[ok] [extropy-chat] [comp] Protect an exe?

[Henrique Moraes Machado]

Well, 
As far as I know, there's no way of bulletproofing an EXE against viruses. But there are a few thing you could do to give a little protection to your users:
1. Dont send the executable as an attachment. Put it on a web server and send the link to the users.
2. Find some CRC32 algorithm (there are some on the net) and use it on your EXE. CRC32 if far more accurate to determine changes in a file than simply checking it's size. Publish the CRC32 of your file on the same web server and have the program to perform a test when it starts. Then if the result differs from the published, it means the EXE has been tampered.
3. Test your EXE with your antivirus program and state it on the server (and in your email). Something like "The program has been tested with superwhateverscan antivirus and is virus free certified". Than if the user gets some virus he can't blame you.

Sorry for the bad english. Not my native language, you know.


-----Mensagem Original----- 
De: "Emlyn O'regan" <oregan.emlyn at healthsolve.com.au>
Para: "Extropy (E-mail)" <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
Enviada em: segunda-feira, 26 de janeiro de 2004 23:22
Assunto: [ok] [extropy-chat] [comp] Protect an exe?


| Hi all,
| 
| I thought I'd ask a technical question of all you software-literate extros
| out there.
| 
| I've put an executable together for promoting my wife's opera via the office
| e-mail joke network; it's got dancing teapots, a little game, music samples,
| etc.
| 
| I wish it wasn't an exe, but I had to use what I already know (ie: Delphi)
| to get it done quickly. Future efforts will probably be shockwave.
| 
| So I'm in this position where I'll be trying to convince all and sundry to
| download & run, or email, an executable. Bad me.
| 
| Here's the question... Does anyone know how to make an exe detect that it's
| file size has changed, and warn the user if it has (because it's probably
| been virus infected)? Or any other way to make an exe protect itself /
| detect problems? I'd ideally like to find a method that doesn't involve
| coding (ie: something that takes and exe and modifies it after the fact),
| but I might be willing to add code for really cool solutions. I just want to
| protect the users as much as possible, and make sure that an virus picked up
| has very little chance of spreading further.
| 
| Thanks,
| Emlyn
| 
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