Wibu-Systems’ Protection Suite
for PCs and Embedded Systems
The increasingly loud call for better protection
for industrial applications and data has
encouraged Wibu-Systems in its commitment
to improving protection in the sector with its
Protection Suite. In traditional PCs, memory or
processing power are not an issue anymore,
whereas embedded systems often use smallscale, resource-efficient architectures. Open
systems like VxWorks, Android, or Linux also
play a more prominent role here than they do
in the desktop world, as they allow individual
adjustments to the given needs.
AxProtector, for PCs, and ExProtector, for
embedded devices, are able to encrypt complete
applications or single libraries securely without
any change to the applications source code. The
CodeMeter software takes care of decrypting
these files for the run-time environment and
scans for any potential attacks.
AxProtector creates an encrypted archive of
the original application code and adds selfextraction functionality as well as the necessary
license parameters to authorize the decryption
by the CodeMeter runtime. This adds only a
few kilobytes to the encrypted file. After the
archive has been authorized and extracted, it
checks its integrity automatically.
Embedded systems often have higher
requirements in terms of real-time capabilities,
while having less memory and processing
Original
Software
Operating System
ExProtector
Encrypted
software
Modified
loader
Credentials
ExEngine
(ExProtector
Runtime)
Encrypted
Encryption Key
Hash signature of
the original software
CodeMeter
Embedded
Driver
Public Key and
Public Certificate
Process of integrity check
power than their desktop counterparts. That’s
why we optimized AxProtector concept for
embedded systems’ specific restrictions.
ExProtector
ExProtector encrypts applications, libraries, or
data files for embedded systems. The encrypted
file includes only a handful of additional bytes
with the license parameters required for
decryption and the signed hash (checksum)
in the header.
All cryptographic functionality is already built
into the operating system itself, including the
drivers for accessing licenses on dongles or
software-based CmActLicenses as native code.
Wind River offers VxWorks with the CodeMeter
Loader completely integrated from the start.
A similar integration in Linux and Android is easy
because of the flexible modifications allowed
by these operating systems.
This deep integration in the operating system
makes for greater efficiency and greater security.
The Loader uses the hashes and signatures
to check the integrity of the applications
or files encrypted by ExProtector after their
authorization and extraction. Combined with
secure boot procedures, which CodeMeter’s
technology also covers, one can produce a
completely copy- and tamper-proof system
without the need for additional software.
Wibu-Systems Protection Suite
VxWorks
Software
authorization
Ex
Ax
CodeMeter
Runtime
Ex
Ax
Ex
Integrity
protection
Ex
Automatic protection
(IP protection)
Embedded Driver
Custom
API access
Wibu-Systems Protection Suite with the current Protectors (solid border) and planned Protectors (striped border)
9