. ▁energy ▁consumption , ▁reli ability , ▁real - time ▁response , ▁etc .). ▁ ▁Anti - debug ging ▁Anti - debug ging ▁is ▁" the ▁implementation ▁of ▁one ▁or ▁more ▁techniques ▁within ▁computer ▁code ▁that ▁h ind ers ▁attempts ▁at ▁reverse ▁engineering ▁or ▁debugging ▁a ▁target ▁process ". ▁It ▁is ▁act ively ▁used ▁by ▁recognized ▁publish ers ▁in ▁copy - prote ction ▁sch emas , ▁but ▁is ▁also ▁used ▁by ▁mal ware ▁to ▁comp licate ▁its ▁detection ▁and ▁elim ination . ▁Te chni ques ▁used ▁in ▁anti - debug ging ▁include : ▁ ▁API - based : ▁check ▁for ▁the ▁existence ▁of ▁a ▁debugger ▁using ▁system ▁information ▁Exception - based : ▁check ▁to ▁see ▁if ▁exceptions ▁are ▁inter fer ed ▁with ▁Process ▁and ▁thread ▁blocks : ▁check ▁whether ▁process ▁and ▁thread ▁blocks ▁have ▁been ▁manip ulated ▁Mod ified ▁code : ▁check ▁for ▁code ▁modifications ▁made ▁by ▁a ▁debugger ▁handling ▁software ▁break points ▁Hard ware - ▁and ▁register - based : ▁check ▁for ▁hardware ▁break points ▁and ▁CPU ▁registers ▁Tim ing ▁and ▁laten cy : ▁check ▁the ▁time ▁taken ▁for ▁the ▁execution ▁of ▁instructions ▁Det ect ing ▁and ▁pen al izing ▁debugger ▁ ▁An ▁early ▁example ▁of ▁anti - debug ging ▁existed ▁in ▁early ▁versions ▁of ▁Microsoft ▁Word ▁which , ▁if ▁a ▁debugger ▁was ▁detected , ▁produced ▁a ▁message ▁that ▁said , ▁" The ▁tree ▁of ▁evil ▁be ars ▁bitter ▁fruit . ▁Now ▁tr ash ing ▁program ▁disk .", ▁after ▁which ▁it ▁caused ▁the ▁flo ppy ▁disk ▁drive ▁to ▁emit ▁alarm ing ▁no