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Anti-Cheat Expert

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Anti-Cheat Expert
Basic Information
Release Year 2005
Product Type Anti-cheat Software
In Production Yes
Official Website https://intl.anticheatexpert.com/

Anti-Cheat Expert commonly abbreviated as "ACE" is an modular anti-cheat system developed by Tencent, that initially released in 2005 as a anti-bot solution for Free Fantasy Online. [1]

ACE provides cheat prevention for PC as well as Android [2] and iOS [3] however the mobile versions do not run at the Kernel level and operate a lot less invasively then the PC version ACE also offers server side solutions [4] and moderation tools [5] h

ACE on PC is a modular kernel level anti-cheat that allows game developers to enable or disable certain features such as the anti-cheat running 24/7 as well as add their own game specific checks.

Consumer impact summary

Freedom

If a game publisher uses the chooses ACE will be running from computer startup, even when not playing. As a kernel-level anti-cheat on PC, Anti-Cheat Expert has the highest level of access to your computer.

Privacy

ACE on PC is a kernel-level (ring 0) anti-cheat meaning it has access to everything on your computer. and depending on the game publishers configuration it could be a 24/7 anti cheat similar to Riot Vanguard. ACE is also loads multiple drivers based on what features game publishers enable. Anti-Cheat Expert is owned by Tencent which has strong ties with the Chinese government.

Incidents

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Chinese Government Ties

ACE is created by Tencent which has close ties to the Chinese Government and is bound by Chinese laws [6]

Technical Implications

The kernel-level access combined with potential government compulsion is particularly concerning because:

  • Ring 0 access provides complete system control.
  • Users cannot monitor or restrict ACE's activities at this level.
  • Depending on the game the anti-cheat maybe be running 24/7 which means the system is potentially vulnerable even when not gaming.
  • The software could theoretically be used as a backdoor if compelled by authorities.
  • The software could have a negative performance impact even when doing other if the game publishers has chosen the driver to run 24/7

Privacy and Security Assurances

Community Response

References