Steam games will need to disclose kernel-level anti-cheat on store pages

Post by evoke4908 » Wed, Oct 30, 2024, 8:57 PM UTC

plopz wrote: post #32

arp242 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's impossible to prevent cheating from the server-side only. Something like an aimbot can operate purely on information you need to have as a client (to render the other players on the screen), and still be a huge advantage because it can respond faster than any human can.

I think server side statistical analysis can go a long way to detect stuff like that. Obviously its always a cat and mouse game between devs and cheaters, and there are always workarounds, but theres a lot more the devs could be doing without relying on invasive client side detection.

Post by Matheus28 » Wed, Oct 30, 2024, 8:59 PM UTC

plopz wrote: post #35

teen wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think most of these companies do do the server side properly. There are plenty of hacks that just make a client play ungodly well. Like macros, aimbots, cooldown tracking, auto-hex

I'm not sure about that first part, some of the biggest games like gtav is an embarrassment in the concept of never trust the client.

Post by tdb7893 » Wed, Oct 30, 2024, 9:02 PM UTC

AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #23

Do kernel-level anti-cheat measures even work if I'm running Steam as a Flatpak + Using the game under Proton? I (naively, perhaps) assumed the security sandboxing model of flatpak would restrict that level of access.

Post by Thaxll » Wed, Oct 30, 2024, 9:06 PM UTC

throwaway48476 wrote: post #2

After the crowdstrike disaster 3rd party kernel drivers need to be shunned for non critical applications. Games publishers have been bad actors in this space for a long time now. The genshin impact anticheat was used in a malware campaign. Rockstar was very misleading trying to imply their kernel driver not being compatible with the steam deck was valves fault.

Post by ThatPlayer » Wed, Oct 30, 2024, 9:07 PM UTC

Nadya wrote: post #11

doublerabbit wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What decides critical or non-critical. One could argue that a game isn't critical but one could say it's critical to stop hackers. If you were to take the stance that gaming isn't critical than with that logic you're then claiming multiplayer hacking is a feature of the game. Doesn't do well for the community or the company. But nor do the rootkits do good for the consumer.

If they worked to any acceptable level of efficacy then they could be tolerated. They're only tolerated by people who think they work as well as they claim to work (security theater) but anyone who knows about the performance impacts and/or are tech-savvy enough to understand it is a rootkit and potential exploit (that would fully pwn your device) hates them. Some cheats are getting rather sophisticated now. There's…