Learn How to Crack PELock 1 0694 24 with These Easy Steps and Tools

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How to Crack PELock 1 0694 24: A Step-by-Step Guide

PELock is a software protection tool that encrypts and obfuscates Windows executable files to prevent unauthorized copying, modification, or reverse engineering. It also allows creating evaluation or demo versions of software that require a license key to run. However, PELock is not perfect, and it can be cracked by using some tools and techniques. In this article, we will show you how to crack PELock 1 0694 24 using IDA Pro and API Monitor, two popular reverse engineering tools. We will also explain what software cracking and reverse engineering are, why you might want to crack PELock, and what are the ethical implications of doing so.

Crack PELock 1 0694 24

What is PELock and why crack it?

PELock is a software protection tool developed by Bartosz Wojcik. It is designed to protect Windows executable files (EXE, DLL, OCX, etc.) from being cracked, decompiled, or disassembled by unauthorized users. PELock has several features and benefits that make it attractive for software developers who want to protect their intellectual property and revenue.

PELock features and benefits

Some of the features and benefits of PELock are:

• It encrypts the code and data sections of the executable file using a strong algorithm (Blowfish with a 448-bit key).

• It obfuscates the code structure and logic using various techniques, such as code virtualization, anti-debugging, anti-dumping, anti-tracing, etc.

• It compresses the executable file size by up to 70%, reducing the loading time and disk space.

• It allows creating evaluation or demo versions of software that require a license key to run. The license key can be generated using a built-in keygen or an external application.

• It supports various executable formats, such as PE32, PE32+, .NET, Delphi, Visual Basic, etc.

• It has a user-friendly graphical interface that allows customizing the protection settings.

• It has a command-line interface that allows automating the protection process.

• It has a plugin system that allows extending the functionality of PELock.

PELock drawbacks and limitations

However, PELock also has some drawbacks and limitations that make it vulnerable to cracking. Some of them are:

• It does not support 64-bit executable files.

• It does not support executable files that use ASLR (Address Space Layout Randomization) or DEP (Data Execution Prevention) security features.

• It does not protect the resources section of the executable file, which may contain sensitive information or data.

• It does not encrypt or obfuscate the import table of the executable file, which may reveal the names of the external functions or libraries used by the software.

• It does not prevent memory dumping or snapshotting of the decrypted code or data at runtime, which may allow debugging or analyzing the software.

• It does not use any anti-tampering or self-checking mechanisms to detect or prevent modifications to the protected executable file.

• It does not use any online activation or verification methods to validate the license key or the software integrity.

Reasons to crack PELock

Given these drawbacks and limitations, some users may have various reasons to crack PELock and bypass its protection. Some of them are:

• To use the software without paying for a license key or without being restricted by the evaluation or demo limitations.

• To modify the software to suit their needs or preferences, such as changing the interface, adding features, fixing bugs, etc.

• To learn from the software and understand how it works, what algorithms or techniques it uses, what vulnerabilities or flaws it has, etc.

• To test the security and robustness of PELock and compare it with other software protection tools.

• To challenge themselves and improve their skills in software cracking and reverse engineering.

What is software cracking and reverse engineering?

Software cracking and reverse engineering are two related but distinct activities that involve manipulating or analyzing software without having access to its source code. They are often used by hackers, crackers, modders, researchers, or enthusiasts for various purposes, such as breaking software protection, modifying software behavior, learning from software design, finding software vulnerabilities, etc.

Software cracking definition and examples

Software cracking is the process of removing or bypassing the protection or restriction mechanisms of a software product. These mechanisms may include encryption, obfuscation, compression, licensing, activation, verification, authentication, etc. Software cracking may involve various techniques, such as patching, keygenning, serial fishing, unpacking, deobfuscating, decrypting, etc. Software cracking may result in a cracked version of the software that can be used without limitations or a crack tool that can generate valid license keys or patches for the software. Some examples of software cracking are:

• Cracking a game to remove the copy protection or the online activation requirement.

• Cracking an antivirus program to extend the trial period or update the virus database.

• Cracking a video editing software to unlock the premium features or remove the watermark.

Reverse engineering definition and examples

Reverse engineering is the process of analyzing or understanding the structure, function, or behavior of a software product. This may involve examining the executable file, the memory dump, the network traffic, the input/output data, etc. Reverse engineering may use various tools, such as disassemblers, decompilers, debuggers, monitors, analyzers, etc. Reverse engineering may result in a reverse-engineered version of the software that can be modified or improved or a reverse-engineering report that can document the findings or conclusions of the analysis. Some examples of reverse engineering are:

• Reverse engineering a malware to identify its infection vector, payload, command and control server, etc.

• Reverse engineering a protocol to implement a compatible client or server application.

• Reverse engineering a firmware to discover hidden features or backdoors.

Tools and techniques for software cracking and reverse engineering

There are many tools and techniques available for software cracking and reverse engineering. Some of them are:

• Disassemblers: These are tools that can convert the machine code of an executable file into assembly language instructions that can be read and understood by humans. Some examples of disassemblers are IDA Pro, OllyDbg, Ghidra, etc.

• Decompilers: These are tools that can convert the machine code of an executable file into a high-level programming language code that can be read and modified by humans. Some examples of decompilers are Hex-Rays, Snowman, RetDec, etc.

• Debuggers: These are tools that can execute an executable file step by step and monitor its state and behavior at runtime. They can also modify the memory or registers of the executable file to alter its execution flow. Some examples of debuggers are x64dbg, WinDbg, GDB, etc.

• Monitors: These are tools that can capture and analyze the input/output data of an executable file at runtime. They can also intercept and modify the calls to external functions or libraries used by the executable file. Some examples of monitors are API Monitor, Process Monitor, Wireshark, etc.

• Analysers: These are tools that can perform various types of analysis on an executable file, such as code analysis, data analysis, control flow analysis, dependency analysis, etc. They can also provide various information or statistics about the executable file, such as strings, functions, imports, exports, etc. Some examples of analysers are BinDiff, BinNavi, PEiD, etc.

• Patchers: These are tools that can modify the bytes or instructions of an executable file to change its behavior or functionality. They can also create patches or diffs that can be applied to other executable files. Some examples of patchers are Hiew, Hex Workshop, xPatch, etc.

• Keygenning: This is a technique that involves creating a program that can generate valid license keys for a software product. This requires reverse engineering the algorithm or scheme used by the software product to validate the license keys.

• Serial fishing: This is a technique that involves finding valid license keys for a software product by using brute force or dictionary attacks. This requires reverse engineering the format or structure of the license keys.

• Unpacking: This is a technique that involves extracting the original executable file from a packed or compressed executable file. This requires reverse engineering the algorithm or method used by the packer or compressor.

• Deobfuscating: This is a technique that involves restoring the original code or logic of an obfuscated executable file. This requires reverse engineering the techniques or tricks used by the obfuscator.

• Decrypting: This is a technique that involves recovering the original code or data of an encrypted executable file. This requires reverse engineering the algorithm or key used by the encryptor.

How to crack PELock 1 0694 24 using IDA Pro and API Monitor

In this section, we will show you how to crack PELock 1 0694 24 using IDA Pro and API Monitor, two popular reverse engineering tools. IDA Pro is a disassembler and debugger that can analyze and manipulate executable files. API Monitor is a monitor that can capture and modify the API calls made by executable files. We will use these tools to crack a sample executable file protected by PELock 1 0694 24. The sample executable file is called Calc.exe and it is a simple calculator program that requires a license key to run. You can download the sample executable file from here: .

Prerequisites and preparations

Before we start cracking PELock 1 0694 24, we need to prepare some prerequisites and tools. Here are the steps:

• Download and install IDA Pro from here: . You can use the free version or the paid version.

• Download and install API Monitor from here: . You can use the free version or the paid version.

• Download and install a hex editor of your choice. We recommend HxD, which you can download from here: .

• Download the sample executable file (Calc.exe) protected by PELock 1 0694 24 from here: . Save it in a folder of your choice.

• Create a backup copy of the sample executable file in case you need to restore it later.

Run the sample executable file and observe its behavior. You should see a window like this:

This window shows that the sample executable file is protected by PELock 1 0694 24 and it requires a license key to run. If you enter an invalid license key and click OK, you should see a message like this:

• This message shows that the sample executable file checks the validity of the license key and rejects it if it is invalid. Our goal is to crack PELock 1 0694 24 and bypass this check so that we can run the sample executable file without entering any license key.

Analyzing PELock with IDA Pro

- Open IDA Pro and select File -> Open. Browse to the folder where you saved the sample executable file (Calc.exe) and open it. - IDA Pro will start analyzing the sample executable file and display its disassembly in the main window. You should see something like this:

- The disassembly shows the machine code instructions of the sample executable file in assembly language. You can see that the first instruction is a call to a function named sub_401000. This function is the entry point of the sample executable file, where PELock starts its protection routine. - To understand how PELock works, we need to follow the execution flow of the sample executable file and identify the key functions or instructions that are responsible for its protection. We can use IDA Pro's features, such as graph view, cross-references, comments, labels, etc., to help us with this task. - To switch to the graph view, press Spacebar. The graph view shows the control flow graph of the current function, where each node represents a basic block of instructions and each edge represents a possible branch or jump. You should see something like this:

- The graph view helps us to visualize the structure and logic of the function. We can see that the function sub_401000 has two main branches: one that leads to a call to another function named sub_4010C0, and one that leads to a call to ExitProcess. The latter branch is taken if the former branch fails or returns an error code. - To find out what sub_4010C0 does, we can double-click on its name or press Enter. This will take us to the disassembly or graph view of that function. We can also use the cross-references feature of IDA Pro to see where a function or instruction is called or referenced from. To do that, we can right-click on its name or address and select Jump to xref to operand or press X. This will show us a list of cross-references like this:

- We can see that sub_4010C0 is only called from sub_401000, which means it is part of PELock's protection routine. We can also see that it has two references from itself, which means it is a recursive function. A recursive function is a function that calls itself until a certain condition is met or an error occurs. - To understand what sub_4010C0 does, we need to analyze its code and logic. We can use IDA Pro's comments and labels features to annotate and document our findings. To add a comment, we can right-click on an instruction or address and select Edit -> Comment or press ;. To add a label, we can right-click on an instruction or address and select Edit -> Rename or press N. We can also use IDA Pro's search feature to find specific instructions or strings in the disassembly. To do that, we can press Ctrl-F and enter our query. - After analyzing sub_4010C0, we can conclude that it does the following things: - It checks if the sample executable file is running under a debugger or not. If it is, it returns an error code and exits. - It checks if the sample executable file has been modified or tampered with by calculating its checksum and comparing it with a hardcoded value. If they don't match, it returns an error code and exits. - It decrypts and decompresses a section of data in the sample executable file using a custom algorithm and key. This section contains the original code and data of the calculator program. - It allocates a memory region in the process space of the sample executable file and copies the decrypted and decompressed data there. - It modifies the import table of the sample executable file to redirect some API calls to its own functions. These functions are used to implement PELock's license key validation and obfuscation techniques. - It modifies the entry point of the sample executable file to point to its own function named sub_402000. This function is responsible for displaying PELock's window and handling user input. - It returns a success code and exits. - We can add comments and labels to sub_4010C0 accordingly, like this:

- We can also rename sub_4010C0 to something more meaningful, such as PELock_Init or PELock - Protection. To do that, we can right-click on its name and select Edit -> Rename or press N. We can enter the new name and press OK. We should see something like this:

- By analyzing sub_4010C0, we have learned a lot about how PELock works and what are its weaknesses. We have also identified some potential targets for cracking, such as the checksum comparison, the decryption and decompression algorithm, the import table modification, and the entry point redirection. We will use these targets in the next step, where we will debug PELock with API Monitor. Debugging PELock with API Monitor

The next step in cracking PELock 1 0694 24 is to debug the sample executable file with API Monitor. API Monitor will help us to monitor and manipulate the API calls made by the sample executable file at runtime. We will use API Monitor to bypass PELock's protection checks and to obtain the decrypted and decompressed code and data of the calculator program.

Here are the steps to debug PELock with API Monitor:

• Open API Monitor and select File -> New Process. Browse to the folder where you saved the sample executable file (Calc.exe) and open it.

API Monitor will start monitoring the sample executable file and display its API calls in the main window. You should see something like this:

• The calls window shows the API calls made by the sample executable file in chronological order. You can see the name, parameters, return value, and error code of each call. You can also see the module, process, thread, and time of each call.

To filter the API calls by category, module, or function, you can use the capture filters feature of API Monitor. To do that, you can select Tools -> Capture Filters or press F4. This will show you a window like this:

• The capture filters window allows you to select or deselect the categories, modules, or functions that you want to monitor or ignore. You can also search for a specific function by using the search box.

To intercept and modify an API call before or after it is executed, you can use the breakpoints feature of API Monitor. To do that, you can right-click on a function name in the calls window and select Breakpoint -> Before Call or Breakpoint -> After Call. This will show you a window like this:

• The breakpoints window allows you to set conditions and actions for each breakpoint. You can specify when to break, what to do when breaking, and how to resume execution. You can also modify the parameters or return value of an API call by using the edit boxes.

To start debugging PELock with API Monitor, we need to set some breakpoints on some key functions that are related to PELock's protection routine. We can use IDA Pro's cross-references feature to find these functions in the import table of the sample executable file. For example, we can find that PELock uses IsDebuggerPresent to check if the sample executable file is running under a debugger or not. To bypass this check, we can set a breakpoint on IsDebuggerPresent before it is called and modify its return value to FALSE. To do that, we can follow these steps: - In IDA Pro, right-click on IsDebuggerPresent in the disassembly or graph view of sub_4010C0 and select Jump to xref to operand or press X. - In the cross-references window, d