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Re: python obfuscate

References <c17a58f4-e22d-4531-beb4-d810ec4b2857@googlegroups.com> <CAN1F8qX4=AFo9X61MtE=GDuQ175pfJxy-56kEsb4mD_6aA5X1w@mail.gmail.com>
Date 2014-04-11 16:10 +1000
Subject Re: python obfuscate
From Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com>
Newsgroups comp.lang.python
Message-ID <mailman.9176.1397196638.18130.python-list@python.org> (permalink)

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On Fri, Apr 11, 2014 at 4:00 PM, Joshua Landau <joshua@landau.ws> wrote:
> But I do warn that it's adding another abstracting step that
> doesn't improve - it probably harms - the overall usability of the
> product. Further, a determined hacker can circumvent it, much as they
> can circumvent everything else.

I had this argument with my boss at work about obfuscating our
JavaScript code. He said that he was extremely concerned that nobody
should be able to rip off all his code; I said that anybody could
still rip it off, just by using the code exactly the way the browser
would. The *ONLY* advantage you can possibly get from an obfuscation
system is that your users can't easily figure out what's going on
internally; they can still, by definition, run the program unchanged.

If you run obfuscated code through a prettifier (or a decompiler and
then a prettifier, as the case may be), you end up with something
that's practically indistinguishable from poorly-commented code. Sure,
it's not as nice to work with as something with helpful variable names
and comments, but it's far from impossible.

ChrisA

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Thread

python obfuscate Wesley <nispray@gmail.com> - 2014-04-10 18:29 -0700
  Re: python obfuscate Tobiah <toby@tobiah.org> - 2014-04-10 18:48 -0700
    Re: python obfuscate Wesley <nispray@gmail.com> - 2014-04-10 19:14 -0700
    Re: python obfuscate Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2014-04-10 20:23 -0600
  Re: python obfuscate Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2014-04-11 11:41 +1000
    Re: python obfuscate Wesley <nispray@gmail.com> - 2014-04-10 19:17 -0700
      Re: python obfuscate Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2014-04-10 20:28 -0600
        Re: python obfuscate Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2014-04-11 16:19 +0000
      Re: python obfuscate Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2014-04-11 13:12 +1000
      Re: python obfuscate Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2014-04-11 06:53 +0100
      Re: python obfuscate Sturla Molden <sturla.molden@gmail.com> - 2014-04-11 09:17 +0000
      Re: python obfuscate Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2014-04-11 04:22 -0600
        Re: python obfuscate Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2014-04-11 11:44 +0000
      Re: python obfuscate Sturla Molden <sturla.molden@gmail.com> - 2014-04-11 12:42 +0000
  Re: python obfuscate Joshua Landau <joshua@landau.ws> - 2014-04-11 07:00 +0100
  Re: python obfuscate Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-04-11 16:10 +1000
  Re: python obfuscate Sturla Molden <sturla.molden@gmail.com> - 2014-04-11 09:17 +0000
  Re: python obfuscate Sturla Molden <sturla.molden@gmail.com> - 2014-04-11 09:17 +0000
  Re: python obfuscate Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-04-11 19:40 +1000
    Re: python obfuscate cl@isbd.net - 2014-04-11 13:32 +0100
      Re: python obfuscate Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-04-11 22:47 +1000
      Re: python obfuscate Sturla Molden <sturla.molden@gmail.com> - 2014-04-11 13:06 +0000
      Re: python obfuscate Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2014-04-11 14:10 +0100
    Re: python obfuscate Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2014-04-11 16:22 +0000
  Re: python obfuscate alister <alister.nospam.ware@ntlworld.com> - 2014-04-11 13:07 +0000
    Re: python obfuscate Sturla Molden <sturla.molden@gmail.com> - 2014-04-11 14:00 +0000
      Re: python obfuscate Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2014-04-11 16:27 +0000
        Re: python obfuscate Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2014-04-12 00:49 +0000
          Re: python obfuscate Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2014-04-12 14:52 +1000
  Re: python obfuscate Mark H Harris <harrismh777@gmail.com> - 2014-04-11 10:09 -0500
    Re: python obfuscate Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-04-12 01:22 +1000
    Re: python obfuscate Sturla Molden <sturla.molden@gmail.com> - 2014-04-11 16:13 +0000
    Re: python obfuscate Sturla Molden <sturla.molden@gmail.com> - 2014-04-11 16:13 +0000
      Re: python obfuscate CM <cmpython@gmail.com> - 2014-04-11 22:01 -0700
        Re: python obfuscate Sturla Molden <sturla.molden@gmail.com> - 2014-04-12 12:07 +0000
          Re: python obfuscate CM <cmpython@gmail.com> - 2014-04-12 20:14 -0700
  Re: python obfuscate Michael Torrie <torriem@gmail.com> - 2014-04-11 09:19 -0600
  Re: python obfuscate Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-04-12 01:30 +1000
  Re: python obfuscate Joshua Landau <joshua@landau.ws> - 2014-04-11 22:48 +0100
  Re: python obfuscate Denis McMahon <denismfmcmahon@gmail.com> - 2014-04-12 07:48 +0000
  Re: python obfuscate Stefan Behnel <stefan_ml@behnel.de> - 2014-04-13 06:58 +0200

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