How can I make my .NET application erase itself?

Question

How can I make my C# app erase itself (self-destruct)? Here\'s two ways that I think might work:

• Supply another program that deletes the main program. How is t

Answer 1

You will never be able to guarantee that this will work, as long as you require a physical presence on the machine. For example:

• What if the app fails to release a resource in a timely fashion while you're trying to delete it? An error occurs, and the app remains.
• The behavior of one app starting another which then deletes the first app is very suspicious from an AV perspective. You are likely to trigger defenses on a user's machine which may kill the process that's trying to kill your original app.
• If you do something like delete a file at reboot, what if the user moves your file in between or makes a copy? It's not in the original spot anymore, and the app remains.

If your application requires this level of security, consider hosting it on a machine you control (e.g., by providing a web service and letting a stub client access it that way).

On a somewhat related note, one is also tempted to speculate about the motives of someone who (1) requires a physical presence on someone's machine and (2) wants to delete the evidence that the app existed.