Usb dongle key history12/31/2022 Over the years, the license dongle has gone in and out of fashion. So Why Doesn’t Everyone Use Key Dongles for Software Licensing? It tells the software when or where to open, which features to activate, and even how long to run before shutting the user out. When it comes to software licensing, the key dongle’s firmware is programmed with data about what type of access to allow. The resulting software licensing dongles are especially popular for high-level design and manufacturing software. Using specialized USB drives, because not all drives have unique serial numbers, developers load key dongles with hardware serial numbers and ID strings that are difficult to tamper with. Today, key dongles are a critical part of the licensing and security strategy for software developers. While we tend to use the word today for any of the cords and connectors that clutter the drawers of home offices worldwide, the earliest published uses of the word dongle refer to antipiracy devices. Vendors learned to tie software licenses to whole servers or networks, instead of single machines, and to use online activation that could also provide usage feedback to developers.Īnother option was the license dongle. Both of these systems eventually evolved. But these methods proved easy to circumvent and inconvenient for users. Software sellers tried providing activation codes or binding software to individual computers. The History of Software Licensing Securityīefore floppy disks, software licensing wasn’t a serious issue. In addition to allowing the software to run, they can restrict features or usage times, which allows software dongles to enforce licensing terms. But the more successful dongle protection comes from product keys or encryptions that are programmed onto the software dongle. The most simplistic version of security dongles won’t let the software run unless it recognizes that the software dongle USB is plugged in. While these key dongles can use a wide variety of connectors and ports, today they’re mostly on USB drives. What is a License Dongle?Ī license dongle is a device that connects to a computer to enable functionality or decrypt content in software that is not meant to be shared. Once it’s there, it can even limit the software’s usage or unlock features. The software is designed to only work if the key dongle is plugged into the computer. They are pieces of hardware, today mostly USB drives, that are integrated with the software. Key dongles, or security dongles, are a major player in the history of software security and licensing. License dongles can be an effective building block in your strategy. You’ll need a way to enforce it that maximizes your ROI and creates a smooth user experience for your customers. Your customers rely on you to have strong, convenient security and licensing strategies in place.īut having a licensing system set up isn’t enough. Malware from unlicensed software may be costing the economy more than $359 billion. License Dongles as Part of a Flexible Software Security StrategyĪccording to the most recent Global Software Survey from BSA (aka The Software Alliance), companies that proactively work to improve their software management can increase profits by 11%.
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