Q: What can I do with the SmartDongle™ USB security dongle?
A: The primary focus is to provide developers with a versatile way to protect their software from piracy. The SmartDongle is such a versatile device that individuals with a little know-how have used it as a convenient way to protect personal information as well.
Q: How does it work?
A: The SmartDongle is opened with your unique security keys. Once opened, the dongle can be written to and read from as necessary to protect your application. Any information that is written to the dongle is encrypted with 128 bit AES encryption. This protects the dongle from being cut open and putting the flash memory into a test harness to read the data. To further increase security, your application can encrypt the data being sent to the dongle to prevent a potential hacker from seeing the data on the USB bus before it is written.
Q: Will my keys be unique?
A: Yes. The SmartDongle USB security key uses two 64 bit keys. Each customer is assigned a set for their use, but can request additional security keys as the need arises.
Q: What programming languages do you support?
A: The languages currently supported are: C/C++, Delphi, Java, .NET (Including VB.NET and C#), and Visual Basic 6.0. Anything that can load an external library can be supported. If there are other languages that are needed, please contact us.
Q: What Operating Systems do you support?
A: Operating systems we support are: Windows 98 SE, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista (x86 and x64), Windows 7 (x86 and x64), Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 (x86 and x64), Windows Server 2008 R2 (x86 and x64), Linux, FreeBSD (requires libusb), Macintosh OSX 10.1 & up.
Q: Do I have to use external libraries?
A: No. External libraries are only necessary when the language requires it. However, some languages that we support require the use of dlls. External libraries are, by themselves, relatively easy for pirates to attack. There are some easy tricks to employ that will greatly increase your security in these situations such as:
- Perform a checksum (such as MD5 or SHA1) on the dll.
- Store secrets or executable code on the SmartDongle.
- Obfuscating your application code.
For further information, please contact us.
Q: Can the SmartDongle be exported to my country?
A: The SmartDongle can be exported to any country EXCEPT the following: Afghanistan, Angola, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Montenegro, North Korea, Rwanda, Serbia, Sudan, The Western Balkans and Yugoslavia. See our updated list here.
Q: Why do I get an "Error 10" message when installing the driver?
A: The issue is caused by a USB filter driver installed on certain computers with AMD processors running Windows Vista or Windows 7 to improve the quality of audio files with some USB Speakers & and TV Tuners. The solution is to the remove the driver following the instructions below:
- Open the control panel.
- Select "Programs and Features".
- Locate the driver labeled "AMD USB Audio Filter Driver".
- Select uninstall and then follow the prompts.
For some, there may not be a separate Add/Remove Programs entry for the AMD USB Filter Driver. In this case, you may be able to remove the driver from the ATI Catalyst Install Manager. Instructions to do this can be found here.
If you are unable to uninstall the driver using either of these methods, we have provided instructions to manually remove the driver.
There is no harm in uninstalling this driver.
