MQL Defender

Protect your Metatrader indicators and expert advisors
from decompilation, and sell them with secure licensing

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    • Questions

    1. Is MQL Defender's protection unbreakable?
    2. Are there further steps I can take to improve protection?
    3. Does MQL Defender work with indicators as well as expert advisors?
    4. Can I see an example of MQL Defender's encryption?
    5. Do my clients need an internet connection to use protected indicators? Can they work offline?
    6. If I terminate a licence in the web-based console, does the EX4 file on my client's computer stop working immediately?
    7. Can I move my licence to a new computer?
    8. Why does MQL Defender think my hardware has changed?
    9. I need to back up my licences for protected EX4 files. Where are they stored?
    10. Can people simply copy licence files to another computer?
    11. Why has my licence for a protected EX4 file stopped working?
    12. Metatrader seems to have deleted my protected EX4 file. Why?
    13. What are MQL Defender's system requirements?
    14. Does MQL Defender work on Windows Terminal Services?
    15. Will MQL Defender work with version 5 of Metatrader?
    16. Will Metatrader provide something like MQL Defender in version 5?
    17. Can I get any further information on how MQL Defender works?
    18. What tools do I need to use the licensing API?
    19. Are you able to decrypt my protected EX4 files?

    Answers

    1. Is MQL Defender's protection unbreakable?

      2. Any protection or licensing system can potentially be broken by someone with sufficient expertise and time. Even Microsoft, with complete control over the computer's operating system, haven't been able to prevent people from hacking Windows licensing.

      MQL Defender's protection is strong, and is a powerful deterrent, but we do not and cannot warrant that its protection is unbreakable.

    2. Are there further steps I can take to improve protection?

      3. Yes. If you turn part of your MQ4/EX4 file into a Windows DLL, a hacker then has to penetrate both MQL Defender plus your bespoke DLL. Both are still ultimately breakable, but the hacker's workload is increased.

      If you do not have the experience or time to build your own DLLs, we can offer this service on a bureau basis - please read about our bespoke service.

    3. Does MQL Defender work with indicators as well as expert advisors?

      4. Yes. One of MQL Defender's key aims is to make it possible to license and sell indicators as well as expert advisors.

    4. Can I see an example of MQL Defender's encryption?

      5. Of course. This link is Metatrader's standard "MACD Sample" expert advisor, encrypted by MQL Protect.

    5. Do my clients need an internet connection to use protected indicators? Can they work offline?

      6. Your clients need an internet connection to verify their licence when they are first installing your EX4 file. They then need an internet connection periodically thereafter (roughly once per week). However, between weekly checks your EX4 file will continue working without an internet connection: therefore you can use MQL Defender to give people indicators which they can use off-line.

    6. If I terminate a licence in the web-based console, does the EX4 file on my client's computer stop working immediately?

      7. No. As covered above, MQL Defender validates licenses on roughly a weekly basis. Therefore, there may be a gap of anything from one second to one week between you terminating a licence in the web-based console and your client's copy of the EX4 file ceasing to work.

    7. Can I move my licence to a new computer?

      8. If your software vendor has issued you with a licence, and you need to transfer the software to a new computer, you may be able to release the licence using the following form: http://www.mqldefender.com/releaselicence.aspx. You can then re-enter the licence code on a new computer.

      Some vendors turn off this facility, and you will need to contact them in order to release a licence. Other vendors require a minimum time period between each licence release.

    8. Why does MQL Defender think my hardware has changed?

      9. If you make substantial changes to your existing hardware, such as modifications to your hard disk or network card, MQL Defender may think that it is now running on a new computer. This will invalidate your licences.

      You can try following the instructions above for releasing a licence, or you can contact your software supplier.

    9. I need to back up my licences for protected EX4 files. Where are they stored?

      10. Licences for protected EX4 files are stored in the All Users area (usually C:\Documents And Settings\All Users), in the Application Data\Metatrader Licences subdirectory. The Application Data directory is usually marked as hidden; you may need to change the Tools/Folder Options/View settings in Windows Explorer to make the directory visible.

    10. Can people simply copy licence files to another computer?

      11. Licence files on disk (in the All Users directory - see above) cannot be copied from one computer to another in order to bypass the licensing. A licence file is only valid and only works on the computer on which it was created.

    11. Why has my licence for a protected EX4 file stopped working?

      12. Licences for protected EX4 files only work on one specific computer (and licence codes cannot be used on multiple computers). If you change your hardware substantially (e.g. upgrade the processor), MQL Defender may view this as a new computer. If your licence stops working because you have upgraded your hardware, or because you have switched over to a new computer, please contact the developer of the EX4 file for a new licence.

    12. Metatrader seems to have deleted my protected EX4 file. Why?

      13. Metatrader automatically deletes EX4 files which it thinks are damaged. If you try to use a protected EX4 file without having installed MQL Defender, or you do not enter a valid licence code when prompted, Metatrader cannot read the file properly, thinks that it is damaged - and deletes it. Please install MQL Defender (if you have not already done so), copy the EX4 file back into the Metatrader Experts directory, and then start up Metatrader again and enter a valid licence code when prompted.

    13. What are MQL Defender's system requirements?

      14. The MQL Defender client application and the Developer Kit have been tested on Windows 2000 (strongly not recommended), Windows XP (32-bit), Windows Vista (32- and 64-bit), Windows Server 2003 (32- and 64-bit), Windows Server 2008 (32- and 64-bit), and Windows 7 Beta (32- and 64-bit).

      The MQL Defender client application does not require special user privileges; for example, it does not require changes to the UAC settings in Windows Vista in order to run correctly. The Developer Kit will usually require Administrator or Power User rights (because, like Metaeditor, it is creating/amending EX4 files within the restricted Program Files area).

    14. Does MQL Defender work on Windows Terminal Services?

      15. MQL Defender does work on WTS. However, developers can choose to prevent the licences they issue from working on WTS - or, more usually, they can charge a substantial premium for such licences because they are inherently much more valuable than non-WTS licences.

    15. Will MQL Defender work with version 5 of Metatrader?

      16. MQL Defender will probably work with MT5/MQL5 without modification. If not, any changes we need to make will be very minor.

    16. Will Metatrader include something like MQL Defender in version 5?

      17. This is uncertain. (It's also very unclear when MT5/MQL5 will be released.) There has been some discussion about licensing in MT5, but the suggestions such as this forum page are of very limited value. Schemes such as this would involve issuing irrevocable licences to clients. Such solutions would not cater for subscriptions, trials, or moving licences between computers - i.e. not actually much use in commercial terms.

    17. Can I get any further information on how MQL Defender works?

      18. Yes - we make the full developer kit documentation available for download before signing up.

    18. What tools do I need to use the licensing API?

      19. Our licensing API (for creating and maintaining licences programmatically, rather than logging in manually to the console) has been developed and tested with the .NET languages, but should in principle be usable from any language/environment which caters for SOAP.

      We also supply a Windows application for creating and administering licences from the command line. This application works by calling the API, and we provide its full source code to give you a working example of how to use the API.

    19. Are you able to decrypt my protected EX4 files?

      20. In theory, yes. If one of your clients sent us a copy of your protected EX4 file then we could potentially decrypt it.

      (N.B. Things like public key cryptography etc would not help here. Even if you signed your EX4 file with some sort of private key, you would still have to give your clients the equivalent public key. If a rogue client then gave us the protected EX4 file plus your public key, the situation wouldn't have improved.)

      In short, there's no way round this. You have to trust either your clients or us (preferably both!).