Can you decompile my EA?

great thread.. i too have gotten client requests for dll's because "they can't be decompiled and stolen", and even if it went against my interests i had to tell clients they were wrong (obviously the wrong thing to do =)

The fact is that with DLLs, especially "copy protection" DLLs, you dont even have to bother decompiling back to source. You generally just find the *1* byte that changes your protection system's NO to a YES.

(or, if you speak ASM, a JZ to a JNZ)

Like I pointed out before, it's *possible* to hack a dll, even one that has some form of copy protection. However, decompiling an EA is essentially child's play, where hacking a dll requires the skills of a real hacker.

So I would argue that implementing your intellectual property in a dll still has value, especially in the MetaTrader space. Is it unhackable? No, but it's much harder. Your goal is to raise the bar such that you eliminate 90%+ of the potential hacking threat. If you release your code purely in a compiled EA (i.e. EX4 file) you'll be decompiled almost immediately, especially if you charge money for it.

Hello, I know that almost everyone here is a programmer... I was sent an indicator a long time ago via email from somebody trying to sell me an expert advisor.... to make a long story short.... I want to see just what I have in my hands, but I can only share it with you if you can decompile it for me an then perhaps we can improve it, anyone interested? Send me a message please.

interesting...I have been working on this exact issue for the past few weeks as our SaaS service gets closer to launch.

there is no 100% foolproof way to prevent decompiling the EA's. what we did was allow the developer to initialize key variables by reading the license, so even if they decompile and remove the license checks they are still missing key parts of the code. the data is stored on our license servers, which comes into the PC via encrypted channel. You might try something like that, using a DLL where your EA calls out for instructions.

but there is more you can do...

obfuscate the code as much as possible. add in a bunch of nonsense code to keep them busy

here is a good article on the subject:

http://articles.mql4.com/934

the trade copier idea is a good one too. Keep the logic safe on your VPS and just send out signals.

even dll can be decompiled easily....the more hard way & unbeatable way is "learn to make u r own lalgorithmic encryption programme"..tht would work f9..

Not necessary I would say.
I agree that writing your own algorithms is the way to go, but all MT4 coders cannot necessarily take that route technically. Besides, we have to be aware that anything in theory can be decompiled, the issue remains if the time and means necessary are worth the fuss and even so, if the end results can be of any usable value.
The best thing to do is to never expose the executable if possible, if not, then one can find reliable solutions, companies like Mqllock and others are great solutions.
(aside from been a satisfied client I have no strings attached with any of these companies)