SIMULTANEOUS TAMPER-PROOFING AND ANTI-PIRACY PROTECTION OF SOFTWARE

• US 20090183263A1
• Filed: 01/15/2008
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sabella, Vito Joseph, Khoo, Boo Boon, McMichael, Lonny Dean
• Granted Patent: US 8,239,967 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/125 by manipulating the program code, e.g. source code, compiled code, interpreted code, machine code

Abstract

Simultaneous tamper-proofing and anti-piracy protection of software is provided by splitting applications into two parts: an application, and an application launcher. The application is subject to the tamper-proofing protections deployed by a networked service, while the application launcher is subject to anti-piracy protections. To ensure that the application benefits from the anti-piracy protection of the application launcher, the application and application launcher share a trusted challenge-response relationship. The application includes a challenger library for issuing challenges to the application launcher, and the application launcher includes a responder library for responding to such challenges.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions, comprising:

instructions for a software application launcher;

instructions for a corresponding software application;

said software application and said software application launcher each comprising instructions for performing an initial handshake with each other to establish a shared secret;

said software application comprising instructions for generating a plurality of challenges to said software application launcher, said plurality of challenges being generated after said initial handshake, and each of said plurality of challenges being generated at a different time during the execution of said software application, and each of said plurality of challenges being based on a current state of said software application at a time that a challenge is generated;

said software application launcher comprising instructions for generating responses to said plurality of challenges, said instructions for generating responses comprising at least instructions for responding to a first challenge and for updating a state of said software application launcher to prepare for responding to a next challenge;

said software application comprising instructions for disabling itself when a correct response is not timely received from said instructions for generating responses to said plurality of challenges; and

instructions for tying anti-piracy protection of said software application launcher into said instructions for generating responses to said plurality of challenges.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said instructions for anti-piracy protection comprise instructions for anti-lift protection.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said instructions for generating a plurality of challenges comprise instructions for a challenger library.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said instructions for generating responses to said plurality of challenges comprise instructions for a responder library.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 1, said software application launcher further comprising instructions for establishing a conduit for communication with said instructions for generating a plurality of challenges.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 1, said instructions for generating a plurality of challenges comprising customized inner frame instructions that are unique to said software application.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said instructions for generating responses comprise instructions for generating at least one incorrect response.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein said software application is a video game application.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein said video game application interoperates with an online gaming service.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein said online gaming service provides anti-debugging and module authentication tamper-proofing protections.

11. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for a software development kit, comprising:

at least one library comprising challenger functions and a responder functions, wherein said challenger functions and said responder functions are unique to said software development kit;

said at least one library configurable for integrating into a software application, wherein said library in said software application is configured to generate challenges to a launcher;

said at least one library configurable for integrating into a launcher corresponding to said software application, wherein said library in said launcher is configured to establish communications with said software application, and said library in said launcher is further configured to generate responses to said challenges;

instructions for protecting said software application from piracy by tying functions of said launcher to operation of anti-piracy software.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein said library in said launcher is configured to establish communications with said library in said software application by establishing a conduit for communication with said library in said software application.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein said instructions for integrating said library into a software application comprise instructions for utilizing an outer frame, base frame, and inner frame.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein said library in said launcher comprises instructions for generating at least one incorrect response.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein said pair of libraries comprise instructions for establishing a shared secret between said challenger library and responder library.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein said software application is a video game application.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein said video game application interoperates with an online gaming service.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein said online gaming service provides anti-debugging and module authentication tamper-proofing protections.

19. A method for simultaneous tamper-proofing and anti-piracy protection of software, comprising:

providing a networked service that interacts with software applications, said networked service requiring tamper-proofing protections for said software applications, said tamper-proofing protections comprising one or more of anti-debugger protection and module authentication protection;

distributing a Software Development Kit (SDK) for developing an application that interacts with said networked service;

said SDK comprising at least one library that is configurable for integration into an application launcher, said application launcher having a trusted challenge-response relationship with said application;

said at least one library comprising challenger functions for insertion into said application, and responder functions for insertion into said application launcher;

said SDK further comprising information for using anti-piracy protection to protect said application and application launcher by tying said anti-piracy protection to said application launcher, wherein said anti-piracy protection comprises at least a component for on the fly replacement of executing code pages of said application launcher.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said at least one library is unique to said SDK.