# How to hide part of the source passwords etc **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [September 4, 2006, 2:44pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-hide-part-of-the-source-passwords-etc/67458 "2006-09-04T14:44:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Didier](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Didier](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Didier)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 2:44pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-hide-part-of-the-source-passwords-etc/67458/1 "2006-09-04T14:44:06Z")
I do some stuff that encapsulate calls to various systems (os api, erp queries, databases access) and if the results are no secret some passwords used internally are. How to solve the issue? example: one program to create a Windows AD user and use internally higher credentials…(runas…) You may ask how is it protected now? Certainly not perfectly but it is in the compiled versions and kids under 3 will not set a breakpoint. regards DD ---
**Author:** ![Didier](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Didier](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Didier)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-hide-part-of-the-source-passwords-etc/67458/2 "2006-09-05T17:51:33Z")
If you create a windows user based on datas stored in a flat file and do all the checking to have it done consistently. You can give the program to a non administrator of the network. But you will not give the administrator password so that any task be done by anyone. regards Didier ---
**Author:** ![Didier](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Didier](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Didier)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-hide-part-of-the-source-passwords-etc/67458/3 "2006-09-05T17:51:32Z")
Didier wrote: > I do some stuff that encapsulate calls to various systems > (os api, erp queries, databases access) and if the results > are no secret some passwords used internally are. How to > solve the issue? Have the user of the program enter a password, rather than include the password in the program itself. I reply in this way because it is an obvious solution, but you haven’t explained your situation very clearly. ---
**Author:** ![Didier](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Didier](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Didier)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-hide-part-of-the-source-passwords-etc/67458/4 "2006-09-05T17:51:33Z")
Didier wrote: > If you create a windows user based on datas stored in a > flat file and do all the checking to have it done > consistently. You can give the program to a > non administrator of the network. But you will not give > the administrator password so that any task be done > by anyone. It is difficult to understand the goal as you have explained it. As I understand it, you want to grant administrative rights to non-administrative users, but you don’t want them to have administrative authority. You really cannot grant administrative access without going through the access procedure, which includes a password. The password is either in the script, or it is known to the user so he can type it in. Neither of these options seems particularly attractive. ---
**Author:** ![Didier](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Didier](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Didier)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 10:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-hide-part-of-the-source-passwords-etc/67458/5 "2006-09-05T22:46:32Z")
Well If i want to let users do say runas something it must be done in client server or xml rpc or whatever the flavor. a huge drawback for Ruby (and Python). regards. Didier ---
**Author:** ![Didier](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Didier](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Didier)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 4:00am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-hide-part-of-the-source-passwords-etc/67458/6 "2006-09-06T04:00:59Z")
Didier wrote: > Well If i want to let users do say runas something it must > be done in client server or xml rpc or whatever the flavor. How about ruby2scriptexe? > a huge drawback for Ruby (and Python). Java isn’t much safer in this regard. It’s fairly straight forward to decompile byte code to the original. ---
**Author:** ![Didier](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Didier](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Didier)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 6:48pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-hide-part-of-the-source-passwords-etc/67458/7 "2006-09-06T18:48:33Z")
On 9/5/06, Cliff C. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Java isn’t much safer in this regard. It’s fairly straight forward to > decompile byte code to the original. And compiled C code or the like isn’t necessarily that safe either. On Unix\> man strings on Windows: [http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Strings.html](http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Strings.html) One shouldn’t rely that much on security by obscurity. – Rick DeNatale My blog on Ruby [http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/](http://talklikeaduck.denhaven2.com/)