ADVobfuscator is a library that uses the C++20 language to generate, at compile time, obfuscated data and code without using any external tool and without modifying the compiler. Strings or blocks of data can be obfuscated or encrypted at compile time, and they are decoded at runtime:

How to use it?

The documentation explains how the library is built, how to install and use it.

Look also at the examples in the Examples folder.

Requirements

• A C++20 compatible compiler (i.e. a compiler that is not too old).
• Support of the C++20 Standard Library. It is generally the case if your compiler supports C++20. There are however exceptions, especially for embedded environments.
• CMake 3.14 if you want to build the examples with CMake (this is optional).

Examples

Linux and macOS (CMake)

mkdir -p BUILD
cd BUILD
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release ..
cmake --build .

Each example is in its subdirectory. For example ./example/demo.

Clang in Docker

docker build -t advobfuscator-clang -f docker/clang.docker .
docker run --rm -it advobfuscator-clang:latest

GCC in Docker

docker build -t advobfuscator-gcc -f docker/gcc.docker .
docker run --rm -it advobfuscator-gcc:latest

Windows (Visual Studio)

Open ADVobfuscator.sln.

Debug Builds

Debug builds are very special: Compiler do not have (and do not most of the time) respect statements such as inline or constexpr. All optimizations are also, by default, disabled. Compilers are doing this for a good reason: let you debug, single step, etc.

As a consequence, ADVobfuscator is not compatible with Debug builds. You can compile in Debug but in this case, the strings or data will not be obfuscated. Obfuscation works only for Release builds.

Compatibility

ADVobfuscator has been tested with:

Compiler	Version	OS	CPU	Obfuscation	AES
Apple Clang	17.0.0	macOS 15	AArch64	YES	limited
Clang	21.1.8	Debian 14	x86_64	YES	limited
Clang	19.1.7	Debian 13	x86_64	YES	limited
Clang	18.1.8	Debian 13	x86_64	YES	limited
Clang	17.0.6	Debian 13	x86_64	YES	limited
GCC	15.1.0	macOS 15	x86_64	YES	YES
GCC	14.2.0	macOS 15	AArch64	YES	YES
GCC	14.2.0	Debian 13	x86_64	YES	YES
GCC	13.3.0	macOS 15	AArch64	NO	NO
Visual Studio 2022	17.14.13	Windows 11	AArch64	YES	limited
Visual Studio 2026	18.0.339	Windows 11	AArch64	YES	limited

Other compilers are probably compatible if they are C++20 compliant.

Files and Folders

Files and Folders	Description
README.md	This file
include/advobfuscator	ADVobfuscator library
Examples	Examples of using ADVobfuscator

Lib

Files	Description
aes.h	Obfuscation using AES-128 compile time encryption
aes_string.h	Obfuscated strings using AES-128 compile time encryption
bytes.h	Obfuscated blocks of bytes
fsm.h	Compile time finite state machine to obfuscate function calls
obj.h	Obfuscation
random.h	Generate random numbers at compile time
string.h	Obfuscated strings
format.h	std::format Formatting of strings

Copyright and license

Copyright (c) 2025 Sebastien Andrivet All rights reserved.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted (subject to the limitations in the disclaimer below) provided that the following conditions are met:

 * Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice,
 this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.

 * Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
 notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
 documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.

 * Neither the name of the copyright holder nor the names of its
 contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this
 software without specific prior written permission.

NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED LICENSES TO ANY PARTY'S PATENT RIGHTS ARE GRANTED BY THIS LICENSE. THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.