Software protection through interdependent parameter cloud constrained software execution

One or more computer-readable storage devices storing computer-executable instructions which, when executed on a computing system comprising at least a processor executing instructions retrieved from the one or more storage media, carry out a method comprising:

• creating a parameter cloud, the parameter cloud having a state and a plurality of elements;
• defining an expected state of the parameter cloud for a called function of a computer program, the expected state including a set of randomly selected elements from the plurality of elements and a randomly assigned value for each member of the set of randomly selected elements;
• and
• modifying the computer program, including:
• modifying a called function of the computer program, including modifying a static portion of the called function to be derived from a current state of the parameter cloud so that during run-time, the called function executes as indicated by original source code of the called function if the current state of the parameter cloud is the expected state of the parameter cloud for the called function and the called function executes in an unexpected manner if the current state of the parameter cloud is not equivalent to the expected state of the parameter cloud for the called function, and
• modifying a calling function of the computer program to transform the state of the parameter cloud to the expected state of the parameter cloud for the called function prior to calling the called function.

A method of protecting a computer program from static analysis and from execution of the computer program outside an original intent of the computer program's author, comprising:

• creating a parameter cloud having a state and a plurality of elements;
• modifying original source code of the computer program so that each called function of the modified source code requires an expected state of the parameter cloud in order to execute as indicated by the original source code and if a current state of the parameter cloud is not equivalent to the expected state of the parameter cloud for the each called function, the each called function executes in an unexpected manner,
• the original source code corresponding to the original intent of the computer program's author, and
• the expected state comprising a set of arbitrarily selected elements from the plurality of elements of the parameter cloud and an arbitrarily assigned value for each member of the set of arbitrarily selected elements;
• wherein modifying the original source code comprises:
• modifying a static portion of the each called function so that a current value of the static portion of the each called function is determined based on a current value of at least one element of the plurality of elements based on the current state of the parameter cloud, and
• modifying each calling function that calls each called function to transform the current state of the parameter cloud into the expected state prior to calling the each called function.