

In this case, only a single value encoded within the key has to be changed in order to target a different product. Multi-keygens are sometimes released over singular keygens if a series of products requires the same algorithm for generating product keys.

Another method that has been used is activation server emulation, which patches the program memory to "see" the keygen as the de facto activation server.Ī multi-keygen is a keygen that offers key generation for multiple software applications. If the software offers phone activation then the keygen could generate the correct activation code to finish activation. Advanced keygens bypass this mechanism, and include additional features for key verification, for example by generating the validation data which would otherwise be returned by an activation server. Many programs attempt to verify or validate licensing keys over the Internet by establishing a session with a licensing application of the software publisher. Often, such licenses are enforced by implementing in the software a product activation or digital rights management (DRM) mechanism, seeking to prevent unauthorized use of the software by issuing a code sequence that must be entered into the application when prompted or stored in its configuration.

A software license is a legal instrument that governs the usage and distribution of computer software.
