What is an Obfuscator?
An obfuscator is a process or device that is intended to make a program more difficult to understand. Generally, the approach of the obfuscator is to take a program that is relatively straightforward and make the underlying code more complex. While the end user is not likely to notice a difference in the way the code runs, the function of the obfuscator makes it harder to hack the code and hijack the program. From this perspective, using this type of tool can be seen as a security measure. The name for the device or process is borrowed from the word “obfuscate,” which refers to complicating a verbal presentation in an attempt to confuse or bewilder. In like manner, the obfuscator seeks to make the process of comprehending the code somewhat perplexing. This essentially makes it harder for the code to be undermined, since the real meat of the code is so deeply buried or obfuscated that it is hard to extract the essential working portions of the code. There are several program languages t
Obfuscate def. To make so confused or opaque so as to be difficult to perceive or understand: “A great effort was made to obscure or obfuscate the truth.” (Robert Conquest) An Obfuscator is an entity that makes some object difficult to perceive or understand. JCloak is such an “entity” in that it renders your Java bytecode difficult or impossible to understand.
Obfuscation is the technology of shrouding the facts. It’s not encryption, but in the context of .NET (or java) code, it might be better. Encryption for programs suffers from a classic flaw, it needs to keep the decryption-key with the encrypted data. Therefore, an automated utility could be created to decrypt the code and put it out to disk. Once that happens the fully unencrypted, unobfuscated code is in plain view. Obfuscation is a technique that provides for seamless renaming of symbols in assemblies as well as other tricks to foil decompilers. Properly applied obfuscation can increase the protection against decompilation by many orders of magnitude, while leaving the application intact. Without argument, obfuscation (or even encryption) is not 100 percent protection. Even compiled C++ is disassembleable. If a hacker is perseverant enough, they can find the meaning of your code. The goal of obfuscation is to make the reverse engineering process extremely time consuming and painful
