German company Wibu-Systems has developed a security encryption that seems unhackable. Hundreds of professional hackers from around the world were given the chance in a competition of sorts to hack a game protected with the so-called Blurry Box but no one succeeded.
The makers of the Blurry Box are thus hopeful that their encryption could potentially be a solution against illegal hackers. Participants in the hacker competition spent three weeks trying to hack the game. The idea was that they had to modify the computer game in such a way that it functioned just like the original without internet connection and security. Only two of the participating hackers thought than their mission was successful and submitted their results to an independent panel of IT security scientists. Their findings turned out to be not good enough. The €50,000 prize to be won thus passed them by.
CodeMeter
Wibu-Systems has been protecting digital know-how for about 30 years. It previously launched CodeMeter, a solution for protecting software and smart devices from piracy, product counterfeiting, software reverse engineering and code manipulation. One of CodeMeter's most essential components is its encryption mechanism: the AxProtector module encrypts the compiled software in a completely autonomous way; the IxProtector module, later integrated into AxProtector, finds individual functions for better protection against typical cracking techniques and encrypts them as well.
Delay mechanisms
But complex and sensitive software, increasingly used in production processes, need stronger protection. In 2014, together with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and research centre FZI, Wibu-Systems won first prize at the 'German IT Security Awards' for the Blurry Box they developed. Since then, the encryption concept has been integrated into CodeMeter, making it even more responsive to counter the global need for better software protection. The technology selects, duplicates, modifies and encrypts individual functions. Traps and decryption delay mechanisms stop brute force attacks by hackers. According to the makers, the robust security concept ensures that hackers are even better off building software themselves 'from scratch' than stealing it.
"In today's world, wars are increasingly being fought digitally," said Oliver Winzenried, CEO of Wibu-Systems. "Industry 4.0, IoT applications and digitised services need to be protected with the most stringent security measures. Our mission is to put our important values in business and private life in safe hands."
Prof Dr Norbert Pohlmann, one of the judges adds: "In my view, it is a great idea for developers to give 'hackers' the chance to crack their products in a public competition. It gives transparency on how secure and reliable the products are and the contest gives participants the opportunity to learn more about IT security. And that's important for the future."
By: Kelly Bakker
Source: Wibu-Systems
