Solution for Improving App-Security for Windows Phone 7 Available

The Windows Phone Marketplace reportedly has a rather weak security system when it comes to protecting the applications available for download there, but a fix for this has already emerged.

In all fairness, this is not the ultimate solution when it comes to patching the DRM issues that Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 app store has, but it can be seen as a temporary fix that could offer better security for the applications available through the portal.

Recently, the Marketplace was said to have a weak DRM system, and a proof-of-concept application called FreeMarketplace was shown on video, demonstrating a simple process through which one could remove the protection from the software available in the storefront.

Microsoft is expected to come up with a solution for this in the near future but, until that happens, a fix was presented, provided by Tobias, the developer of FreeMarketplace himself, who claims that this workaround would at least slow down attempts to hack the Windows Phone Marketplace apps.

He came up with a code snippet which should make things a little more secure until Microsoft offers a better security system, but he stresses upon the fact that this is not a final solution for the said DRM issues.

“The code and the guides I gave you here will not stop piracy. Anyone with the corresponding skills can still startup reflector, go through your code, remove any checkes, remove DRM and install it on a device,” Tobias states on his blog (via WPCentral).

“Yes, but it got a lot more difficult to do it in an automated fashion. So, there might be one or two who can still break your security measures by hand but the masses won’t be able as there is no generic tool available,” he continues.

Windows Phone 7 application developers interested in using the fix with their applications should head to the said blog here. Apparently, the solution was already tested, and it is said to be working as intended.