GXP Mosaic

Time tampering is the process of rolling back the system clock on a PC, tricking an application into continuing to function when it should have been disabled after a limited time, such as with trial versions. There are legitimate reasons for changing the system date and time — for example, clearing a system for classified use.

Recently, a SOCET SET^® customer encountered a problem related to time tampering that prevented the software license from installing. The instructions below describe what to do if you receive the following error message in SOCET SET or SOCET GXP^®:

There are no clock tamper checks for permanent SOCET SET and SOCET GXP licenses. Prior to installing the software, it is imperative to confirm that the computer time and date are set correctly. Accuracy of the system clock also is very important for temporary licenses. A user who has been issued a temporary license must not change the date and time after the license has been installed on the computer.

The license server is configured to detect tampering of the system clock. About 500 system files are checked (in strictly read-only mode) to determine if the system’s clock has been set back to use an expired license. This process is initiated on startup, then periodically thereafter for approximately 10 to 20 seconds. If five or more files are found in violation in one calendar day, or if 1 percent of the system files are off by one calendar day, then a clock tamper is in effect.

The user needs to be careful not to violate any rules for Microsoft^® time tampering. The BAE Systems process checks to see if Microsoft’s process has detected time tampering. Use of time altering software programs that are not Microsoft compliant should be avoided. One example is a program that adjusts its system’s time to that of an atomic clock.

SOCET SET and SOCET GXP software will not generate licenses if the system time is adjusted while the license server is operating. It is recommended that users shutdown the license server temporarily if the system time needs to be adjusted.

To correct for a clock tampering error:

1. Run the SentinelLM Host Information Utility: C:\Program Files\BAE SYSTEMS\GXP License Manager\wechoid.exe.
2. Check each available box in the Locking Criteria window.
3. Send the Locking Data Selector and Locking Data Code information to the BAE Systems Customer Support department.

Additional information about time tampering can be found on the SafeNet Web site:

• www.safenet-inc.com/library/drm/SafeNet_Product_Brief_SentinelVClock_RealTimeClock.pdf
• www.safenet-inc.com/library/8/WP_HighLevelApplSecurity.pdf

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 26th, 2009 at 14:00 and is filed under March 2009, Q & A. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.