Method and device for selectively protecting one of a plurality of methods of a class of an application written in an object-orientated language

Abstract

There is provided a method for selectively protecting one of a plurality of methods of a class of an application written in an object-orientated language, in particular Java, wherein a protected application is created by adding a protection module to the application, analyzing a first method to be protected of a plurality of methods of a first class of the application and determining first parameters needed for executing the first method, generating first gate code depending on the determined first parameters, replacing the first code of the first method by said first gate code and storing the replaced first code such that it can be accessed by the protection module during execution of the protected application, wherein, when the first method is called during execution of the protected application, the first gate code collects first data based on the determined first parameters and transmits the collected first data to the protection module, the protection module accesses the stored first code and generates a new class including a first substitution method based on the stored first code, instantiates the new class, invokes the first substitution method and passes at least a part of the collected first data to the invoked first substitution method so that the executed first substitution method provides the functionality of the first method, and returns execution to the first gate code after execution of the first substitution method.