I know there are other posts on this topic but none of them address this question:
I appreciate the idea of encrypting the license file when distributing an application, but you all realize this only presents a nuisance to a determined hacker right? By definition, if we use encryption, the encryption KEY then needs to be accessible to the application somehow, either itself embedded as a resource or in code, or obtained remotely when the software is registered. In the former case, it would be easy to learn the key through disassembly. In the latter case, someone could use a packet sniffer and/or attach a debugger to learn the key. In the end any protection method conceivable is just obfuscation not true security.
That said, I certainly will employ the protection methods that have been recommended. I just want to be sure everyone realizes that they could be circumvented by a smart, determined hacker. Unless I’m missing something?