Evaluation of Obfuscation Strategies for Python Source Codes

João Pedro Vital Brasil Wieland; Flávio Luis de Mello

doi:10.17648/jisc.v12i1.92

Evaluation of Obfuscation Strategies for Python Source Codes

João Pedro Vital Brasil Wieland, Flávio Luis de Mello

Abstract

This work presents a comparative analysis of the impact of different obfuscation techniques and tools on Python code performance. Five main obfuscation approaches were evaluated: PyArmor, Pyminifier, Cython, PyInstaller, and PyObfuscate, analyzing their impact on metrics such as execution time, memory usage, code size, and startup time. The methodology was based on an automated benchmarking tool, developed specifically for this study, capable of applying different obfuscation techniques to Python code and objectively measuring its performance. The results demonstrated that it is possible to effectively protect real-time Python applications with low performance impact, especially using approaches such as PyArmor or Cython. The work concludes that the appropriate selection of obfuscation tools should consider the specific context of the application, evaluating trade-offs between protection, performance, and ease of distribution, especially for critical real-time systems. Therefore, using a benchmark generation tool can be valuable in deciding the best strategy to implement in each project.

Keywords

Benchmark, Code Obfuscation, Python, Information Security

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References

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.17648/jisc.v12i1.92