[MUD-Dev] Trusting the client, encrypting data

[Jessica Mulligan]

At 12:01 PM 11/27/2003 olag at ifi.uio.no (Ola Fosheim Grøstad) wrote

> However, this can easily be solved by (symmetrically) encrypting
> data on a cell-by-cell basis using unique keys for each cell. The
> problem is then reduced to sending the decryption key in a timely
> fashion.

I don't think any kind of encryption scheme for client data is going
to survive for long.  Believe me, I wish it would, but it has been
my experience that whatever scheme you can concoct, the combined
intelligence of the player base can and will break and fairly
quickly, at that.  You can make it harder on them, but as soon as
one person has a method down, everyone will know it.  I remember
once on UO we spent several weeks rewriting the encryption; it was
pretty damn good, too.  It was broken in less than three days,
sending something like a man-month of engineering time down in
flames.  I'm sure we can all repeat stories similar stories.

If you do come up with a method that works reliably and stays
unbroken, you'll be a very rich and sought-after man and American
women will want to have your babies.

-Jess
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