Obfuscation

Obfuscation is the practice of deliberately making data, code, or communications difficult to understand or analyze, often to protect intellectual property or enhance security. In software development, obfuscation involves transforming code into a complex or less readable form to hinder reverse engineering or unauthorized access. This technique can include renaming variables and functions to meaningless labels, or altering code structure while preserving functionality. In security contexts, obfuscation can also involve disguising malicious payloads to evade detection by antivirus or security systems.