shc is a

shell script A shell script is a computer program designed to be run by a Unix shell, a command-line interpreter. The various dialects of shell scripts are considered to be command languages. Typical operations performed by shell scripts include file manipu ...

compiler In computing, a compiler is a computer program that Translator (computing), translates computer code written in one programming language (the ''source'' language) into another language (the ''target'' language). The name "compiler" is primaril ...

for Unix-like operating systems written in the

C programming language C (''pronounced'' '' – like the letter c'') is a general-purpose programming language. It was created in the 1970s by Dennis Ritchie and remains very widely used and influential. By design, C's features cleanly reflect the capabilities of ...

. The Shell Script Compiler (SHC) encodes and encrypts

shell scripts A shell script is a computer program designed to be run by a Unix shell, a command-line interpreter. The various dialects of shell scripts are considered to be command languages. Typical operations performed by shell scripts include file manipula ...

into

executable In computer science, executable code, an executable file, or an executable program, sometimes simply referred to as an executable or binary, causes a computer "to perform indicated tasks according to encoded instruction (computer science), in ...

binaries. Compiling shell scripts into binaries provides protection against accidental changes and

source code In computing, source code, or simply code or source, is a plain text computer program written in a programming language. A programmer writes the human readable source code to control the behavior of a computer. Since a computer, at base, only ...

modification, and is a way of hiding shell script source code.

Mechanism

shc takes a shell script which is specified on the

command line A command-line interface (CLI) is a means of interacting with software via command (computing), commands each formatted as a line of text. Command-line interfaces emerged in the mid-1960s, on computer terminals, as an interactive and more user ...

by the -f option and produces a C source code of the script with added

encryption In Cryptography law, cryptography, encryption (more specifically, Code, encoding) is the process of transforming information in a way that, ideally, only authorized parties can decode. This process converts the original representation of the inf ...

. The generated source code is then

compile In computing, a compiler is a computer program that translates computer code written in one programming language (the ''source'' language) into another language (the ''target'' language). The name "compiler" is primarily used for programs that ...

d and linked to produce a binary executable. It is a two step process where, first, it creates a filename.x.c file of the shell script file filename. Then it is compiled with cc -$CFLAGS filename.x.c to create the binary from the C source code with the default C compiler. The compiled binary will still be dependent on the

shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

specified in the shebang (eg. #!/bin/sh), thus shc does not create completely independent binaries. shc itself is not a compiler such as the

C compiler C, or c, is the third letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''cee'' (pronounced ), plural ''cees''. History "C ...

, it rather encodes and encrypts a shell script and generates C source code with the added expiration capability. It then uses the system

to compile the source

and build a stripped binary which behaves exactly like the original

script Script may refer to: Writing systems * Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire * Script (styles of handwriting) ** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of handw ...

. Upon execution, the compiled binary will decrypt and execute the code with the shells'-c option.

Versions

Alternatives

* obash * {{cite web, url=http://www.comp.eonworks.com/scripts/obfuscate_shell_script-20011012.html, title=shell script obfuscator, publisher= * shellcrypt

References

External links

raw.githubusercontent.com

neurobin.org
Unix software