For Mac Users
Replacing cdc_ variable using Vim or Perl
You can use vim, or as @Vic Seedoubleyew has pointed out in the answer by @Erti-Chris Eelmaa, perl, to replace the cdc_ variable (See post by @Erti-Chris Eelmaa to learn more about that variable). Using vim or perl prevents you from having to recompile source code or use a hex-editor. Make sure to make a copy of the original chromedriver before attempting to edit it.
Using Vim
vim /path/to/chromedriver After running the line above, you'll probably see a bunch of gibberish. Do the following:
- Search for
cdc_by typing/cdc_and pressingreturn. - Enable editing by pressing
a. - Delete any amount of
$cdc_lasutopfhvcZLmcfland replace what was deleted with an equal amount characters. If you don't,chromedriverwill fail. - After you're done editing, press
esc. - To save the changes and quit, type
:wq!and pressreturn. - If you don't want to save the changes, but you want to quit, type
:q!and pressreturn. - You're done.
Go to the altered chromedriver and double click on it. A terminal window should open up. If you don't see killed in the output, you successfully altered the driver.
Using Perl
The line below replaces cdc_ with dog_:
perl -pi -e 's/cdc_/dog_/g' /path/to/chromedriver Make sure that the replacement string has the same number of characters as the search string, otherwise the chromedriver will fail.
Perl Explanation
s///g denotes that you want to search for a string and replace it globally with another string (replaces all occurrences).
e.g.,
s/string/replacment/g
So,
s///denotes searching for and replacing a string.
cdc_is the search string.
dog_is the replacement string.
gis the global key, which replaces every occurrence of the string.
How to check if the Perl replacement worked
The following line will print every occurrence of the search string cdc_:
perl -ne 'while(/cdc_/g){print "$&\n";}' /path/to/chromedriver
If this returns nothing, then cdc_ has been replaced.
Conversely, you can use the this:
perl -ne 'while(/dog_/g){print "$&\n";}' /path/to/chromedriver
to see if your replacement string, dog_, is now in the chromedriver binary. If it is, the replacement string will be printed to the console.
Go to the altered chromedriver and double click on it. A terminal window should open up. If you don't see killed in the output, you successfully altered the driver.
Wrapping Up
After altering the chromedriver binary, make sure that the name of the altered chromedriver binary is chromedriver, and that the original binary is either moved from its original location or renamed.
My Experience With This Method
I was previously being detected on a website while trying to log in, but after replacing cdc_ with an equal sized string, I was able to log in. Like others have said though, if you've already been detected, you might get blocked for a plethora of other reasons even after using this method. So you may have to try accessing the site that was detecting you using a VPN, different network, or what have you.