Techniques for obscuring sensitive strings in C++

Question

I need to store sensitive information (a symmetric encryption key that I want to keep private) in my C++ application. The simple approach is to do this:

std::         


        

Answer 1

A strategy i've used in the past is to create an array of seemingly-random characters. You initially insert, and then locate your particular characters with a algebraic process where each step from 0 to N will yield a number < size of the array which contains the next char in your obfuscated string. (This answer is feeling obfuscated now!)

Example:

Given an array of chars (numbers and dashes are for reference only)

0123456789
----------
ALFHNFELKD
LKFKFLEHGT
FLKRKLFRFK
FJFJJFJ!JL

And an equation whose first six results are: 3, 6, 7, 10, 21, 47

Would yield the word "HELLO!" from the array above.