Protecting Keys
After deploying a license key users have access to the key in the software. Admins may prevent users from copying the key by applying a group policy. We have Active Directory Administrative Templates for each application that we produce. The administrative template for PDF-XChange Editor is detailed here, and it includes an option that prevents users from copying the license key, as detailed below:
Category: |
Registration |
Policy Name: |
Allow Copy Serial Key |
Requirements: |
PDF-XChange Editor v5.5.312 or later. |
Description: |
Specifies whether or not users are permitted to copy serial keys to the clipboard from the Registration pane of the Preferences dialog box. |
Reg Key Location: |
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Tracker Software\PDFXEditor\3.0\Registration |
Reg Key Name: |
b.CanCopySerials |
Registry Key Type: |
REG_DWORD |
Available Values: |
“1” – enabled, “0” – disabled |
Examples: "Enabled" or "Not Configured" allows users to copy the license key text from the PDF-XChange Editor. Set to "0 -Disabled" to prevent keys from being copied.
There is also built-in protection in the form of encryption. When the software applies license keys they are encrypted with a machine-specific seed when they are stored in the Windows registry. Copying the registry key from one device to another will fail as the seed for the key will not be available, resulting in both the hash and the license key failing.