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Software Cracking and Keygenning

This document outlines a project focused on software cracking and keygenning, emphasizing fundamental reverse engineering techniques. The assignment consists of two parts: patching the Minesweeper game to manipulate its pseudorandom number generator and creating a keygen for a specified executable using a programming language. Students are required to document their processes and results, including code patches and key generation outputs.

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amaylsarosh
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23 views1 page

Software Cracking and Keygenning

This document outlines a project focused on software cracking and keygenning, emphasizing fundamental reverse engineering techniques. The assignment consists of two parts: patching the Minesweeper game to manipulate its pseudorandom number generator and creating a keygen for a specified executable using a programming language. Students are required to document their processes and results, including code patches and key generation outputs.

Uploaded by

amaylsarosh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Software Cracking and Keygenning

OVERVIEW
This project was designed to expand your knowledge of fundamental reverse engineering practices:
software cracking and keygenning. These tasks are basic; yet, they use many fundamental reverse
engineering techniques that are important for the reverse engineer to master.

ASSIGNMENT
This assignment is comprised of two parts. The first involves patching code to bypass security.
Introducing vulnerabilities (or rather, bypasses) is a basic software cracking practice. The second
involves reversing code and replicating its output. This is an essential technique for keygenning.

Part 1: Cracking and Patching using OllyDBG


Minesweeper is frustrating at best. You’re winning; and better yet, your time is fast. You have two tiles
left and there’s no way to determine which one has the last bomb hidden beneath it. Your time is still
counting. You choose, but you chose wrong. You’re angry, but you know you’re smarter than a
computer program. Your task is to cripple the Minesweeper program by patching the random number
assembly code using OllyDbg. Make the placement of bombs predictable for every new game.
Target the seed of the pseudorandom number generator (PRNG). Alter the code so that Minesweeper
always seeds the PRNG with the same value. Make sure to keep a clean copy of winmine.exe before you
patch the machine code. Answer the following questions:

1. Describe (precisely and accurately) how winmine.exe seeds its pseudorandom number
generator.

2. How does your patch subvert the PRNG?

3. Show your patch (e.g., Offset, Original Code, Patched Code)

4. Print and attach screenshots from multiple executions to show that the randomness of bomb
placement has been defeated. Screenshots must be distinguishably different executions (do
this by clicking on a different bomb).

Part 2: Keygenning using IDA

Reverse the machine code for keygenme.exe using IDA. Program a keygenner in Python, Java, Ruby
(Metasploit plugin language of choice), or C/C++ (please ask an instructor for permission to use any
others). No assembly code is permitted, inline or otherwise! Your keygen must randomly generate
valid keys.

1. Generate a valid key:


2. Generate another valid key:
3. Print your keygen code and staple it to this assignment sheet.

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