SafeNet, a software monetization provider, today announced an enhanced version of theSentinel Envelopefile-wrapper technology within its Sentinel License Development Kit (LDK), the company’s award-winning software protection, licensing and entitlement management system.
With the new AppOnChip functionality within Sentinel Envelope, software developers bind protected software to hardware keys, requiring the physical presence of the key to not only validate usage authorization but to execute the code itself, further strengthening the protection SafeNet provides to itssoftware monetization customers.
AppOnChip is a fully automated process forbinding aSentinel hardware key to protected software by forcing selected pieces of code to execute on the key. In the absence of the key, the application fails to execute. All this is done without storing any of the application code on the key itself.
AppOnChip strengthens Sentinel LDK’s robust intellectual property protection, adding to Sentinel Envelope’sstrong file encryption, code obfuscation, and anti-ebuggingfeatures.AppOnChip evolves software security to prevent the illegal use of commercial software by unauthorized users.
Like all of Sentinel Envelope’s features, AppOnChip aligns with SafeNet’s design principles by being easy to use andrequiring no source code modification. Thisfully automated process examines applications and presents a list of functions with code blocks that are compatible with AppOnChip. The protected blocks, encrypted and signed, can then be dynamically loaded and executed on the hardware key.
The key benefits of SafeNet’s AppOnChip software protection technology include:
*Stronger security—Because AppOnChip forces a small piece of code to run on the token and the results are necessary for the application to fully execute, the application will fail to execute without thehardware key. Software vendors can choose which specific code blocks
should be protected via an easy-to-use graphical interface.
*Easy implementation—The process of binding the software to the hardware key, analyzing which de can be executed on the token and converting code into token-executable form is fully automated—no engineering effortis required.
*Nothing is stored on the token—Unlike competitive solutions, all of the code resides on the hard drive of the machine running the protected application.Only at runtime, asmall piece of code is executed on the token.User memory on the key is not impacted.
*Internal processes are unaffected—Protected applications donot require versiontracking at the software vendor’s end, and key updates inthe fieldare not required for new versions of the protected software.
*No headaches for legitimate end users—AppOnChip functionality is transparent to the end user.
*Currently available at no extra cost—AppOnChip’s introductory offer is available to all vendors at no extra cost with Sentinel LDK 7.0.In future releases, the use of AppOnChip may require the purchase of a separate license module.
“Many ISVs have avoided implementing software security to the level provided by AppOnChip because it was a cumbersome, manual process,” said Michael Zunke, CTO, Software Monetization Division, SafeNet. “Now, SafeNet customers can implement token-based software execution
technology at the touch of a button. We believe that the additional security that AppOnChip delivers makes Sentinel LDK the most secure software licensing implementation available in the market.”