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Code morphing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Code morphing is a one of the approaches to protect software applications from reverse engineering, analysis, modifications, and cracking used in obfuscating software. This technology protects intermediate level code such as compiled from Java and .NET languages (C#, Visual Basic, etc) rather than binary object code. Code morphing breaks up the protected code into several processor commands or small command snippets and replaces them by others, while maintaining the same end result. Thus the protector obfuscates the code at the intermediate level.
Code morphing is a multilevel technology containing hundreds of unique code transformation patterns. In addition this technology transforms some intermediate layer commands into Virtual Machine commands (like P-Code). Code Morphing may also turn binary code into an undecipherable mess that is not similar to normal compiled code, and completely hides execution logic of the protected code.
Unlike other code protectors, there is no concept of code decryption with this method. Protected code blocks are always in the executable state, and they are executed (interpreted) as transformed obfuscated code. The original intermediate code is completely absent and source code restoration is an NP-hard problem.[citation needed]
"Code Morphing" is also used to refer to the Just-in-time compilation technology used in Transmeta processors such as the Crusoe and Efficeon to implement the X86 instruction set architecture.