Dmitry Gusev,
PR Manager at StarForce Technologies

15 YEARS ago, when the CD became the cheapest and most widespread means of distributing digital content, the first ways to protect such discs from copying began to appear in order to stop their illegal, uncontrolled distribution. To be fair, it is worth noting that magnetic floppy disks were also protected from copying, but the word “floppy disk” itself may already be unfamiliar to some of our readers, and therefore we will skip this stage in the development of computer technology.

First, let's take a quick look at the compact disc device. We will need this information in the future to better understand the principles of protection. It should be noted right away that CDs, DVDs, and Blue-Ray discs are structured the same way. The only difference is in the subtlety of the technical process.

Any CD is a set of pits and lands

A compact disc is a flat surface (called a land) with a reflective layer on which pits are applied - small depressions of different lengths. The pits are located on the disk in a spiral (starting from the center of the disk and towards its edge) and form a “track”. The way pits are arranged on the surface of a disk is called disk topology. Moreover, a DVD disc has a smaller track thickness than a CD disc, which means that more information can be placed on it. Each CD exactly repeats the topology of the stamper from which the disc is printed at the factory. The stamper, in turn, exactly repeats the topology of the master disk or gold master from which the stamper is made. The stamper is suitable for printing several tens of thousands of discs, after which it wears out and must be replaced with a new one. Thus, any of the compacts printed from one stamper exactly repeats its topology.

In 1988, Sony and Philips published the so-called Orange Book, which described the specifications of the recordable compact disc - CD-R. Since then, the life of all copyright holders releasing their works on optical media has become very difficult. A few years later, CD drives with recording capabilities began to be widely sold around the world. And although the cost of such devices reached several thousand dollars, the trend was clearly visible. Now anyone could make a copy of a CD, and moreover, not just make, but also replicate such copies on an unlimited scale. Since the cost of recording drives dropped below one hundred dollars, the threat to intellectual property has become gigantic. The industry was faced with a question: how to protect an optical disc from copying? How can I prevent the copied disk from working?

It was then that many ways to protect CDs from copying appeared. Several of them have survived to this day.

Applying non-copyable marks

This method is based on the fact that the recording drive cannot write to some areas of the disk. Such areas are set at the factory that produces the disks. When copying, data from such areas cannot be transferred to the copy. When launched, the program reads data from these non-copyable areas and, if they do not match or are missing, refuses to run.

The most unreliable and outdated method. Requires expensive additional equipment installed at the factory.

Creation of twin sectors

The fact is that the sequence of pits on the surface of the disk forms sectors. All sectors are numbered. According to standards, there cannot be two sectors with the same number on a disk. A conventional recording drive theoretically cannot create two sectors with the same number on a disk. However, in industrial production conditions this is possible. This is what this copy protection method is based on. Two or more sectors are created with the same number, but with different contents. If, when checking a disk, the protection understands that identical sectors contain different data, the check passes. Otherwise, the copy will not start.

Until (until the summer of 2007) the new optical disk emulator DeamonTools Pro was released, allowing home recording devices to make twin sectors - this method was the most reliable. However, it requires labor-intensive configuration of software installed at the factory. At the moment it can only be implemented in one plant in the world.

Binding to the unique topology (geometry) of the optical disk

As already mentioned, groups of pits are formed into sectors. Sectors have numbers. If you read different sectors sequentially and measure the time between read operations, you can create a geometric structure of the disk. During the production process of a master disc, its unique geometric parameters are measured. They are encrypted into a key, which is then used to check the disk.

When producing regular CD-R/DVD-R discs, sectors are immediately marked on them. Subsequently, the recording program only writes to them sequentially, which excludes an exact repetition of the location of the sectors of the master disk. Moreover, if the write speed of the copy is different from the write speed of the master disc, the sectors will be arranged differently. During the disk scan process, the protection measures the angle between the sectors on the disk and compares it with the reference ones. If the results match, the check passes. Otherwise, the program will not start.

At the moment, this method is the most optimal in terms of price/quality ratio. In addition, no additional costs are required - everything is produced at any plant using existing technologies and available equipment.

Linking to a unique topology (geometry) of an optical disc with changing mastering parameters

The principle is similar to the previous one - measuring geometric characteristics and comparing them with the data encrypted in the key. The main difference is the use of special equipment, which allows for the production of a master disc to greatly distort its geometry.

Reliability is similar to the third. However, discs with this protection can be produced in several factories around the world where special equipment is installed.

To this day, global suppliers of solutions in the field of protecting optical media from copying use the methods listed above.

Door key

As already mentioned, the production technologies of all optical media (CD/DVD) are essentially the same, the only difference is the thickness of the tracks. And therefore, the methods of copy protection for different types of disk are almost the same. Above we described copy protection technologies for data disks (programs, games). The method of applying non-copyable marks is also used to protect audio and video discs. However, copy protection methods for music and movie discs are extremely unreliable and have little compatibility. There is ongoing debate around the world about the legality of using copy protection for music and video. Many of the largest market players, such as Time Warner, AOL, Apple (iTunes service), have already abandoned the use of protection for their content. After all, a musician can earn money through concert activities; films collect the lion's share of revenue from distribution in cinemas. But as for games and programs, other than sales from store shelves, there is currently no tangible way to monetize income for a developer and publisher of software and games, which makes the use of copy protection extremely necessary and profitable.

It should be noted that a CD is a delicate product. Its long-term use threatens the media failure due to constant physical impacts on the disk surface. If the disk is used intensively, then ultimately the user may receive an inoperative “key” and, accordingly, will not launch the program. Today, the industry is finding other ways to "lock in" software. Online activation is the easiest and most affordable method. Instead of a “key-disk”, a “key-serial number” is used, which is unique and identifies the program as licensed.

Instructions

Download and install CDRWin disc burning software version 3.6 or later. You can find it on the program website softodrom.ru or soft.ru. Launch the program on your personal computer. Typically, after installation, a shortcut will appear on your desktop. First, you need to copy the data disc you plan to burn with copy protection.

Insert the data disc into the drive. Using the main menu commands, make a disk image and save it to your hard drive. In the Record Disc menu item, select the Load Cuesheet option. Find the bottom Total Disc Time parameter (for example, 44:03:52) and remember it.

Create a false entry in the CUE description file using any text editor (ordinary Notepad will do). To do this, add the lines TRACK 01 MODE[....]INDEX 01 00:00:00 to the CUE file. Change the track numbering according to the contents of your file, setting the MODE parameter to the same as in other records.

Change the total size of the Total Disc Time by decreasing two seconds. Now the last entry looks like:TRACK 02 MODE[....]INDEX 01 44:01:52

Check that the start time of the new track is the same as 44:03:52 so that there is no overlap with the data. To do this, click Record Disc, Disc Layout item. Write data containing .

Unfortunately, for any protection there is (or will be) a way to break it. For example, this method will not work for the Nero Burning Rom program - that is, the user will copy the disc using this program if he uses the same drive. You can also use special programs that encrypt all content, regardless of the content, and at the same time set passwords to open the archive.

Sources:

• Burn a CD or DVD using

In some cases, it becomes necessary to install file protection, and in some cases, to remove it. These may be trivial reasons, from losing the password for a protected file to the desire to use information to which access is limited. Without analyzing the legality and possibility of your actions, we will give several ways to remove protection from a file.

Instructions

The method for removing protection depends on the type of file. If editing protection is set in an Excel or Word file, then the easiest way is to open this file, transfer all the contents to a new file and save it under another . The new file created in this way will be available for editing.

If there is a need to remove protection from files located on a flash card, carefully examine the media. Perhaps there is a switch on the card itself that sets restrictions on working with a flash drive. Slide this switch and try opening files.

If there is no such switch or it cannot be used to remove the protection, the flash drive may have been turned off incorrectly or the writing of files may have failed. In this case, drastic measures may be required, including formatting it.

The problem of software piracy is known to everyone - people who distribute hacked software are violating copyright laws. Fortunately, there are computer programs that can protect a disk from being overwritten. This is exactly what the article will be about. To be specific, we will assume that you are going to protect an AudioCD disc, that is, a disc with music.

You will need

• a program that protects a disk from copying - CD Protector, as well as a regular program for burning disks - Nero.

Instructions

It is necessary to fill in such fields as Phantom Trax directory, Custom Message, Encryption Key. In the first of the listed fields, you must indicate the folder in which the files are located, which will subsequently be written to disk. Write a message in the second field - it will be read by whoever wants the disk. The third field is several characters entered with , they can be any and are needed by the program itself. After that, click on the Accept button and wait for the CD Protector program to complete its work.

Next, you need to launch the Nero Burning ROM program, in the “file” menu item, select “new” (File – New). A window opens in which you need to select Audio – CD. At the same time, make sure that the checkbox next to Write CD-Text is unchecked. Go to the Burn section and disable Finalize CD and Disc-at-once. After completing all operations, click on the “OK” button.

After this, you can add files to the project that you created in the second step. Next, click on the menu item “File - burn disc”. The “Burn disc” window will open in front of you; in the “CD settings” you need to check the “Track cache on the hard drive” and the “Remove silence at the end of tracks” items.

Video on the topic

Sources:

• how to re-record

People who often work with various disks sometimes think about creating protection. Copy protection is especially popular. These operations can also be performed by any interested user. You just need to follow some rules.

You will need

• Personal computer, CD Protector and Nero programs

Instructions

Create a folder where they will be located for recording. Install a program such as “CD Protector”. Run the “File to encrypt” field and specify the location of the main file. This could be a “Setup.exe” file. In the “Phantom Trax directory” section, specify the folder where the recorded files will be stored. In the item called “Custom Message”, enter the one that will immediately appear when someone tries your disk. You can write any expressions. In the field called “Encryption Key”, enter any pair of characters from your . Their meaning doesn't matter. Click "ACCEPT!" Wait a while for the process to complete.

Then you can move on to the next stage. Click on the "Help" button. Read the instructions for further work with the disc. This will help you complete the task faster. Launch the Nero program, which is available on any computer. If the “Wizard” option is open, close it to make it easier to work with. Open “File” in the menu and click on the “New” tab. The “New Compilation” window will open, select “Audio-CD” located on the left. Set the desired options. Go to the “Audio-CD” section and uncheck the box next to the words “Write CD-Text”. In the “Burn” column, do not forget to disable “Finalize CD” and also “Disc-At-Once”. Click on the “New” column. Together with “File Browser”, select the directory that was specified for “Phantom Trax”. Select the files “Track#1-Track#2 CD Protector.wav” there. Add to an empty Audio CD. . In the “Write CD” menu, open the “CDA Options” section.

Then check “Cache the Track on harddisk before burning” along with “Remove silence at the end of *.cda tracks”. You can now start burning the track to CD by clicking the “Write CD” button. The recording will be completed. Click on "File" and select "New". In the window called “New Compilation”, find the “CD-ROM (ISO)” item from the vertical column on the left. In the “Multisession” column, check the “Start Multisession disc” box. Make sure that in “Burn” the “Finalize CD” option is disabled. When all the files are written to the disc, from the “CD-Recorder” menu, click on the “View Track” column and see what is written there. You can check your burned disc.

Video on the topic

Sources:

• How to put a password on a hard drive without special programs

Instructions

One of the most common copy protection systems is the StarForce system. The creators of the system guaranteed absolute copy protection to game producers, but with the right approach, the disc can still be copied. Let's consider copying a protected disk using the Alcohol 120% program. This program can be easily found in and installed on your . Alcohol 120% will not only copy data from the disk, but will also transfer information about its physical structure to a special file, which is read by the emulator during the recording process, which in turn will emulate delays that simulate StarForce protection.

Insert the disc to be copied into the drive of your . Run the Image Creation Wizard in the Alcohol 120% program. Don’t forget to check the “enable emulator” option and select Starforce 1.x/2.x as the data type. Click "Next". To successfully copy, the program will first need to create a virtual image. Give the file to be created a name, select the *.mds format and indicate to the program the folder in which it will write the disk image. Disable all unnecessary active applications, set the drive read speed to minimum. The more carefully Alcohol 120% reads the source disk, the greater the chance that it will be able to cope with the protection. Depending on the power of the computer, after some time the creation of the virtual image will be completed, you can remove the disk from the drive.

You can deal with the recorded virtual image in different ways. The best solution would be to link the image to a virtual disk. The Alcohol 120% program, in fact, specializes in this. But you can try and burn it to a physical disk. When recording, Alcohol 120% reads the protection data from the information file and tries to completely recreate a physical copy of the disc you need. The writing speed, as with reading, should be selected to the minimum. After some time, your disk will be ready.

Sometimes there is a need to create copy-protected discs. For example, every second operator who films events (holidays, matinees, weddings) creates protected discs. But what to do if you recorded such a disc, but the original was overwritten on your computer? Most write-protected discs are designed in such a way that the information on the disc is read but not copied. Some programs that create disk images that support security systems can cope with this problem.

You will need

• Alcohol 120%

Instructions

One such program is the Alcohol 120% utility. This program will create a complete image on your hard drive. Alcohol supports most disk formats and allows you to work with 30 images simultaneously. This utility also allows you to copy discs that you recorded using protection.

Launch the Image Making Wizard. Select your burner - select data type - Starforce 1.x/2.x. Also pay attention to the item “Data Position Measurment”. Check this box. Click "Next".

Enter a name for the future image. Click on "Start" - select the reading speed of your disk. Set the speed to the minimum. It will take a lot of time, but the quality of the image will increase significantly. It is worth closing all open programs, because... they can take up system resources, which can have a negative impact on the future disk image. Next, click “Ok” and wait for this operation to complete.

After copying the image file is complete, check its functionality by mounting it on the virtual disk of the program itself.

Sources:

• How to remove the write protection of a disc, otherwise the protection interferes with recording

Every person has his own secrets. And the more computers penetrate people's lives, the more secrets they trust to keep the machine. But saving private information on a personal computer is not at all safe. Even if user accounts are protected with passwords, even if a password is set in the BIOS, anyone with physical access to the computer can disconnect the hard drive and copy information from it. And when people realize this frightening fact, they involuntarily think about how to encrypt the disk and thereby reliably protect their data. Fortunately, there are now reliable free programs that provide the necessary functionality.

You will need

• Free data encryption program TrueCrypt, available for download at truecrypt.org.

Instructions

Begin the process of creating a new encrypted volume. Launch TrueCrypt. Select the menu items "Volumes" and "Create New Volume...". The TrueCrypt Volume Creation Wizard will open. On the wizard page, select "Encrypt a non-system partition/drive" and click the "Next" button. On the next page, select "Standard TrueCrypt volume", click the "Next" button. On the third page, click the "Select Device" button. In the "Select a Partition or Device" dialog that appears, select the disk that you want to encrypt, click "OK". Click the "Next" button. The next wizard will open. Select "Create encrypted volume and format it", click "Next". Next, specify the encryption algorithms and hashing in the drop-down lists of the current page, click the "Next" button. Click the Next button again. In the "Password" field, enter the password for the disk, in the "Confirm" field, confirm the entered password. Click "Next".

Format the disk. Move the mouse cursor randomly for a while within the current page of the Encrypted Volume Creation Wizard. This is necessary to generate random ones for encryption algorithms. From the drop-down lists, select the file system and volume cluster size. Click the "Format" button. In the warning dialog that appears, click the "Yes" button.

Wait for the formatting process to complete. This may take a long time if the disk partition being formatted is large enough. In the message dialogs that appear after formatting, click the "OK" button. Click the "Exit" button.

Mount the new encrypted volume. In the main program window, click the "Select Device..." button. In the dialog that appears, select the encrypted volume and click "OK". Select any drive letter from the list at the top of the application window. Click the "Mount" button at the bottom of the TrueCrypt window. A dialog will appear to enter the disk access password. Enter password. A new drive will appear in the list of computer drives, designated by the previously selected letter.

Copy the files saved in the first step to the encrypted volume. Use a file manager program or operating system functions.

Video on the topic

note

After formatting the disk with TrueCrypt, all information on it will be deleted. In addition, the disk will no longer be readable. Before encrypting a drive, make sure to save all important information from it.

Helpful advice

Use the ability to create TrueCrypt container files to store encrypted information. This is a more flexible approach than encrypting entire partitions. The container file can be moved to another computer and mounted there as a separate disk.

Sources:

• How to put a password on a hard drive without special programs

Sometimes situations arise when the operating system does not allow you to delete or move files on your own hard drive. Most often this occurs because you, as a user, do not have enough rights to delete certain files. You need to change your access rights and related permissions.

You will need

• - computer;
• - administrator rights.

Instructions

Find files in “My Computer” that you cannot perform operations on. For example, this is the Games folder. Right-click on the folder and select “Properties” from the drop-down menu. This can be absolutely any folder that is located on the local disk of a personal computer or. It is also worth considering the fact that some system files and folders may not be displayed, since the functions for viewing system data are disabled.

Go to the Security tab and find your name in the list of users. Left-click on it and check the list of permissions located just below. If the required checkboxes are not present, click the "Change" button. Check the boxes next to all the permissions you need. Click “Ok” and “Apply” to save your changes. Close all unnecessary windows to continue operations to remove protection from local drives.

TrusCont DVD Protection Toolkit is free software developed by TrusCont for burning TrusCont Enhanced DVD-R discs. The application combines the functions of recording a disc and protecting its contents. The software has a clear user interface. Compatible with Windows 2000 - Windows 7.

Download for free

• Download TrusCont DVD Protection Toolkit User Manual (3.4 MB, Russian)

Download TrusCont Secure Flash Drive burning software

TrusCont TSFD Protection Toolkit is a free software developed by TrusCont for recording TrusCont Secure Flash Drive. The application combines the functions of recording and protecting its content. The software has a clear user interface. Compatible with Windows 2000 - Windows 8.

Download for free

• Download TrusCont TSFD Protection Toolkit User Manual (6.5 MB, English)

Download CD-RX burning software

Autolock Wizard

Autolock Wizard™ is free, user-friendly software, developed by Hexalock for burning CD-RX discs. The application combines the functions of recording a disc and protecting its contents. The software has a clear user interface, which is designed in the form of a sequential series of prompts that appear during the disk preparation process

The copy protection system requires direct access to the local CD/DVD drive of the PC in order to authenticate CD-RX discs. In Microsoft Windows 2000 and XP operating systems, applications are prohibited from directly accessing read drives unless the PC user has local administrator rights. This limitation prevents the security system from checking the authenticity of the protected disk. The solution to this problem using the Remove & Restore Rights utilities is described in the documentation for Autolock Wizard.