Compiling .hta file to .exe

Question

I have searched far and wide for a way to compile my .hta file (and resources) to a .exe file.

There are plenty of applications that claim to be able to do this - bu

Answer 1

You can "compile to exe" by simply wrapping the HTA into an executable which knows how to setup the HTA context/window.

The most trivial approach (which sounds like ExeScript) is to simply extract the HTA/resources first and then execute them. One could theoretically do this without temporary files by injecting data into a running IE context, but the task becomes more difficult. The internal JS may or may not be obfuscated and the wrapper may or may not add an additional layer of obfuscation/"encryption". (PayMo, and I am sure there are others, uses a wrapped context approach to distribute a single runnable exe).

If protecting "intellectual property" is the goal, hire a good lawyer :-)