GAME INSTALLS ROOTKIT: "nProtect GameGuard"

[Roenie]

As per title.

// UPDATE #1:

I've been receiving too many friend invites because of this thread. I don't accept them because I have enough people to help IRL. Others just want to 'talk tech' and I appreciate it but I don't want to spend more time chatting on the internet. You get more out of spending that time on (finding) local friends and family IRL so I recommend doing that instead.

The devs have responded in this thread in post #213 (page 15-ish) saying they're working on providing an easy removal method. The devs also wrote: "There are cases where the nProtect program can be used for other games than UNDECEMBER. For this reason, this security module is not being automatically deleted." I understand and had already considered that. My stance on that: the uninstall process should ask the user to make the decision and to help them make the decision ideally provide a link to a webpage that the GameGuard developers should maintain that lists all games currently using GameGuard. The uninstall process should at least inform the user that it's leaving it behind and why it's doing that.

There's now a notice on the store page on the right side to inform you that the game incorporates nProtect GameGuard. They didn't mention adding that notice but I'm pretty sure that wasn't there earlier when I installed the demo. So that's two steps in the right direction.

Because the store page makes you aware and the devs are working on hopefully providing a removal tool, I'm happy if a moderator wants to lock this thread so it doesn't keep coming back to page 1.

I would still strongly suggest adding a notice at the time of installation if at all possible because a lot of people will overlook the tiny warning on the store page. Wanting a rootkit on your system or not is everybody's personal choice. So you should always be made aware before the installation so that people who don't want it can opt out. It shouldn't be installed silently as part of the installation process of something else. When I installed the demo I wasn't aware that GameGuard comes with it.

Being unaware that it installs in the first place is a more important problem than the one where it doesn't get uninstalled when you uninstall the game and doesn't tell you, even though that's also bad.
// end UPDATE #1

// UPDATE #2

Link to removal tool

Link to removal tool provided by developer can now be found in this Undecember news post:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1549250/view/6456498378615365698

By sharing this link I am not responsible for whatever the removal tool does. It's probably made by the Korean company that makes GameGuard. I have not used it myself as I have already removed GameGuard using the manual process I described below.
// end UPDATE #2

nProtect GameGuard

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NProtect_GameGuard
Product page listing its features: https://gameguard.nprotect.com/en/index.html

This 'malware' will not be removed when you uninstall the game. In fact there is no uninstaller available to the public and there is no removal info on the website of the Korean company that creates it.

Notable sections of the Wikipedia page:

GameGuard hides the game application process, monitors the entire memory range, terminates applications defined by the game vendor and INCA Internet to be cheats (QIP for example[citation needed]), blocks certain calls to Direct X functions and Windows APIs, keylogs keyboard input[citation needed], and auto-updates itself to change as new possible threats surface.[1]

Since GameGuard essentially works like a rootkit,[2][6] players may experience unintended and potentially unwanted side effects. If set, GameGuard blocks any installation or activation of hardware and peripherals (e.g., a mouse) while the program is running. Since GameGuard monitors any changes in the computer's memory, it will cause performance issues when the protected game loads multiple or large resources all at once.[7]

Additionally, some versions of GameGuard had an unpatched privilege escalation bug, allowing any program to issue commands as if they were running under an Administrator account.[8]

GameGuard possesses a database on game hacks based on security references from more than 260 game clients. Some editions of GameGuard are now bundled with INCA Internet's Tachyon anti-virus/anti-spyware library, and others with nProtect Key Crypt, an anti-key-logger software that protects the keyboard input information.

Some of the other threads worth reading with additonal info about GameGuard (GG):

GG opening browser on its own to download file to reinstall itself:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/1549250/discussions/0/3388420307306147309/

GG causing regular players to be unable to play:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/1549250/discussions/0/3388420307303552350/

Thread similar to the current thread you're reading:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/1549250/discussions/0/3388420307299415010/

Removing nProtect GameGuard

There is now a link to a removal tool more toward the top of this post. Look for the blue header: "Link to removal tool" in a section called UPDATE #2. The following is the manual removal process I described earlier:

Find and delete the main executable
Rootkits sometimes hide their main executable from being seen or deleted from within the operating system it's installed to, so just to be sure to not waste time trying to do it from within Windows I used linux to remove the executable after first trying to do it with a file manager program that crashed when I did. Possibly a coincidence. Reports from other users indicate that this particular rootkit doesn't hide or protect its executable file so you probably don't have to use linux but I'll explain the way I personally did it. I booted into linux (stored on a thumb drive) to find and delete GameMon.des that the game's installation process adds to the C:\Windows\SysWOW64 directory. Again reports from other users indicate you can probably see it and delete it from within Windows, so you can try that first.

If the nProtect GameGuard system service exists (see next paragraph) then the file gamemon.des will of course also exist even if you can't see it in File Explorer from within Windows in which case you can liveboot linux to find and delete the file. I briefly explained that process in this post: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1549250/discussions/0/3388420307302919948/?ctp=5#c3388420307306305282

If you can't find the executable, a useful trick is to go to the properties of the nProtect GameGuard system service to check what executable file path it points to. (WinKey+R --> services.msc) If the redirection between system32 and SysWOW64 causes confusion, read this post: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1549250/discussions/0/3388420307302919948/?ctp=25#c3487500856975883781

System service (optional)
After removing the main executable, the system service that points to it no longer functions. Delete the orphaned nProtect GameGuard service that remains in services.msc. To check if it's there: press WinKey+R and type services.msc. To remove the service, open a command prompt run as administrator, then enter the command: sc delete npggsvc. You may have to refresh the Services window with F5 to see the result.

Registry key (optional)
GameGuard creates a registry key called INCAInternet with various subkeys.
Press Windows-Key + R. type "regedit".
Search for (Ctrl+F, F3 to repeat) and delete that entire key. It should be here: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\INCAInternet

"gameMonitor" is added to several values in subkeys of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SecurityManager\CapabilityClasses\ (see post #31 to #34 for why I crossed out the latter: these entries were not related to it.)

Learning about rootkit anti-cheat in general

The 1st video also covers the potential for system instability - big reason for me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaL7owZmbEA
The 2nd video is more focused on the security risks, and covers what happened when the game Genshin Impact's rootkit anti-cheat was abused by a ransomware actor to disable antivirus software. (Do note that antivirus even when active is often inadequate to protect against ransomware.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY41wMvwrLQ
Server side anti-cheat is a thing but it's not perfect either. It does help to write the game's code in a way that the client doesn't receive and send more data than it strictly needs so it can't manipulate it either, but there is no perfect solution and the more is done server side the more expensive it gets for the deverloper, hardware wise, to get the same server performance. Many multiplayer games employ client side anti-cheat, often a rookit, in an attempt to protect the developer's profits with the unfortunate side effect of making your PC less secure. I don't really play multiplayer games anymore especially not competitive ones so I can realistically avoid having any client side anti-cheat installed. This time though I was unaware that one was getting installed along with the demo.

General advice if you can't avoid anti-cheat rootkits

If you do important things with your system or store important documents and like to play multiplayer games so can't avoid client side anti-cheats, I recommend using a dedicated gaming/entertainment/web browsing PC (inherently insecure) and a 2nd PC or laptop to do everything else with. The entertainment PC should be in a different IP address range so it's not able to communicate with other devices on your home network, it only gets internet access. Even better for security is to use a managed network switch to create VLANs so you can "physically" leave the gaming PC out of your main VLAN. The 2nd PC typically doesn't have to be fast thus can be cheap but if you can't afford one or don't want one: another solution albeit not as secure, is to "dualboot": install another operating system onto your gaming PC so you can choose which one to boot into: your gaming/entertainment OS or your serious/home office OS. I like Linux for the latter but both can be Windows if you want. On the entertainment OS don't assign a drive letter to the storage where you keep your documents. The technical how-to of all this is beyond the scope of this thread, so Google is your friend.

Clarifying my main concern

The user should always be aware of the installation because it's their computer, freedom of choice and all that. The main issue I personally have with rootkit anti-cheat isn't even that it reduces system security, even though that's very important (people don't care about security until it's too late), for me it's that whenever I have a problem with a PC or game I don't want to have additional variables to exclude in search of a possible cause. Especially programs that don't want you to know they're there so you're likely to not think about them. If an anti-cheat ever DOES cause an issue (even if unlikely) you'll spend way too much time eliminating every other possible cause first. And if a game you have an issue with won't start without the anti-cheat, you can't eliminate it as a possible cause at all. So while you stress test RAM, CPU, disable certain programs or overlays etc etc maybe even reinstall your OS you have this nagging voice in the back of your mind saying "what if it's actually the anti-cheat and I'm just wasting my time?"

[Roenie]

You can give me jesters all you want - thanks for the free points, but I'm a systems and network administrator by trade, as well as a vendor trained specialist in corporate security solutions and this is NOT something you want installed on your computer.

Aside from all the potential problems with performance, stability and security it can cause as the Wikipedia article mentions, a rootkit effectively hands over complete control of your machine to the creator of the rootkit to do whatever they want IF they so choose. The creators are:
© INCA Internet Corporation. All rights reserved.
53, Magokjungang 14-ro, Gangseo-gu
Republic of Korea 07789
Do you know and trust the people behind that company?

On the wikipedia page you'll find a list of games that install this rootkit onto your machine. I strongly recommend that you avoid them. If you are not technically inclined and can't do what I did to remove it, the only way you're getting rid of it is to format your drive and reinstall Windows from scratch. EDIT: no longer the case because removal tool now available, link added to original post.

[Tyrone Biggums]

...jesus at first it was the tinfoil hat denuvo guys now we got the nprotect brigade

[Lightning]

Many other popular games use it too, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NProtect_GameGuard think its just to ensure no one is cheating i doubt any of those popular games would be doing anything other than that.

[TTV Sneaper]

Originally posted by Tyrone Biggums:

...jesus at first it was the tinfoil hat denuvo guys now we got the nprotect brigade

Yeah, i swear whenever a new game comes out with an anticheat, people always make these posts lol.. remember when valorant came out with their vanguard and everyone lost their minds?

[Roenie]

The reason I as an IT professional of multiple decades with a degree in my field, take issue with this program is not its anti-cheat nature, it's the way in which it does it, the fact that it's a rootkit.

Even if there's no actual malintent, you should've been made aware before installing, that you were getting this along with the game and uninstalling the game should have removed it and it doesn't. This should be enough reason to kick this game off of Steam. Hence, I've reported the store page to Valve.

Originally posted by Lightning:

Many other popular games use it too

The Tencent / Blackrock owned online game junk that's to be avoided in the first place.

[TTV Sneaper]

Originally posted by Roenie:

The reason I as an IT professional of multiple decades with a degree in my field, take issue with this program is not it's anti-cheat nature, it's the way in which it does it, the fact that it's a rootkit. That's a whole nother level compared to other solutions out there, thus they should not be through of as the same. with the same threat level and potential for problems.

You know valorants vanguard is also a root/kernal anti cheat? Its literally on all the time even when not playing valorant. And if you close it and want to play, you have to restart your whole system so it can launch with windows

Also this "decades of experience" means nothing over the internet to random people lol.. for all i know you work at subway and are just typing that

[Roenie]

Well I'm not going to upload my resumé, do with my advice what you please.

[JRS]

bro pubg has this and thats massive game

[Roenie]

And that makes it OK?

So by the same logic, organized crime is OK too, because it's massive?

[Tyrone Biggums]

your trying to tell people nprotect is gonna actually harm them and its not nobody cares man

[Selvon]

If you are a system administrator, i have some bridges i definitely own to sell the companies hiring someone like you.

[Roenie]

Ask me something only a systems admin would know and find out. :)
Networking or linux related are also fine choices of questioning.

[Tyrone Biggums]

u guys are nuts lmao

[*s*t*a*r*s*]

So I checked HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\SecurityManager\CapabilityClasses and the multiple Registry files within that collapsed folder. It seems that 'gameMonitor' is in the registry files of AllCachedMemberCapability & MemberCapability.

[TTV Sneaper]

if i wasnt so lazy, i would go find some fun stuff online and copy paste it here too as what i do as a job. And to show Steam Discussion how big brain i am.. Honestly man, it's an anti-cheat.. And it goes into the root so it can catch more programs than a regular anti-cheat. If you dont want to use it, or play the game, cool. But the game is fine and it's goin to be fine.. Otherwise Nprotect would have been shut down years ago