Any hints to fool deassembling VB6.exe code?

[adamson]

VB6.exe code seems to be easily deassembled (converted) into Assembler language. I have no experience with Asm? Could anyone be so helpful providing some hits (willingly with examples) about the disabilities of Assembler in understanding compiled VB6 code. In other words any tricks to confuse the deassembled reader.
Do variables names in (sources Vb6 compiled into exe) appear as they are in exe and then in the deassembled code? Like Dim Price: Price=10. Does the phrase Price appear readable anywhere after VB6 compilation.
Thanks alot for any respons

[CornedBee]

It's absolutely impossible to prevent disassembling of object code. If you mess with the object code so that a disassembler cannot read it, the CPU can't, either.
You can prevent non-exported names from appearing by disabling all debugging options on the final compilation.

[si_the_geek]

Any compiled code can be converted into Assembler, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about that.

Variable names are not included in compiled files.

You cannot convert the Assembler code back into VB code - see the article about it in our Classic VB FAQs (link in my signature) which explains how useless any attempt to do that is.

[dis1411]

compiled vb6 code is pretty obfuscated

[adamson]

while the disassembed Assembler code cannot be converted back into VB code, but is it possible to make out of it new .exe with some alteration inside?

[CornedBee]

Yes. It's hard, but possible. That's how many copy protection removers for games work. Of course, there the source language is C or C++, not VB.

[chemicalNova]

Its not that big of a deal in the end. If someone were to figure out some top-secret function in your program, with disassembled code they probably sat at a desk for weeks on end with a pad and pen, trying to make sense of it. Most of the disassembled stuff I've seen, has been along the lines of:

mov [ebx+0012041241],[eax+123142343434234]

It'd melt your brain trying to determine what is even in those offsets.

chem