Content

• Steps
• Warnings

Ever wondered how programs are copy-protected? With the right tools, you can figure out how the program works internally and experiment with the reverse engineering process. To get started, you need a good knowledge of assembly language and hexadecimal programming and a disassembler program. With the help of the code, you can modify the DLL files to remove the need to register or purchase a program.

Steps

1. 1 Learn to program in assembly language and work with hexadecimal code. To crack most trial versions of programs, you need to have a good knowledge of assembly language, which is a low-level programming language. It is derived from machine language, and each flavor of assembly language will depend on the type of computer used. Most assembly languages ​​work with binary and hexadecimal codes.
2. 2 Install the disassembler. To examine and modify DLL files, you will need several tools, including a disassembler. An excellent choice would be IDA Pro, a disassembler and debugger. Its free version is available at https://www.hex-rays.com/products/ida/support/download_freeware, although its capabilities are significantly limited compared to the Pro version. You can also try dotPeek, a DLL-aware decompiler that translates .NET assembly code into C #. Another option is OllyDBG, which allows you to open DLL files for free.
3. 3 Open the program you want to crack with a disassembler. The process will be slightly different depending on which disassembler you are using. You will see which DLL files the program is loading. Use a debugger to determine which functions are calling the DLL files.
4. 4 Find the counter function. Many copy protection programs use a timer, and when it is cleared, access to the program is denied to the user. Your task is to find and bypass this counter.
   • If the selected program uses a different form of protection, you need to find it instead of the counter.
5. 5 Set a breakpoint on the counter. When you highlight the counter function, use the disassembler to recover the code at that breakpoint. This will allow you to examine the code that is used during the call to the counter function.
6. 6 Change the counter code. Now that you have found the code for the counter function, you can change it so that the counter never reaches its final reference point. For example, you can make it so that the counter cannot reach the end point or jump over it.
7. 7 Compile the cracked program again. After using the disassembler and editing, you need to compile the new version of the program for your changes to propagate to DLL files and other dependencies.

Warnings

• Software piracy is illegal, so proceed at your own risk.
• Hacking most programs is illegal.