Prevent registration info availability to user?

M
Posted By
malik
Sep 10, 2008
Views
633
Replies
31
Status
Closed
We have lots of users using our PC.

Within Photoshop a user can view our registered serial number copy it down and use it elsewhere.

Is there anyway to protect/hide our serial number?.

I am guessing not, in which case is it possible to have activation for our serial number via phone only adn we have a verbal password?.

Any thoughts/ideas how to protect our serial number?.
TIA

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DM
dave_milbut
Sep 10, 2008
you don’t get the full serial # in photoshop. just a partial.
JJ
Jim_Jordan
Sep 10, 2008
Even if your full serial # was obtained, the activation process makes serial number theft less of an issue anyway.

And if someone snags your serial number, they still won’t have the PS installer. Those that obtain the software illicitly do not need your serial #.
M
malik
Sep 10, 2008
Jim

1) The installer is readily available.

2) My understanding when i installed is that you enter you serial number and it installs there is no additional validation required.
Can you explain what else there is.
JJ
Jim_Jordan
Sep 11, 2008

1) are you referring to your installer? Of course the installer is illegally available on the internet. If you are saying that you have your own installation media unsecured and easily looted, then you have another issue to address.

2) a serial number is useless to anyone else if you have already used your activation allowance. The solution to your question/problem may lie there.
M
malik
Sep 11, 2008
I think we have gone off on a tangent with this.

My question:

Is there a way to hide the serial info in PhotoShop. A user can re-use our serial number elsewhere. The serial will allow at least 2 or 3 activations before you have to contact Adobe to get the 4th allowed.

Thanks
DM
dave_milbut
Sep 11, 2008
nobody reads post #1.
JJ
Jim_Jordan
Sep 11, 2008
We’re still on track. As noted in the first post, your full serial number is not displayed in Photoshop.

If your allotment of activations is already filled, a serial # thief will have to call Adobe to request a reset of the activation count so that they can use the stolen serial and activate on their own computer.

Assess the probability that someone figures out the remaining characters in your serial number, that they call Adobe to request that activation reset, and that Adobe would believe and offer the pirate the activation when they have that serial number registered to you.

Any thoughts/ideas how to protect our serial number?

Adobe has already thought this through. You really do not need to worry about it unless you have some abnormal situation.

A user can re-use our serial number elsewhere. The serial will allow at least 2 or 3 activations before you have to contact Adobe to get the 4th allowed.

These comments are not true. Review the activation info on adobe.com and in your licensing.
JJ
John Joslin
Sep 11, 2008
Malik

Compare the number within Photoshop to the number on the box or with the download.

They are different! The real serial number is longer.
BL
Bob Levine
Sep 11, 2008
The full serial number is very easy to get as I outlined here:

http://indesignsecrets.com/help-ive-lost-my-serial-number.ph p

You’ll need to protect the machines with passwords or hire people you can trust.

Bob
P
Phosphor
Sep 11, 2008
Are we forgetting something about multi-seat licenses not needing activation?

I don’t know for sure, since I don’t work in that type of environment, but I DO recall something along those lines.

It doesn’t answer the original question, but it could be relevant.
M
malik
Sep 11, 2008
John Joslin – thank you. in which case we should be ok.

Robert Levine – some interesting articles. one thing i read whioch i didnt know is you can only activate photoshop twice. You then have to deactivate before you can reactivate.
<http://indesignsecrets.com/cs3-activation-limits.php>
JJ
Jim_Jordan
Sep 11, 2008
Are we forgetting something about multi-seat licenses not needing activation?

Those are the versions that are being so well circulated among pirates – – so this whole discussion about protecting our own activated apps is nearly pointless. If someone really wants the software, they are much more likely to use p2p to grab a version that requires no activation than to snatch a serial from malik. Why would a pirate bother with the activation troubles that the rest of us deal with?
JJ
John Joslin
Sep 11, 2008
I think we are talking about illegal copies here, rather than piracy in the generally accepted sense. There is a difference.
JJ
Jim_Jordan
Sep 11, 2008
What difference is that? What sense of piracy have you generally accepted? 🙂
DM
dave_milbut
Sep 11, 2008
I think most people think of piracy as "p2p" download a crack and off you go. i think most REAL piracy comes from the casual user, mostly from the corporate license kind of media that doesn’t need activation.
M
malik
Sep 11, 2008
so this whole discussion about protecting our own activated apps is nearly pointless. If someone really wants the software, they are much more likely to use p2p to grab a version that requires no activation than to snatch a serial from malik.

Not pointless at all. You could apply the same rule to just about anything. Why lock my front door if someone really wants to get in they can just break the window. Its about opportunism. I am not talking about people who use torrent and know how to download illegal copies.
Easy access to a serial number = temptation to use it. Hence my original post.
DM
dave_milbut
Sep 11, 2008
so best way to protect your # (given bob’s post) is to secure the systems w/passwords and maybe limited access accounts (there are certain registry keys and folder permissions that need to be set up for non-admin accounts. the FAQ has details on how to set these up).
JJ
Jim_Jordan
Sep 11, 2008
Easy access to a serial number = temptation to use it. Hence my original post

But how are they getting the installation media to make use of the serial? How are they conning Adobe into allowing them to activate software you have already activated? Hence my original confusion why this is an issue.

If you register the software with Adobe and have it fully activated so that no other can activate, you could paint the serial number on a huge sign in front of your home or business. It is useless to another.

Your serial number is useless to another if there is no software to install. Those that have the installation media likely loot it from p2p (where a serial is delivered with it) or they have your original media in hand – which has the serial stamped on it.
DM
dave_milbut
Sep 11, 2008
But how are they getting the installation media to make use of the serial?

I THINK (from posts here) that the downloadable trial version has a way to enter a serial # to make it a legit full version…

which has the serial stamped on it.

I don’t have my discs handy, but i don’t think that’s right jim. it’s the paper sleeve that has the little serial # sticker on it.
M
malik
Sep 11, 2008
dave milbut – pc’s are secured/passworded this does not stop you viewing/copying the serial number from within photoshop.

Jim J. The installation media is readily available. You can even download it for free from the adobe website for goodness sake.
The media is irrelevant its the serial i am concerned with.

I give up 🙂
JJ
Jim_Jordan
Sep 11, 2008
I THINK (from posts here) that the downloadable trial version has a way to enter a serial # to make it a legit full version…

But it could not be activated if the activation allotment has already been filled. The activation process is what has made this a non-issue. This is why most all of us have to endure activation nonsense. Adobe has already devised a way to protect our serial numbers from theft.
M
malik
Sep 11, 2008
Anyway to answer to my own post

John Joslin – has already confirmed the serial number shown within photoshop via Help>System Info, etc is not the actual install serial number, so i’m good

Also the link provided earlier reads that there are only 2 allowed activations so this is another form of protection

Couldnt someone have said this in post 2 🙂
JJ
Jim_Jordan
Sep 11, 2008
Oy. Nobody reads post #10

I give up 🙂
M
malik
Sep 11, 2008
post #10 solution reads to me:

"You’ll need to protect the machines with passwords or hire people you can trust."

This is not a solution.
1) The machines are already passworded etc. This is irrelavant to users of photoshop
2) i wont even bother with the ‘hire trust people’ bit 🙂
BL
Bob Levine
Sep 11, 2008
You can put a smiley on that if you want but the fact that you’re worried about this says a great deal about the hiring practices.

And it’s worth noting that the EULA for single licenses allows for the installation on a second machines for home use or laptops.

Bob
JJ
Jim_Jordan
Sep 11, 2008
Malik, the point of post #10 was to point out that the full serial number can be obtained. There is still another way as well but there is no point in explaining further as activation is the way that Adobe prevents careless or deliberate distribution of serials. You are safe no matter what you do or do not do.
M
malik
Sep 11, 2008
You can put a smiley on that if you want but the fact that you’re worried about this says a great deal about the hiring practices.

The personnel dept is in another building so i cannot answer directly, Here we work on IT prevention at all levels. Perhaps you can tell me about our companies hiring practices in more detail.
DM
dave_milbut
Sep 11, 2008
from within photoshop.

the serial # isn’t available within photoshop, as has been said. you can (according to bob) get it from deactivating and reactivating. it’s possible some user permissions might disallow this, you might want to test that out.

But it could not be activated if the activation allotment has already been filled.

waht if it hadn’t been filled? 🙂

John Joslin – has already confirmed the serial number shown within photoshop via Help>System Info, etc is not the actual install serial number, so i’m good

aHEM! post #1?!! 🙂

This is not a solution. 1) The machines are already passworded etc. This is irrelavant to users of photoshop

like i said above, it’s possible that certain user acct security settings might be found that would disallow users from activating/deactivating. you should experiment.
M
malik
Sep 11, 2008
thanks jim. youre right. the 2 time activation allowance appears to be the peace of mind/protection we’re after
DM
dave_milbut
Sep 11, 2008
MS seems to reset their activation counters every few days.

because they realize that it’s better to get hte product into people’s hands rather than turn them to another product. even if it’s pirated. the potential for a sale later on will be with the product they learn on and know.
BL
Bob Levine
Sep 12, 2008
You don’t trust your people. That’s all I need to know.

I have no problem with reasonable security, but you’re simply wasting time and effort on something you shouldn’t even be thinking about. Are you posting in the Microsoft groups to find out how to keep folks from stealing Office keys?

Because I can tell you for a fact, it’s a whole lot easier and MS seems to reset their activation counters every few days.

Bob

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