We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Software

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is a Dongle Emulator?

By Erica Stratton
Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 84,228
Share

A dongle is a piece of hardware that must be plugged into a computer's Universal Serial Bus (USB) port before some kinds of software programs will run. This is to ensure that the software isn't copied or otherwise shared. A dongle emulator is a fake dongle created to bypass this limitation, much like a skeleton key. Since dongles are often encrypted to avoid this kind of hack, a dongle emulator is also known as a "dongle crack".

Because the creation of a dongle emulator frees up the software to be used by those who didn't pay for it, it is considered illegal. Many software licenses have clauses stating that creating such a device violates the user agreement. This does not mean that dongle emulators aren't created by hackers and that guides to crack a dongle's security encryption aren't available on the Internet and elsewhere.

Currently, there are two ways one can get a dongle emulator. If a person has skills in bypassing network security, they can make one themselves. Information on how to create a dongle emulator is typically passed from hacker to hacker and traded on Internet forums and websites. Someone without knowledge of coding can also purchase dongle emulators from websites. Because of their illegality, many websites claiming to provide working dongle emulators do not look legitimate.

Because software that makes use of dongles is typically for a small market, the price of a replacement dongle can be hundreds of US Dollars. Some software companies ask that the user buy an entirely new software package if the dongle is lost or stolen, further inflating the price. The defenders of dongle emulators claim that such restrictions on software use are unfair and incompatible with real-world conditions of computer and software use.

Earlier forms of software simply required a dongle to be present in order to run the software on a computer. Hackers broke through such restrictions by writing a program to fool the software into thinking the dongle was already plugged in. To avoid this, some dongles are now designed to hold back certain parts of the software's code or do certain tasks for the program. Even if a dongle emulator tells the software that a dongle is present, the software may still be unworkable because parts of the code are missing. As hackers find ways to bypass these new innovations, new forms of dongle encryption may need to be found.

Share
EasyTechJunkie is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Discussion Comments
By ScreamCore — On Jun 15, 2020

If you need remote access or clone a USB dongle, then a Donglify is great for such a job. In our office we also use multi-connect.

By anon318653 — On Feb 08, 2013

How do I get one of these for my full swing golf simulators to get all the courses?

By anon294748 — On Oct 03, 2012

How do I add internet settings in my crack dongle?

By Chuck Bostick — On Nov 21, 2011

how do you know which dongle you would need?

By anon153857 — On Feb 18, 2011

How do you know which dongle you would need?

By anon152327 — On Feb 13, 2011

Well, this was exactly what I wanted to know. thank you wisegeek.com

Share
https://www.easytechjunkie.com/what-is-a-dongle-emulator.htm
Copy this link
EasyTechJunkie, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

EasyTechJunkie, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.