Flash MX source files unsafe??

[lcamplin]

I received a seminar email that boasts being able to crack into any Flash MX source files. Is this really true?

Here's the quote:

"You’ll discover the secret techniques hidden in any Flash movie that inspires you. You gain immediate access to every hidden element of a Flash movie including their coveted Action Script source code which you can cut and paste for use in your own movies."

[aashu.com]

yeah ... u got to know this today?

[MrBoris]

Opening a Flash MX source file is easy - you just doubleclick it.

Maybe you mean "crack open a .swf file" ?

[Hannibal Smith]

Why would anyone get access to your fla files? I think you worry more about the security of your network / computer than a single or a group of file(s).

[enpstudios]

SWF Browser from livetronix can view your AS, steal your sound, pics, just about everything.

[lcamplin]

I meant to say the compiled file. The livetronix appears to do it with version 4 and 5 but will it do it with MX.

The primary concern is protecting company intellectual property.


Is there an obfuscator available?

Find it hard to believe Macromedia would provide a programming environment without a way to protect your work.

[NerdInside]

FlashToolset 1.1 will work with Flash MX. Sound, MC's, everything BUT actionscript. It can even remove the password protection from the files. ActionScript Viewer will view ActionScript from 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 but I'm not sure with MX.

If you think its unsafe, then don't use it. What is safer? Java? Just placing an image in a HTML page? No, Java can be decompilied and an HTML can be stolen so easy.
[Edited by NerdInside on 04-11-2002 at 05:24 PM]

[ericlin]

swf file is an open file format.

If your Flash MX swf is published with "compression" option unchecked, it is nearly the same as Flash 5 swf. Action viewer, flasm can handle it easily.

If the MX swf is in compressed form, it can be uncompressed with gzip algorithm. Then every thing in it can be peeked.

[MikeChambers]

fyi

this is discussed in the:

Macromedia Flash MX Security Whitepaper

avaliable at :

http://www.macromedia.com/desdev/

(i dont have the exact link handy right now).

mike chambers

mesh@macromedia.com

[opalu]

i found the MX security whitepaper:
http://www.macromedia.com/software/flash/whitepapers/

[pixelFresh]

I have seen the products mentioned above extract my Actionscript in Flash 5, so I'm sure it's a matter of time
before the same can be done for MX. As the white paper says:

In essence, any data, variables, or Actionscript code compiled into a Macromedia Flash movie or projector should not be considered secure.

But does anyone have an idea of how the software works? I would imagine that with a bit of work you could scramble your code, put it in odd places, #include it or whatever to get around these apps.

Anybody know?

[nmain]

#include has no effect on the generated SWF - it is only a convenience in the Flash authoring environment.

You might be able to fool some tools by writing the ActionScript bytecode directly using one of the SWF generation libraries (requires major programming skills) - but any ActionScript compiled by Flash is easily decompiled.

Until the tools catch up to Flash MX one thing you can do is put code in #initclip blocks. That places the code in a place in the SWF that is unique to MX.

[opalu]

swf is an open format:

http://www.openswf.org/

thats the reason why anybody (with knowledge) can write software that writes or interprets swf-files.
open software has great advantages.
but there must be a workaround, i didn´t thought about this before i read this thread.

anybody an idea?

[opalu]

open software has great advantages.

»open software« has also great advantages, but i ment »open formats«

[feiken]

Our actionscript protector is under beta-test.
It prevents swf files from being hacked by "SWF Browser", ActionScript Viewer 2.0/2.5, "SWF Decompiler", swfdump etc.
It will be kicked out soon

[opalu]

any links? i´m very interested.