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So we all know VB.NET compiles to byte code. Which is extremely easy to reverse engineer and steal/crack your program. For example, I compiled a .NET program and then used a program called code reflect to get back all the code, perfectly usable.

I know that all programs can be decompiled and blah, blah blah, but is there ways to improve VB.NET's code security? I already know about Obfuscation.

user2444615
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    C/C++ programs can also be "decompiled" now.. HexRays plugin for IDAPro :-) – Aniket Inge Jun 08 '13 at 04:30
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    check out this similar question for C# and .net code. http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2478230/how-can-i-protect-my-net-assemblies-from-decompilation – SoftwareCarpenter Jun 08 '13 at 04:33
  • Technically, VB.NET is compiled into MSIL (Microsoft Intermediate Language). Byte Code is a Java thing. – Tim Jun 08 '13 at 05:20
  • @Tim The Common Intermediate Language (it changed name years ago) is a type of "bytecode" (which is a concept that predates Java by many decades). – Kitsune Jun 08 '13 at 05:46
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    Imagine that you and I are both writing competing products. You spend time making sure that I can't steal your code. I spend time working on features that our paying customers actually care about. Assuming we both have (roughly) equivalent skill sets and time available, which product do you think will end up being better? – Damien_The_Unbeliever Jun 08 '13 at 07:38
  • @Damien_The_Unbeliever yours, but it will be cracked so much no one will buy it. – user2444615 Jun 09 '13 at 02:06
  • It's sad that you think that, but provided you're selling your software at a reasonable rate, *most* people will choose to purchase it, even if a cracked one is also available. But the more "anti-piracy" measures you add, the more likely people are to opt for the cracked version because that starts to be the easier one to work with. And you've already acknowlegded in your question that, if people are sufficiently motivated, a cracked version *will* appear. – Damien_The_Unbeliever Jun 09 '13 at 03:56
  • Besides that, there is also the issues of intellectual property theft. Other companies or just individuals with no experience can just steal and modify your application as their own as VB.NET can be decompiled back to it's working code. – user2444615 Jun 09 '13 at 05:10

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