Domain Lock

Domain Lock is a security process that ensures that media and other web content can only be displayed on the web site to which it was assigned.

Web media such as images, PDF and video can be encrypted using the domain name as the decryption key. When that media is displayed on a web page the reader/viewer displaying it checks the host name of the web site and uses its domain name as the decryption key. If the domain is not a match to the decryption key, then the media cannot be displayed.

Usage scenarios

Some online libraries and corporate networks use Secure Image or CopySafe Web encrypion with domain lock for their image stock to prevent the leakage of images, plans and documents. Encrypted images stored on a web server that are domain locked are safe from employees and webhosting staff.

CopySafe Web software can be licensed for multiple sites to enable authors to nominate a single web site or multiple websites for which images can be encrypted, thuse enabling them to use a central repository to serve the same images for use on multiple websites while protecting them from plagiarism, leakage and leeching.

Security

Domain-locking is only as secure as the encryption process and its reader/viewer. For example, if the media has been encoded using JavaScript or Flash, then it will be easy to decode. However is the reader/viewer binary is compiled as a DLL or EXE with security in mind, it will is unlikely to ever be cracked.

Platform support

Support across all platforms is limited if securty is misison critical because while apps and DLLs created for operating sytems (OS) like Windows can be most secure, those created for use on Mac, iOS and Android phones are easy to exploit.

History

First developed in 1998 by ArtistScope for their Secure Image software, Domain Lock prevented the use of encrypted images on unauthorised websites, thus preventing plagiarism and leeching.

In 2015 all popular web browsers dropped support for plugins that were capable of actioning at system level, preventing the use of reader/viewer addons and plugins for copy protection that can do anything more than hamper the use of the right-click menu. Consequently the only means of displaying protected web content securely is by using ArtisBrowser, a secure web browser especially designed for DRM and copy protection where all other browser fail.

Please report any errors or typos here.