Hide AutoHotkey's process strings

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Azev
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Joined: 11 Dec 2015, 08:06

Hide AutoHotkey's process strings

20 Apr 2017, 17:04

Lately, a lot of software vendors (mostly game producers) have been restricting from running their programs along with AHK proccesses. (either compiled or not, changing the .exe name or not, packed or not)

They check all running processes strings and if they find "AutoHotkey" the restriction applies and you MUST close all runing AHK instances in order to run those programs.

Image
Image

Devs, here is how to hide strings: http://create.stephan-brumme.com/hide-s ... xecutable/

There is a growing number of vendors restricting their executables from running along with AutoHotkey.

Some users use AHK to "cheat" on games and such. I use AHK to improve desktop usability and production.
I guess, soon I'll be leaving ahk behind because closing autohotkey scripts to run some programs and then reopen all scripts again afterwards is not a deal.

Please, along with
  • AutoHotkeyU32.exe
    AutoHotkeyU64.exe
    AutoHotkeyU32.exe
    AutoHotkeyA32.exe


Please, provide an AutoHotkeyUH64.exe for a Hidden strings/signature executable.
Last edited by lexikos on 20 Apr 2017, 22:02, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Edited title.
lexikos
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Re: VERY IMPORTANT: Protect Autohotkey! Hide its process strings

20 Apr 2017, 19:31

Sounds like a good reason to boycott those vendors, or petition them to be more reasonable.

I am not going to play "hide and seek" with AutoHotkey. Any remotely successful attempts at making AutoHotkey unrecognizable to other processes would hinder its functionality, and then those vendors would simply find another way to block AutoHotkey. It would also give antivirus vendors more excuses to flag AutoHotkey as a virus.
Azev
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Re: VERY IMPORTANT: Protect Autohotkey! Hide its process strings

20 Apr 2017, 21:05

Yeah right, I'll petition all of them as if they would agree.

I'm also won't play hide and seek no more. I can't install this or that because ahk will be running.

It is better to stop using ONE so I can use TEN rather than can't use ten because of one.

So long ahk!
Noesis
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Re: Hide AutoHotkey's process strings

21 Apr 2017, 00:29

I'd like to know which vendors are doing this, as I tend to agree with lexikos here. It's not like ahk does anything that can't be done in some other language, and for them to be indiscriminately targeting any and all ahk scripts/programs instead of actually refining their cheat detection mechanisms, as lexikos implied, is unreasonable. It actually means the doors are open to increased cheating in these games as all one has to do is just use some language other than ahk to do so, since they aren't looking to detect based on actions performed by programs.
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nnnik
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Re: Hide AutoHotkey's process strings

21 Apr 2017, 03:24

It might be just because AHK links to certain functions/libraries within it's code.
We could probably find a way to close all active AHK Scripts you have running and relaunch them after the game has been closed.
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Azev
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Joined: 11 Dec 2015, 08:06

Re: Hide AutoHotkey's process strings

21 Apr 2017, 08:39

We could probably find a way to close all active AHK Scripts you have running and relaunch them after the game has been closed.
Read the first thread:
closing autohotkey scripts to run some programs and then reopen all scripts again afterwards is not a deal.
I fully understand the developers point of view.

I'm going back to AutoIt/C++ because they are lower level and keep the amateurs from writing fool scripts that will jeopardise the main project.
AutoIt is Even better because it ships with COM dlls that can be called from VBScripts and remain protected at some level.

AutoHotkey as it is, is doomed and it is getting blacklisted more and more thanks to some amteurs abusive users.

Nevermind, I knew devs wouldn't agree on overhauling the exposure of the binary process and its strings. I just thought of giving the subject a try.

Whenever the suggestion is too much to code it "won't worth it".

Why would I keep writting scripts on a language that is being popular on blacklists?
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nnnik
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Re: Hide AutoHotkey's process strings

21 Apr 2017, 08:54

Because it's syntax is good. I like it's community.
I don't care about your deal or no deal statement. It is a no deal to further make AutoHotkey more useable for cheating as it is.
If you are not allowed and do not intend to use Scripts while a program is running why do you try to avoid closing them and relaunching them.
AutoIt is as far as I'm aware not on a lower level as it is also an interpreted language and there also is a AutoHotkey Version that ships with a COM connecteable dll.
Also I don't have a single program on my entire PC that blacklists AutoHotkey.

You probably just want to cheat in a certain game and want us to do the work for your cheating.
We're not going to do that for you.
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Azev
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Re: Hide AutoHotkey's process strings

21 Apr 2017, 09:00

nnnik wrote:Because it's syntax is good. I like it's community.
I don't care about your deal or no deal statement.
I also don't care about your politeness answers.
nnnik wrote:You probably just want to cheat in a certain game and want us to do the work for your cheating.
We're not going to do that for you.
Oh no! You found me! (sarcasm)

Please, if you don't have a good point to aggregate to the topic don't write anything at all.
guest3456
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Re: Hide AutoHotkey's process strings

21 Apr 2017, 09:00

Noesis wrote:I'd like to know which vendors are doing this
Azev wrote: Why would I keep writting scripts on a language that is being popular on blacklists?
why do you ignore the question which asks, What Blacklists?

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Nextron
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Re: Hide AutoHotkey's process strings

21 Apr 2017, 09:05

Noesis wrote:I'd like to know which vendors are doing this
Battlefield/Punkbuster used to, not sure about it now. Initially I wrote a scheduled task that would kill AHK when BF was active and re-execute it after, then I too realized AHK was detected through the 'Autohotkey' string, so a search&replace using a hex editor fixed that.

If game makers annoy a few users by boycotting AHK by thinking that will stop cheaters, it's not AHK's duty to circumvent that.
just me
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Re: Hide AutoHotkey's process strings

21 Apr 2017, 10:56

Everything happens for a reason. And after reading this thread you should be able to imagine why it happens.

Fact is:
  • The AutoHotkey Foundation doesn't ban cheating scripts.
  • Quite the contrary, the AutoHotkey Foundation permits cheating scripts on its own site.
You don't believe that only members of the AHK community are watching our forums, do you?

We cannot prevent people from writing cheating scripts using AHK. But we can keep them from our site and expressly ban this kind of usage.

Thanks for listening! ;)
A_AhkUser
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Re: Hide AutoHotkey's process strings

21 Apr 2017, 12:52

If a software has the audacity to start from the principle that you're cheating, making you subject to blackmail, not trusting you in the principle, how can you trust it ? Or, rather,
from my point of view, it is an symptomatical recognition from both part (players and producers).
Nextron wrote:If game makers annoy a few users by boycotting AHK by thinking that will stop cheaters, it's not AHK's duty to circumvent that.
Certainly, until proven otherwise, the problem here is this blackmail and, as Noesis underlined it, those vendors better off to refine their cheat detection mechanisms and even, to get to the bottom of things, maybe set straight the relation they have with the game players and see to what extent this is related to the answer they gave themselves to this question: why are we producing game actually?
my scripts
guest3456
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Re: Hide AutoHotkey's process strings

21 Apr 2017, 14:48

just me wrote:Everything happens for a reason. And after reading this thread you should be able to imagine why it happens.

Fact is:
  • The AutoHotkey Foundation doesn't ban cheating scripts.
  • Quite the contrary, the AutoHotkey Foundation permits cheating scripts on its own site.
You don't believe that only members of the AHK community are watching our forums, do you?

We cannot prevent people from writing cheating scripts using AHK. But we can keep them from our site and expressly ban this kind of usage.

Thanks for listening! ;)
didn't tank explicitly give all moderators permission to remove anything they want to, if they deem it bad for AHK?

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nnnik
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Re: Hide AutoHotkey's process strings

21 Apr 2017, 15:03

That's a simple answer: consent.
By playing the game you consent to offer the game an environment where it can run.
In return you get to play the game. The game can in no way guarantee that any of the data it receives at the server side are actually send by a client. That leads to the problem of machines upgrading certain things ( e.g. wallhack ) for players giving them an unfair advantage. In order to prevent that the Game needs a very clean environment. You agree with that in order to play
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A_AhkUser
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Re: Hide AutoHotkey's process strings

21 Apr 2017, 15:39

nnnik wrote: In order to prevent that the Game needs a very clean environment (...)
Supposing an hypothetical "pure and perfect competition" wich is highly speculative in some case. What we have to admit on the contrary is the paradoxal situation where we came up to with some games which require (implicitly) cheating. That's why I talked about symptomatical recognition, admission.
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Exaskryz
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Re: Hide AutoHotkey's process strings

21 Apr 2017, 15:42

nnnik wrote:It might be just because AHK links to certain functions/libraries within it's code.
We could probably find a way to close all active AHK Scripts you have running and relaunch them after the game has been closed.
I already have such.

Relaunch (manually defined):

Code: Select all

Run C:\Users\%A_UserName%\Google Drive\Notepads\&Test Script.ahk
Run C:\Users\%A_UserName%\Google Drive\Notepads\&Frequent.ahk
Run C:\Users\%A_UserName%\Google Drive\Notepads\Slide Pane.ahk
Run C:\Users\%A_UserName%\Google Drive\Notepads\boardsDocsLinkNonHotstrings.ahk
Run C:\Users\%A_UserName%\Google Drive\Notepads\Restore Session.ahk
Closer (any number):

Code: Select all

#j::
SetTitleMatchMode, 2
DetectHiddenWindows, On
WinGet, ahkList, list, - AutoHotkey
Loop % ahkList
{
WinGetTitle, this_title, % "ahk_id " ahkList%A_Index% 
IfInString, this_title, Restore ; the name of the script with this hotkey is Restore Session.ahk
   Continue
PostMessage, 0x111, 65307,,, % this_title ; 65304 is Edit
}
ExitApp
The closer may not get compiled executables, I've never tested it and am not sure of how easily it can be fixed.
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nnnik
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Re: Hide AutoHotkey's process strings

21 Apr 2017, 15:43

You did not get my post. What I said is that cheat detection scripts trigger on the slightest hint that something may be off.
Running AutoHotkey is a major sign that something is off.
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nnnik
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Re: Hide AutoHotkey's process strings

21 Apr 2017, 15:44

Exa I was thinking about closing and relaunching autmotically.
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just me
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Re: Hide AutoHotkey's process strings

21 Apr 2017, 16:15

guest3456 wrote:didn't tank explicitly give all moderators permission to remove anything they want to, if they deem it bad for AHK?
Didn't you read my answer?
The task of a forum moderator is to enforce the forum rules. Problems which aren't covered by existing rules need at least a common agreement within the staff. Obviously, that's not the case with respect to gaming related contents. You're stating that each moderator should decide based on his individual ethics. I cannot agree. This would be some kind of arbitrariness.
The AutoHotkey Foundation has to establish clear rules. Obviuosly, they aren't interested in doing it for a reason.
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FanaticGuru
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Re: VERY IMPORTANT: Protect Autohotkey! Hide its process strings

21 Apr 2017, 17:43

Azev wrote:Yeah right, I'll petition all of them as if they would agree.

I'm also won't play hide and seek no more. I can't install this or that because ahk will be running.

It is better to stop using ONE so I can use TEN rather than can't use ten because of one.

So long ahk!
Any game developer that cares will stop cheating that is easy for the masses. To be a successful cheater, you need to have skills beyond the masses. If you want to cheat with AutoHotkey you need to increase your skills beyond the masses and hide AutoHotkey's process strings yourself. With some skill you could even write a script that will automatically hide AutoHotkey's process strings. Then you could post it here on the forums for all the masses to use then the concerned game developers will use another technique to curtail cheating. Game developers work just hard enough to curtail cheating to push it to a lower level they are willing to live with. They know they cannot completely stop all cheating. Asking to make cheating easier is self defeating to the whole process of cheating. Any cheating worth doing needs to be a little hard.

The same logic applies to crime and dishonesty in general. If you want to succeed at either, you need to be skilled enough to be in that percentage that society and people are willing to tolerate as not worth the effort to stop.

Also although some people might see AHK's main purpose as for games, it does not appear that was much of a focus for the developers. At its heart it is designed to automate Windows and programs that play nice in the Windows environment. Games as a rule don't play nice in the Windows environment. The fact it can be used to automate games is a happy side benefit.

I use AHK hours every day and Microsoft has never Blacklisted me for cheating at Excel. :)

FG
Hotkey Help - Help Dialog for Currently Running AHK Scripts
AHK Startup - Consolidate Multiply AHK Scripts with one Tray Icon
Hotstring Manager - Create and Manage Hotstrings
[Class] WinHook - Create Window Shell Hooks and Window Event Hooks

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