Cracking an Application Method One (PART 2)

[TcM]

Read Part one Before Here:
Cracking an Application Method One (PART 1)
So here comes in HIEW, so write down that address (0043B04D) and now you can close W32Dasm, no need to save. So copy the file you want to crack in the HIEW folder for easier access.

So this is HIEW:-



And as you can see it is not so user friendly so that is why I told you to copy the file into the same folder, now as you can see there is the ‘CrackMe.Exe’ scroll down to the file you are cracking and press enter to open it. Now you will see this:



Now Press F4 on your keyboard and select Hex. So you will now see this:-



You are seeing The Address (this should ring a bell in your mind) then the AAM number of the operation, and a small description of the operation, example, Add. Now Press F5 and you will see this:



Now write .the address, so in this case it is .0043B04D, DO NOT FORGET THE FULLSTOP BEFORE! As this might give you an error like range out of file. And that is not a good thing, so if that happens to you don’t give up! Just enter a fullstop before the address. So it will be something like this:



Afterwards press Enter and you will be taken to that address and the following will be displayed:



As you can see it is a jne (the same as we saw in W32Dasm! So you are on the right track. Now you can edit just the numbers so you need to know the number of the opposite operation, meaning if it is a jne, the number is 75, and the code of the je is 74, so we edit that 75 into a 74, if you want to not to display that message box you should make 90, meaning NOP, that stands for No Operation, but that does not always work while cracking applications. That is used to disable a register splash screen, usually. But this is not our case! So press F3 and write 74 instead of the 75 and press F9 to update so now this should be a je, like this:



Now press F10 to quit. Now congratulations you have cracked this application.. Can’t believe it? Let’s test it, open the cracked exe and enter anything you want.. I entered ‘I don’t care!’ and haha.. the cracked work!



Congratulations! Now the main aim of this article is to tell you how to protect yourself from such an easy method of cracking. Because this was way too easy. Well usually the solution is even simpler, Just use an EXE compressor or encrypt your EXE, this usually solves this problem.. and at least your applications will not be so easily cracked! But please not that there are other ways to crack it, even with the compressor, but that will require much more work.. so for now this should solve it!

[NeedHelp]

Excellent tutorial, one question though. What is an EXE compressor and are their free ones?

[TcM]

Well an EXE compressor is a program that usually compresses EXE files, but they still are executable on their own.. so that involves some sort of simple algorithm, so the EXE file is not so plain.. it is kinda encrypted.And I don't know of any free ones (I am not saying there are none) just search for some.. I bet you will find.. And thanks for the feedback!! It was a long tutorial!!

[John]

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[mthomas169]

worked great!

[TcM]

You are welcome! Hope that you now are able to make your software more secure.

[kassinokidd]

Nice tut , should help anyone know the basics of cracking :P

[kassinokidd]

Although, I have a question, on some programs , while using Hiew and I try to edit and Says Read Only, although that is the correct address :P.



Bleh forgot to edit the first post XD sorry double post lol

[TcM]

It is read only because you have the application open (the one you are cracking)

[kassinokidd]

Yeap, lol no wonder when I did it freshly it happened.