatile memory. In some embodiments, selection criteria compared with the authorization data does not contain information corresponding to all of the content of the authorization data, thereby denying a software attacker the benefit of identifying and exploiting the selection criteria.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of managing a software license, executable on a processor, the method comprising:

obtaining a plurality of authorization data candidates;

loading a software program into a memory;

comparing each of the plurality of authorization data candidates with a selection criteria that does not contain information corresponding to all of the information within the authorization data;

responsive to the comparison, selecting an authorization data candidate that does not match the selection criteria;

modifying a portion of the program in the memory with the selected authorization data, wherein modifying a portion of the program comprises replacing a first byte in the memory with a second byte different from the first byte;

executing the modified program; and

deleting the modifications from memory.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the authorization data comprises information indicating a location in memory to be modified.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the authorization data comprises information indicating a manner of making the modifications.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying a portion of the program comprises changing the program from a first operable state to a second operable state.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying a portion of the program comprises changing the program from an inoperable state to an operable state.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein executing the program comprises launching the program with a launcher.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

decrypting the program prior to the modifying.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the authorization data from a plurality of authorization data candidates further comprises comparing the plurality of authorization data candidates with a plurality of selection criteria.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the second byte comprises at least a portion of a control flow instruction.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the second byte comprises at least a portion of data used in a calculation.