MCFACT has been designed to link program code with a specific security hardware. Linking program code with a security hardware is the basis for software copy protection.

Software Copy Protection
The protected software product is comprised of MCFACT protected program code and a security hardware. Without the security hardware the software product is incomplete and can not be executed.

For software copy protection a solid link between program code and a security hardware is necessary. In MCFACT, the hardware link is realized by an MCFACT-protected crypto-service which itself is an integral part of the MCFACT-protected code of the application. That crypto-service communicates with a complementary crypto-service running inside a security hardware. The MCFACT-protected code is tamper-proof and removal of the hardware link results in program malfunction. The security of the MCFACT hardware link is based on the hard mathematical problem of large finite automata decomposition and the complexity of the crypto-service.

Link to Security Hardware
In theory, the MCFACT hardware link can be implemented with any programmable security hardware. The highest level of security is achieved with hardware that has tamper-resistant properties:

• Smart-Cards
• Crypto-Processors
• Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC)
• Digital Signal Processors (DSP)
• Micro Controllers

The Syncrosoft USB-eLicenser™, the hardware part of Syncrosoft’s software copy protection solution, is smart-card based.

Link to a Remote Server
Instead of using client-side security hardware, the MCFACT hardware link can also be implemented by using a remote server that provides the necessary crypto-services.