swf security issue (PIRATES, ooh, aahh!)

[lancashireDavid]

ok, this is the problem....

i'm making a CD full of about 20 different slides (flash movies, all interactive & using plenty of code)

i can create an auto-running menu page, which loads the other slides into it using loadMovie (etc) - the trouble is, this makes it possible for anyone to just take the swfs from the folder on the disc & create a website around them (by creating a simple menu page of their own, for instance)

(because the swfs themselves are pretty much stand-alone movies)

so, i was thinking, is there a different way of doing this???

for instance, making all the swfs into exe files & having an auto-running menu page that loads flash exe's rather than swfs???

maybe this is a daft question, i dunno (my flash projector skills/knowledge is practically zilch). i have tried it, but nothing seemed to happen

i may just think f**k it, & give my client a flash projector exe + a load of easily copiable swfs. it just seems a little bit slack though (not very secure, no protection against someone stealing the work he's paying for, etc)


i could re-engineer every slide so that they'll fit inside single movie clips in one master fla, but that'd take ages. i might have'ta do it though

anyway, any help'd be appreciated

dave

[lancashireDavid]

i think i've solved it!!!!

all you do, is tell the swf you're loading to only play if a variable in its _parent clip (the flash projector menu page) is set to a certain value - this value being set when you launch the swf by clicking on a menu item

is this elementary or am i missing something?

[lancashireDavid]

please forgive the title - an (admittedly poor) attempt to inject a bit of glamour (& thus interest) into the somewhat unglamourous world of flash "security"

question is this...

i'm making a flash presentation (for CD delivery, as it happens - not that it matters), comprising a menu page & 20 odd slides (swfs) - each of which load into a holder movieClip on the menu page using loadMovie

so far, so ordinary

now currently, it'll be easy for anyone who gets the CD to take the 20 swfs (as they're all standalone interactive movies), create a container webpage for them (to replace the flash projector one on the CD), and make a create, online version of the CD my client is paying me (admittedly far too little) money to make

so what i've done is make it so the slides need a security variable to be set on the menu page, just before they load - otherwise, they don't work

which seems to do the trick!

leastways, the swfs don't function on their own & the flash-projector-exe-file-menu-page-thing is no good to anyone who wants to use it to create an online free version (as far as i know)

or am i missing something?????? (this being my question)

or to put it another way, is there a way for anyone to overcome this relatively simple security feature - such as by deconstructing the swf or something, someone getting at the actionscript, & so copy the product?

anyways, help would be appreciated

dave


P.S: in case u're wondering, i'd be very surprised if anyone was interested in the product enough to copy it (unless they were either very bored, or have my social life). it's just that, as someone is paying for it, some level of security seems appropriate

[albinus]

SoThink SWF Decompiler can crack open just about any SWF and show you what it's made of. If you're that worried about security, a quick google search for encrypting CDs resulted in this: http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&q=encrypt+CD and it looks like there's a lot of solutions for you.

[mcmcom]

any security feature can be overcome, a simple one, would probably be simple to overcome. There are literally thousands of posts on this forum that discuss obfusication, security, protecting .swfs, etc but the bottom line is all you can do is make it harder for someone to crack it, never totally secure. That being said your "security variable" idea, while simple in implementation is actually quite a good deterant for anyone. Even though they could break up the swf with a decompiler and look for the variables you need from the menu the bottom line is most of them will not. If anything they will probably just try to incorporate the .swfs into another flash movie. So its a pretty good start at securing them.

hth,
mcm

[lancashireDavid]

cheers mcmcom-ears. that's just what i wanted to hears