Open letter to anti-cheat devs
Posted by aBlindGeminiWhisper@reddit | linux | View on Reddit | 38 comments
I'm waiting for an anti-cheat software to properly and fully work on linux for more than a decade. I'm using Windows since XP and Vista. Had prior experience with Mac OS and multiple distros.
If the major mp games were available on linux, I would have switched to the linux. I would have stayed on linux, but that's unfortunately not the case because the devs of some of the biggest ACS decided not to pay attention to linux or had royalties from Windows that are strictly forbidding them to develop anything compatible with linux, Idk. Sure, there is proton, wine, and lutris, etc. but these become irrelevant when the ACS doesn't even work on a distro to begin with.
Is Microsoft the biggest threat to linux gaming and open-source existence? That is the question I ask to myself, every time I was forced to log in to my Microsoft account, giving away my own hardware to Microsoft, just to play a damn game with more damn ACS. It is consuming me and probably thousands or millions worldwide. Why anti-cheat software devs never fully implement linux support so that people are locked in an ai-powered hellhole created by the big tech?
Without the full integration of ACS, I doubt we will really see the year of linux, anytime soon. That's the unfortunate truth.
I bet Windows will lose thousands of people like me who are actively gatekeeped by the Linux-ACS incompatibility, which is provided by ACS and funded by Microsoft, imho.
And what's up with the consecutive leaks on linux kernel vulnerabilities and supply chain attacks on OSS? Surely, I'm not the only one to see the pattern, right?
I just hope Steam OS would somehow funnel their work onto developing/improving ACS compability so people can finally play some mp games on linux and can be freed from the greedy tech industry and giant corpos.
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felipec@reddit
Anti-cheat software already works perfectly fine on linux.
INITMalcanis@reddit
Some AC software runs on Linux. That's a long stretch from general assertion of equality. The simple fact that Linux is far less willing to hard over kernel-level access to AC makes client AC rather less effective.
NB: I am not saying that this is a bad thing - quite the opposite.
felipec@reddit
"Some"? Try 90% of it.
I didn't say anything about equality, I just said the statement was inaccurate.
He meant "kernel-level anti-cheat software". And even in that case, for example ARC Raiders uses kernel-level anti-cheat, but somehow works on linux.
So people make assumptions and rarely speak accurately about anti-cheat.
That is an unsubstantiated claim.
You can do anything you want to do with your linux system. I compile my own kernels, I write my own modules, I've used proprietary unsanctioned modules. No one is stopping you from doing whatever you want on the kernel.
Sure, linux developers are not going to make it easy for normie users to taint the kernel, but they certainly can.
And game studios make claim that anti-cheat that isn't kernel-level is "less effective", but there's absolutely no reason for that. Take games like Dota 2 where there's tons of professional competitive gamers, where are the hackers?
They claim kernel-level anti-cheat is "more effective", but that's demonstrably false. In all likelihood the only reason they claim that is because it's cheaper for them to develop.
aBlindGeminiWhisper@reddit (OP)
Apparently not all ACS have compability.
felipec@reddit
Yeah, the ones explicitly designed to not work on linux. They see it as a feature, not a bug.
Slackeee_@reddit
Kernel level anticheat will never become a thing on Linux, for some simple reasons:
1. most Linux users wouldn't agree to install a rootkit from EA etc. on their systems just to play a game to begin with, the willingness to compromise your complete system seems to be entirely a Windows user thing 2. the Linux kernel is open source and can easily be patched to circumvent kernel level anticheat by anyone who is willing to change some code around, so it just is ineffective
trowgundam@reddit
Slackeee_@reddit
Fun fact, in order to determine the current state of secure boot on the system a kernel module has to ask the kernel to deliver the data (specifically the functions in linux/efi.h). Which of course can easily be patched to deliver fake data to the module.
fluffy_thalya@reddit
The distro that gets untrusted by the game devs signs the kernel and all modules that could be loaded in there. You can't really patch those (assuming a non-vulnerable kernel).
But as an anti-cheat dev, you can still assess the state of the machine by moving trust to the TPM and the secure boot chain. It's called remote attestation. The module and the game still handle the channel from the servers to the TPM, but you ultimately don't need to trust anything in-between at this stage.
Once you validate the TPM event log to make sure you booted a trusted kernel & a trusted anti-cheat module (and nothing else), then you can start trusting the module itself.
I've been working on that kinda stuff for industrial applications. There's 100 ways you can implement this wrong, and workaround this system.
Megame50@reddit
Remote attestation quite clearly meets the requirements of anti-cheat and the sensibilities of the users who want to play games, imo. It's not trivial to implement, but in theory it could be the basis of Linux anti-cheat.
However, I think this would require distros to themselves become the verifying party, lest the multiplayer server operators, as the relying party, figure out policy for each distro. So there would probably need to be significant standardization effort involved, and some kind of trust relationship between the anti-cheat service and the distro maintainers.
trowgundam@reddit
So checksum the modules and any unknown modules, don't authenticate. It's certainly possible. It's just not easy and would take the cooperation of AC devs, kernel maintainers and distros. It just isn't worth the effort of funding to do so. Which is why they don't.
Slackeee_@reddit
Checksums, OK. I am sure gamers would really be happy when their last NVIDIA driver update would render their games inoperable until the game developers have updated the checksums in their rootkit. Or when the latest open source driver for their flashy RGB modules does the same.
ofernandofilo@reddit
there is no such thing as a "Linux user" category; there is only the category of "gamers" who will use any operating system to play games without being betrayed by third parties online.
to do this, they will do everything to ensure that there is no suspicion of them cheating, and therefore everyone needs to have kernel drivers monitoring their computers 100% of the time, even when the games are closed.
if you play games, you don't need to hide anything from anyone. you need to have your computer monitored 100% of the time. if you want to play games on Linux, then Linux needs to be the monitoring vector.
how many Linux companies aren't interested in offering what gamers are asking for?
it will be much more profitable this way, and they will be served. I bet on it.
Android is a closed Linux product, as are ChromeOS, firmware for network and telephony equipment, SteamOS, etc. it's all a corporate product, with artificial safeguards that favor commercial interests and meet the anti-cheat needs of billions of players worldwide. players desperately need to be monitored. it's what they want most.
it's a trillion-dollar industry, and there's nothing in Linux that prevents everyone involved in this gaming market from making more money.
whatever you believe to be a "Linux user" simply doesn't exist. the next generation of Linux users will be the online gamer who opposes cheaters and they are afraid of computer viruses. very afraid.
_o/
outbackdaan@reddit
are you high? lol
ofernandofilo@reddit
I haven't slept for a long time... I should be sleeping.
but I bet that in a few years, Linux distributions geared towards "gamers" will have: [a] anti-cheat kernels, [b] mandatory Secure Boot in conjunction with a digitally signed application chain, [c] antivirus software probably MS Defender, [d] player identification through official documents and real-time image analysis, [e] constant AI surveillance, [f] hardware that cannot be repaired without authorized service, and [g] things we can't even imagine now.
I stopped using Windows so I wouldn't have to experience this. and this will be implemented in Linux soon.
Android will be significantly limited starting this year, beginning in Brazil, India, and other countries. the next version of Ubuntu will come with AI by default. Red Hat employees are already required to use AI due to internal company policies.
a world of surveillance will be imposed and celebrated largely by the clients of the most lucrative entertainment industry: gamers.
many will one day hate having played video games.
I'm not saying I wish for it. I'm just talking about the inevitability of the world, which those who live will see.
I'm not psychic, a medium, a magician, nothing like that. just read the news. the world is heading towards global tyranny. and Linux will be part of that tyranny. there is nothing that can be done to stop such a lucrative business.
_o/
OrphisFlo@reddit
Damglador@reddit
dkms modules exist and can be proprietary. I'm sure people who actually know something about kernel development would figure out how to preserve integrity of that dkms module.
AiwendilH@reddit
There are two problems here:
alexforencich@reddit
But other things in the kernel could be modified even if the proprietary module itself is not.
Slackeee_@reddit
Then you just patch the functions called by the DKMS module. You are just shifting the attack vector, not eliminating it.
alexforencich@reddit
It would require secure boot, signature enforcement, SGX, etc. with the keys controlled by somebody like canonical. And this would necessarily mean that you can't run a modified kernel or load unsigned kernel modules, effectively ceding control of your computer.
aBlindGeminiWhisper@reddit (OP)
Makes sense, Win/Mac users are forced to compromise their kernels so that they can show them that they are not cheating. It has to be someway to implement this without kernel level access, though.
DoubleOwl7777@reddit
there is, some EAC games can run on linux, devs have to enable it, but EAC runs in userspace on linux. and there is server side anticheat aswell.
DoubleOwl7777@reddit
yeah, the only way to change that is to stop buying these games, if it hurts their bottom line enough thell stop this bs.
ChickenWingBaron@reddit
Counterpoint: Keep your shitty root kits out of the linux kernel.
ofernandofilo@reddit
the anti-cheat will come via Steam with Secure Boot enabled and a digitally signed application chain, as well as perhaps even a resident Microsoft free antivirus, and methods of age recognition involving the request for official documents, mandated by law in a few countries but imposed worldwide. it's no joke. it's demand. eventually, Windows users who no longer want the Windows bloat will demand the bloat they escaped in Linux.
there are far more users wanting to abandon Windows for alternatives than there are home users using Linux. Microsoft will never again offer products without advertising, monitoring, or respect for user choices and privacy. on the contrary, the same behavior will also be prevalent in Linux distributions aimed at gamers.
that's what they want: to be monitored at all times to make sure no one is cheating in games. you will have what you desire. just be patient. Ubuntu will provide AI for your system very soon. be patient.
I wonder for how many more years we'll have hardware options for using operating systems outside of Secure Boot and other useless features of this global monitoring industry. you know: for those who want to use a computer without being a gamer of any kind. with freedom of choice regarding software and hardware, freedom to repair one's own machine, privacy regarding files and conversations... these are old-fashioned things that some users are still interested in, or perhaps those who were born before every house had listening devices purchased by users as if they were technological advantages at the expense of their own privacy. and before all other health obligations, and the maintenance of beliefs in freedom of movement around the world... old, ancient things.
you know, before the constant AI monitoring paid for by the advertising displayed on these locked devices that will imprison us.
it is the will of the people.
_o/
aBlindGeminiWhisper@reddit (OP)
Ubuntu was actually good before all that AI trackers and whatnots, was based on Debian, kind of stable and compatible with most hardware. Now, it is slowly becoming the Windows/bloatware of Linux. Even the system reqs are heavier than Win sys requirements.
Maskdask@reddit
Kernel level anticheat is fundamentally a bad idea to begin with
aBlindGeminiWhisper@reddit (OP)
It's already a big compromise for some people, I guess.
D0nkeyHS@reddit
I'm gonna use your product whether or not you do this, but you need to put in effort so I can use something that's not your product!
anomaly256@reddit
It's not as simple as 'the devs didn't pay attention to Linux'. Linux is a much more complicated, moving target. Every Windows 11 and MacOS machine out there has a well defined kernel configuration. Linux varies wildly distro to distro.
It also has hard security boundaries that mitigate the very functionality the ACS would require and enabling ACS would downgrade the security for all users of that system. I can see a distro like Bazzite possibly not caring about the security as much since their focus is on gaming, but no other distros would willingly bless the installation of what is effectively a root kit.
Duckyy2025@reddit
All the games I play support Linux, and I simply skip those that require kernel-level access. I have no intention of giving a game higher system privileges than an administrator just to play some stupid game.
Kami403@reddit
Most anti cheats have Linux compatibility, game devs often just choose not to enable it.
DoubleOwl7777@reddit
nah, instead of installing a rootkit to your pc (which is ineffective anyways since you can patch the kernel), dont buy these games, if enough people do this then they will move away from this bs because it hurts their bottom line.
sparkling-rainbow@reddit
I wouldn't ever consider installing something like Vanguard. I bet, most tech savvy folks wouldn't. So you'd have to develop and maintain it for a fraction of a fraction of possible customer base. It's just more profitable to focus on Windows for them.
OmegaZeda@reddit
I just don't buy or play games that don't or refuse to work on Linux...
There's plenty of other games out there and I loose nothing by not spending money for them. Ultimately they are shooting themselves in the foot by ignoring the growing market shift.
r_search12013@reddit
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2026/04/rocket-league-adds-easy-anti-cheat-with-steam-deck-linux-still-supported/