Kernel Level Anti-Cheats

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Kernel Level Anti-Cheats are anti-cheat software that boot and run at the kernel level instead of the typical user level. These methods of anti-cheats have recently become more popular among big online service games. They are controversial because of privacy and security concerns.

How it works

How the practice works.

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Why it is a problem

Privacy Concerns

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Security Concerns

Kernel level anti-cheats run at the kernel level, the deepest and most authoritative level of the computer. They are software that have access to everything the computer is doing. This is in contrast to traditional, user level anti-cheats, which only had access to user-level permissions and therefore could not detect certain cheat engines which were cleverly hidden. However, since Kernel Level anti-cheats are at the kernel level, if they can be hijacked and exploited, they create a massive security issue at the kernel level. This has happened with Genshin Impact. Hackers hijacked the anti-cheat and delivered ransomware.

Examples

• EA has recently moved to Kernel Level Anti-Cheats.
• GTA V has recently moved to Kernel Level Anti-Cheats.
• Genshin Impact has moved to Kernel Level Anti-Cheats.