Using disassembly to hack Windows under Markdown editor Markdownpad 2

Markdownpad is the next best Markdown Editor on the Windows platform, this article briefly introduces Markdown and uses a method to hack Markdownpad to upgrade to the Pro version. This method is limited to educational purposes and I am not responsible for any commercial disputes arising from the misuse of this method!

Markdown Introduction

Markdown is a lightweight markup language with its simple, easy-to-learn syntax, and anyone can master its basic grammar in a matter of minutes and write it, you can learn the basic grammar of Markdown here . His founder, John Gruber, has a high-level overview of what Markdown is, what it does, and who it is for:

Markdown is a text-to-html conversion tool for Web writers. Markdown allows you to write using a easy-to-read, Easy-to-write plain text format, then convert it to structurally valid XHTML (or HTML).

Compared to Word and other Rich text editor, you will spend a lot of effort to typesetting, and it is written content portability, compatibility is very poor, Markdown this plain text markup language, there is no such problem, of course, there are many other benefits, you can read the following articles:

• 3 reasons why Everyone Needs to learn Markdown
• On markdown Writing

And now the largest social programming platform, Github, and question-and-answer website StackOverflow in the place where they have edit boxes, all support the Markdown, which also greatly promoted the popularity of Markdown.

As Markdown is becoming popular among developers, there are many Markdown editors, such as the Mou under Mac, the Markdownpad under Linux retex,windows, and so on. Of course, if you do not want to download these editors, you can also use the online version, such as Dillinger. You can poke this article and introduce the 78 Markdown edit preview Tools.

Cracked Markdowpad 2

I'm used to blogging, taking notes, and so on Markdown, using Sublime Text in Linux and Markdownpad under Windows. Markdowpad is the next great Markdown Editor for Windows, with free and professional editions, and Pro offers many advanced features such as Auto-save, PDF export, GFM syntax, custom CSS, syntax highlighting, and more. When you make some advanced settings for the free version, such as setting the markdown processing engine to GFM, you will be prompted to upgrade to the Pro version, as shown in Figure 1. Can say the professional version of these features is very attractive to me, but the professional version needs to pay $14.95! Instinctively to find a cracked version of the Internet, if Baidu or even Google out of all the cracked markdownpad let you replace a file named user.config , in fact, is a registered mailbox and key to verify. Unfortunately, the current account is no longer available, and here is a way to really crack the software.

Figure 1 Markdownpad Advanced settings need to be upgraded to Professional Edition

Get ready

You first need to install the following software:

• Markdownpad 2, you can go to the official website to download the latest version, and then install.
• The. NET anti-compiler, where Ilspy is chosen, requires the. NET Framework 4.0 support to decompile the executable file into C # source code.
• The Disassembly tool, without a doubt, uses IDA to disassemble executable files into assembly files.
• Hex Editor, there are many kinds, here choose HxD, you can view the binary file in hexadecimal, and edit.

Crack steps

1. use Ilspy decompile to markdownpad out the source file and find the function to validate the authorization.

Using Ilspy to open the MarkdownPad2.exe file under the MarkdownPad2 installation directory, locate the Licenseengine method of the Verifylicense class under the Markdowpad2.licensing namespace, as shown in 2.

Figure 2 Finding the validation function using Ilspy decompile

This function is used to verify that the email and license LicenseKey you filled out is legal, the function first to determine whether the email and licensekey is empty, If there is a null, the direct return false, that is, validation does not pass, if all is not NULL, then the following other logic validation. We do not care how it verifies that the user's email and licensekey are matched, we only need to determine the first step if the e-mail or LicenseKey return False to return true, then it is verified directly. Here's where to find the binary code for the code snippet using the IDA tool.

2. use IDA disassembly Markdown to find the assembly code that validates the authorization function.
use IDA to open MarkdownPad2 file under MarkdownPad2.exe installation directory, click Function name on the left, press  alt+t   key search verifylicense   Function name, you can see the assembly code logic diagram, 3.

Figure 3 assembly code for validation functions found through Ida disassembly

The assembly code in yellow ldc.i4.0 is meant to press 0 as a 32-bit integer to the stack, according to the above analysis, we should change this instruction to ldc.i4.1 return True, then we need to find the assembly code corresponding to the binary code. In IDA, you can view it in hexadecimal view, 4.

Figure 4 Viewing the validation function code in the hexadecimal view in IDA

3.use HxD to modify the binary code that validates the authorization function so that it passes validation.
Can seeldc.i4.0The binary code corresponds to the0x16, we just need to change it to0x17, this requires the use of the HxD software to edit the executable file. Using HxD to open the MarkdownPad2.exe file in the MarkdownPad2 installation directory, search by Figure 52C 02 16 2A 02 02 03Found it16Position, and then change it to17Can.

idc.i4.0 binary code location