PreEmptive's Enterprise Code Security Protects Java, .NET IP

The Enterprise Code Security Solution from PreEmptive Solutions Inc. combines services and the company's two products for scrambling Java and .NET code in order to protect it from hackers who seek to steal application source code.

This scrambling is a form of encryption that the company calls "obfuscation." Thus the name of its product for .NET programs is Dotfuscator; for Java programs, the product is DashO.

"Many companies do not realize the vulnerabilities associated with unobfuscated code," says Gabriel Torok, president of PreEmptive. "Inside the application code is a lot of intellectual property. Security protects the company's assets and its IP is part of the assets. Companies think about protecting their data but not necessarily the applications surrounding the data."

Many programs also hide user names and passwords within program code, making them visible to someone decompiling the source code. Another risky practice is to embed SQL statements inside the code, that can provide hackers with insight into database schema that can help them launch application attacks.

Because a light version of PreEmptive's Dotfuscator is included within packages of Microsoft's Visual Stdio .NET 2003, which began shipping in April, the company had to go through the Microsoft process for securing its software product.

"We learned a lot from that and can help educate customers with it," Torok says.

In addition to the product licenses, which are typically issued to build servers used by developers, the Etnerprsie Code Security Solution includes a degree of training and assessment services, to help customers identify these application vulnerabilities.

Prices for the offering start at $20,000.

Volvo IT, an IT systems supplier for industrial companies that support Volvo automobiles, uses Dotfuscator to protect source code for its software tools that help diagnose vehicle maintenance issues. The company was quoted as saying that it needed to protect its IP within those diagnostic tols and that the PreEmtpive tools provide a low-maintenance solution that worked with .NET and Java platforms.

The ability to work with both development platforms appeals to many customers, Torok says.