Wibu-Systems Wins 2026 Digital Innovation Award in Korea for...

Wibu-Systems has received recognition for CodeMeter at the 2026 Digital Innovation Awards in South Korea. Its Korean subsidiary, WIBU-SYSTEMS Korea Ltd., was selected in the IT category for the company's integrated software protection, licensing, and entitlement management technology. Organized by Hankook Ilbo with support from Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT, the awards recognize technological innovation across industries. This year's evaluation involved approximately 380 applicants and included technical documentation reviews and business assessments.

The recognition comes as manufacturers increasingly depend on proprietary software to differentiate their products, whether in industrial automation, robotics, semiconductor equipment, medical technology, or intelligent manufacturing. Protecting that intellectual property is essential, but so is the ability to commercialize individual software capabilities without developing separate product versions for every customer requirement.

CodeMeter addresses both needs through a common technological foundation that connects software protection with licensing and entitlement management.

Protecting Innovation at Different Stages of Software Development

At the heart of CodeMeter's protection technology is AxProtector, a family of tools for protecting native and managed applications, as well as software written in scripting languages.

AxProtector Windows and AxProtector Linux protect compiled applications without source code changes. Module Encryption protects eligible code and data sections while the application is stored. Function Encryption adds a second layer: individual functions remain encrypted in memory until needed. Automatic Function Re-encryption can encrypt them again after execution, reducing the time sensitive code is exposed. Function protection requires symbol information from the build; optional caching helps balance security and performance.

AxProtector CTP (Compile Time Protection) extends the family with protection integrated during compilation. It combines encryption with Advanced Obfuscation to obscure software structures and execution paths, making proprietary algorithms harder to reconstruct. Available for native applications on Windows, Linux, and macOS, it requires integration into a compatible compiler toolchain.

Both approaches use NC technology, which places licensing and protection logic in the separate CodeMeter Protection Suite Runtime (CPSRT). This component can be updated without re-encrypting the protected application, simplifying software maintenance.

Manufacturers can choose the approach that fits their application and development process.

Turning Protected Software into Commercial Value

CodeMeter connects software protection with flexible licensing models. Manufacturers can license individual features, introduce subscriptions and floating licenses, or adopt consumption-oriented and token-based models.

Companies can start with CodeMeter's core components and add CodeMeter License Central for centralized license management as their needs grow. Optional extensions include CodeMeter License Portal for customer self-service and CodeMeter License Reporting for usage insights. Interfaces and connectors integrate licensing processes with ERP, CRM, and ecommerce systems.

This approach supports the transition from fixed product configurations to software-defined offerings, where additional capabilities and digital services can be commercialized throughout the product lifecycle.

"South Korea's technology companies develop sophisticated software for robotics, smart factories, semiconductor equipment, and many other industries. CodeMeter helps them safeguard those investments and generate new revenue from digital functionality," said JungJae Kim, Sales Manager of WIBU-SYSTEMS Korea Ltd. "For companies expanding into Europe, its security mechanisms can also support aspects of their cybersecurity strategy under the EU Cyber Resilience Act, although full compliance requires broader organizational and technical measures."

Continued Investment in Software Security

Wibu-Systems continues to develop CodeMeter's protection and licensing technologies, including a staged migration toward post-quantum cryptography. The ongoing transition encompasses software tools and hardware-based license containers such as CmDongles, while maintaining the availability and compatibility of the current generation.

The award underscores Wibu-Systems' commitment to combining software security with the commercial flexibility manufacturers need as increasingly sophisticated functionality moves from hardware into software.