Why using exe compressors?

[Caliber]

what does

http://fileforums.com/showthread.php?t=89266

have to do with anything? is this supposed to save you or something?

anyways, the only reason things are being packed is to try and prevent people from prying into the code of the .exe, especially with simple tools like IDA PRO which can map the entire flow of a program pretty quickly (and thus you can reverse it faster and kill it). i leave it up to pysch to say if it's helpful or harmful, although i have seen some big named trainer makers create problems for themselves by using packers (the antivirus programs flag them as suspicious sometimes).

unfortunately, once the .exe is in 'memory', then you can still reverse it (as evidenced by the thousands of REVERSED and RIPPED PROTECTIONS of the .exe's posted on the gamecopyworld.com site (which clearly defies the EULA agreements to these games, LOL) that had/have packers and such attached to them). so to me it's a wasted step and introduces more 'potential' problems in the end. however, it will keep the newbs out i guess.

either the creator of the .exe doesn't want you to see their code because they don't want you copying it, or the code has nefarious things in it...which is why AV flags them more often..

my 2 cents-

best,
Cal

[[Psych]]

Originally Posted by [Psych]

Light protection from reversing by newbs

Originally Posted by Caliber

however, it will keep the newbs out i guess

As already stated ^

Originally Posted by Cowsheep

Find oep, dump, fix iat. For me, muping Pecompact or other packers is not harder then UPX.

I don't protect my releases from 'you'. I'm not sure what sort of response you're wanting Cowsheep.. :/

[Joe Forster/STA]

I know that UPX can be told to uncompress EXE's compressed by itself but aren't there some little obfuscators that make UPX-compressed EXE's - if not uncompressable but, at least, - hard to decompress? I'm just asking because the price of the compressor was mentioned, too, and UPX is free.