Dongle Security

[Gncc50]

If someone would steal the FetureCam dongle from your computer would they be able to install it on another computer and run the software?

I have a dongle for another program. If I install the software on another computer I need the dongle and a code number before the program will install.

The reason I ask this question, where I work someone stole the dongle for our FeatureCam program.

Thanks, .............trying to figure out who the thief is.

[joecnc1234]

Well if you aren't the future thief, I mean feature thief. The dongle will work for anyone who steals it and the software version it was programmed for.

[joecnc1234]

The one thing to consider is if someone steals it, it is a major crime, like grand theft probably a class 3 felony. Considering the software costs 5-15000 dollars and the replacment of the dongle I believe is around 3-5000 dollars.

[FranH]

Most interesting....My program will run without the dongle once it is up and running and will be ok until the computer is shut off.

I would contact Featurecam to have them track for the dongle....surely someone is going to call and state the software original is corrupted and a replacement is needed and all they have is the dongle # xxx..... Unless the thief has access to the original in your business, which I would secure ASAP. Perhaps the IT people can help corner him by haveing faulty disks available with Featurecam labels and when he loads have all kinds of "unusual distastful things" happen to his computer.

Featurecam can verify probably that each dongle and each Featurecam program are a 'matched pair'.

Good luck

[joecnc1234]

I noticed the same thing with feature cam it will run once it is started without the dongle. It seems to only check the dongle on startup. but
The software is distributed on cd that has no connection to the dongle. it is programmed to look for a dongle to tell what features you have purchased. featurecam as well as many other software providers send trial versions of their software out for people to test. If the thief gets the dongle he can get a trial version of the software and load it with the dongle and it will work fine.

[Gncc50]

"Well if you aren't the future thief, I mean feature thief. The dongle will work for anyone who steals it and the software version it was programmed for."

I am not the thief !!!

That is not very wise of FeatureCam to have it set up that way. As I said in my first post if someone were to steal the dongle for my program. It wouldn't do them any good. They wouldn't be able to use it without the key code. On my program I can't use it once the dongle is removed.

If I was the thief. I would already know the answer to this question.

They contacted FeatureCam and got a replacement. They know that I also have a small shop outside of where I work so I am the logical suspect. I thought that if it did require a key code (as it should) that would certainly narrow down the people that would have taken it. To make matters worse they have given out demos of FeatureCam to anyone that wanted them in the shop.

FeatureCam should consider using a key code with their dongle to prevent this sort of thing. I paid for my software and think everyone should.

[FranH]

First of all Featurecam seems to think ALL people are honest and decent. The sad part is they are losing lots of money to less than moral people.

Glad to see you got the replacement. (Hope you don't store the company check book near the computer.)

Mine (Shopcam DOS version) has a dongle. It since has migrated to a Windows platform. The program loads from CD, interagates the CPU serial number??, generates a alphanumeric string a mile long that needs to be confirmed by the company. A new string is entered before it can work. A change in computers require the process again.

I would hope Featurecam has woke up.

[Stepper Monkey]

First of all Featurecam seems to think ALL people are honest and decent. The sad part is they are losing lots of money to less than moral people.

Featurecam probably wouldn't be thinking that, as they are using dongles in the first place. So the fact it is ineffectual doesn't mean they are trusting - it still means they are being inconsiderate fascists, just not being very good at it.
These are very ineffective security measures at the end of the day, as you have all discovered, yet horribly inconvenient and disrespectful to the customers.
I firmly believe everyone should pay for thier software and support future development, but dongles ARE NOT the way to do it. There are other, even more secure ways available now, and I feel manufacturers have an obligation to thier customers to use them.
Dongles only advantage is being easy and cheap for the manufacturer, and that they can wash thier hands of it after shipping, while being inconvenient and unreliable as hell for the customer, and actually does little to protect the software company and definitely nothing to protect the customers investment.

Of course, there really is never much room for a discussion on the subject, as the knee-jerk reaction to anyone making a statement against dongles is simply that they must be some kind of pirate and criminal or else they wouldn't mind them.
I for one don't like being inconvenienced, annoyed, required to change hardware, and have both my equipment and productivity put in jeopardy because some software company believes we, not they, have the responsibility to ensure thier security and profitability. Not when, if they took a tiny iota of extra time and expense, could ensure BETTER security for them AND security for the customers investments if they could just be bothered to lift a finger. It isn't that hard to own up to thier responsibility, not saddle us with it. It is rude as hell.

[joecnc1234]

I agree, why can't they have some type of 30 day INTERNET checkup to keep you running instead of some dongle that is destined to fail and 3 years later you have to pay as much as the original software to update your dongle?

[Stepper Monkey]

Exactly. While one of my failed dongles for another package was replaced for free both times it failed, what I couldn't stand was that one of the glitchy dongles kept me from not only running my software, but from running the machines that were my business for 4 days in the middle of a crunch time while they sent a new one (and only would do so after getting my old one back).
A lost week I still had to pay my employees for while eating enough lost business to more than equal the cost of the damned software. Why should we be exposed to that kind of liability for thier lack of responsibility?

Of course, thier solution was simply for me to buy a backup dongle, at another $7500, to keep in reserve in case the first one failed again (which they were prone to do). NIIIIICE freaking solution there. Buy the software TWICE to make sure one runs?

I actually was forced to keep as a failure backup a cracked pirated version of that same software that I'd purchased, making ME a criminal for trying to make sure I could simply run what I'd already paid for. That just doesn't sound right.
Eventually THAT company got smart and moved away from dongles on later versions, so I stayed a happy customer, but most software companies just keep using the outdated things.

[Gncc50]

I've heard that you can get the dongle insured against loss or theft. I haven't checked into it. Don't know what it would cost.

[ger21]

Exactly. While one of my failed dongles for another package was replaced for free both times it failed, what I couldn't stand was that one of the glitchy dongles kept me from not only running my software, but from running the machines that were my business for 4 days in the middle of a crunch time while they sent a new one (and only would do so after getting my old one back).
A lost week I still had to pay my employees for while eating enough lost business to more than equal the cost of the damned software. Why should we be exposed to that kind of liability for thier lack of responsibility?

My copy of Lightwave has a dongle. I've never had a problem with it in the 8 or so years I've had it, but from what I understand, you can get a replacement overnight with a credit card, and get reimbursed when they get the bad one. Not an ideal situation, but if you have work to get done, at least you have an option.