Stop theft of images/logos/webtemplates

[ManMadeMonkey]

Programmers here is a simple technique to prevent theft of your hard work showing image/logo/template mockups to a potential client.

Most of you have a linux powered webhost you post work from. this will work for free image hosting services as well (some what).

First, you have to set your host account to not allow hot linking of images other than to who you have in your hotlink allow list. free host may have this turned on automaticaly.

Now the following is the most found security hole in a linux webhosted image folder. every, and I mean every one with internet access can grab all your images from your image folder if you do not have an index.htm file in the image folder to direct the client or a snoop some where else. You also have an option to not allow entry if no index.htm file is used in the cpanel. you have to have that option enabled if no index.htm file is in any or all your root public folders.

So now your feelin all safe and have these options enabled and you have a protected webpage full of images showing your hard work to all.. the client or an image theive can still just as easily right click and save as your work into there PCs picture folder to do with as they please.

Heres how to solve that... you can get javascript code off the net for no right click. great you say but other brainiacs reading this are now saying ya right you idiot, they can just turn of javascript and do what they please.

Thats right, they can. so this is what you have to do now. create a table in your webpage to hold your images, in the table data tag <td> place your divinely created image as the <td background="mylogo.jpg or gif"> </td> , now place a blank gif YOU HAVE EITHER CREATED OR HAVE located in your images folder between the <td background="mylogo.jpg or gif"> <img src="myblank.gif" height=" " width=" "> </td> tags with height and width set your image/logo background.

Now when some on tries to access your image folder, hotlink to your images or right click save as your webpage image they have a problem.

If other experienced programmers wish to add more to securing images in windows 2000/2003 or linux servers please do so. this benefits all of us.

Ok, to return to previous forum message location click me (http://forum.scriptlance.com/showthread.php?p=523#post523)

[justin]

Seems simple enough. Although one could just view the source of the page to easily find the location of the image.

[Varelse]

But there are also screengrabbers... If someone really wants to steal something - he may use it. Isn't it? :(

[cgiscripts4u]

another option is to use a div, take a look at

http://bannercreator.cgiscripts4u.com/index.cgi?bannername=basic

Click on the 'View' link next to the 'Select background image' text and try viewing an image or viewing the source in the page that opens.

for the most you should not be able to.

[ManMadeMonkey]

I have code to stop screen capture and there is a way to stop view source from actually seeing your image location. you should perhaps use .htaccess file and the robots.txt file to not allow.

But that is why I added for all programmers to input a means to road block attempts.

Some people haven't the knowledge to go beyond just right click save as, but for those can implement other means we should at least tell how it happened and formulat a safe guard.

[justin]

another option is to use a div, take a look at

http://bannercreator.cgiscripts4u.com/index.cgi?bannername=basic

Click on the 'View' link next to the 'Select background image' text and try viewing an image or viewing the source in the page that opens.

for the most you should not be able to.

unless you hit F11 ;)
But this is pretty well done, and would definitely defend against most I believe, the souce code is a little intimidating.

[ManMadeMonkey]

another option is to use a div, take a look at

http://bannercreator.cgiscripts4u.com/index.cgi?bannername=basic

Click on the 'View' link next to the 'Select background image' text and try viewing an image or viewing the source in the page that opens.

for the most you should not be able to.


Yes cgi and a blank gif over the popup image works well.

[cgiscripts4u]

I have code to stop screen capture and there is a way to stop view source from actually seeing your image location. you should perhaps use .htaccess file and the robots.txt file to not allow.

But that is why I added for all programmers to input a means to road block attempts.

Some people haven't the knowledge to go beyond just right click save as, but for those can implement other means we should at least tell how it happened and formulat a safe guard.

In my example you just add a div statement at to the html page with a blank image and the size as large as you can, ie

<div style="position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 508px; height: 2372px; text-align:center;z-index: 0;">
<img width="508" height="2372" border="0" src="blank.gif" alt="" />
</div>

and then put the rest of your html (img links etc) inside another div that has a higher z-index value ie

<div style="position: absolute; top: 20px; left: 15px; width: 478px; height: 70px; text-align:center;z-index: 1;">
<img width="468" height="60" border="1" src="468~60~dog.gif" alt="dog.gif" />
</div>

Although my example was a cgi script, the actual divs to stop (reduce) the chance of users right clicking and save as is pure html

The problem with the above is that you have to set the width and height of the blank img and its surrounding div, without the help of something like javascript to get the window size there is a chance some users will still be able to view source.

[ManMadeMonkey]

As justin previously posted a peep can still go to the tools view source and see the location to the image... you also can obfuscate the code with une scape.

Above paragraph = As%20justin%20previously%20posted%20a%20peep%20can %20still%20go%20to%20the%20tools%20view%20source%2 0and%20see%20the%20location%20to%20the%20image...% 20you%20also%20can%20obfuscate%20the%20code%20with %20uniscape to confuse a theif.

Look carefully between the %20 characters and you will see the words. than theres hex code and perhaps 4 other methods to employ.

All still can be cracked but will still make some one work to get your information.

I seem to have a PHP script some where to protect the image folder and who is allowed to access the images even with the full path to the image.

[rfriedel]

All of these things you say are great and well except that for the last few years since Netcape started using the Mozilla code (this applies to FireFox now as well) you simply go to tools/page info/media and you can save any media that your browser caches with a simple click of the "Save As" button. :mad:

Best thing to do is watermark the heck out of your work.

[Rene]

All of these things you say are great and well except that for the last few years since Netcape started using the Mozilla code (this applies to FireFox now as well) you simply go to tools/page info/media and you can save any media that your browser caches with a simple click of the "Save As" button. :mad:

Best thing to do is watermark the heck out of your work.

Yeah, exactly. Plus, it doesn't matter what you do to your HTML page, people can simply take a screenshot to get a graphic, right?

[webous]

Disabling right button is not too smart, because it's sooo easy to disable javascriot for your particular site =)

[dcm]

as you guys now.. for php protection.. there is a method called "Zend Optimizer"

like this way you can also encrypt html code.. [yes you have to everytime you make page:)

i have see that software/script once.. will try to find it again

[webous]

Zend has nothing to do with HTML encryption.

Zend performs server side encryption. To encrypt html you need to use smth else.

[dcm]

as you guys now.. for php protection.. there is a method called "Zend Optimizer"

i meant it for php only.. for html i have seen one script/software

like this way you can also encrypt html code.. [yes you have to everytime you make page

i have see that software/script once.. will try to find it again

i mean i have see a script/software which can encrypt html


sorry for unclear writing hope i am clear now :)

[vesseto]

There is a browser called InSite which can protect the content (including from screenshots)... of course it mean that the visitors of the site need to have the browser but its free and fast to install it.

http://www.insitebrowser.com/insite_index.htm

However 100% protection is hard ...

Yanko

[kate]

If people want to grab your pictures it's hard to stop them.
For copyrighted work like pictures I believe the best thing is to apply a watermark, this can be automated.
At least it can be useful for high-res pictures.

Now another problem some webmasters run into is the remote linking of pictures. This can be a problem with adult sites and the like because thieves are actually stealing your bandwidh. The Apache module mod_rewrite can help.
For instance you could write a rule to perform image substitution so instead of the remote image a warning image of yours would appear.
Here is an example which explains the whole thing:
http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum92/33.htm

Of course mod_rewrite is also very useful for producing SEO-friendly URLS.

[slava]

Why not to use watermarks?

[bes island]

Yes, anything that may be stolen will be stolen. I recommend using watermarks. Other abovementioned methods are very easy to hack out, I believe. The only way to protect something from theft is to make it not worthy to be stolen.

[mugur]

No way that you can really protect something. A good designer will be able to recreate a design even if he see it just 300 px wide. And for all that scripts guys, there is a button on your keyboard, named PRINT SCREEN.
Even watermark images... The theef will use the ideea, color combination, that is usually enough.