Google’s Market Licensing System Easy to Crack, Apparently
Google’s hopes to cut back on piracy with the new licensing system they’ve implemented for downloads in the Android market may have already been shattered. One hacker reminds us that there’s no way to keep piracy from happening in any realm of software as he’s gone deep into the code of an app equipped with Google’s new license validation tools.
The process to bypass the system is a bit more involved than your average Joe will care to muck around with (having to work with the bytecode outputted by a .apk disassembler – baksmali.) Even then, it won’t stop a few of those Android piracy sites from learning how to do it themselves in order to keep their “business” going as the licensing method isn’t at all baked in the Android system – developers have to pack it in with the app they intend to use it.
I’ve never been a fan of piracy, so I was glad when Google introduced the new licensing system to try and prevent the crime, but this is just something you have to see coming. There still is no paid market access for many Android users around the world and with that comes the necessity for some hackers to find these exploits for those that would willingly pay for an app, but can’t.
AndroidPolice has a fully detailed explanation and breakdown of the process.