Is EasyAnticheat a Rootkit?

[coolDisguise]

The Prereqs now want to install EasyAnticheat which in turn wants to have access to the system Kernel according to the their own site http://support.easyanticheat.net/kb/launcher/patchguard/?lr=en-us (that's why it would detect OTHER rootkits during installation).

Why is this question important?

Preventing cheating is a serious thing, but so is the security of my system.
Having a rootkit "for a good cause" installed means giving people a supreme atttack vector against the system if there is at any time a vulnerability in said rootkit because the system can't see the rootkit and cannot prevent it from doing anything, malicious software hooking into that using it as its shield will also be unseen.

From a security standpoint, serverside-solutions should be implemented that sanitize and validate any input from the client instead of COMPROMISING EVERY CLIENT out there.

[coolDisguise]

Any updates on this?

Is Hi-Rez still compromising the computers of their users as a media stunt saying "yeah we're doing.... 'something' about cheaters" or have they finally gotten around to a WORKING anti cheat solution? Seems the percentage of cheaters has actually increased since EasyAnticheat is in place, no? I take it this is due to the dwindling userbase that cares about their systems and doesn't want a dirty machine in their network just to play one game?

[MrBloodworth]

EAC is used in many games and has a long metrics database. Before EAC, and currently, there server ARE athoritive. This has not been removed.

In other words, you are making a mountain out of a molehill.

[no brains]

any anticheat/antivirus software is a rootkit that can spy its users

[>~Wankelmut~7]

Whole Windows OS is spyware and the biggest threat of cyber space lmao whats your point

[coolDisguise]

So I take from those posts they stayed with lazyness and destroyed an otherwise somewhat playable game whilst not doing anything noteworthy against the rampant cheater wave at all. Thanks for your information.

Besides: @wiked law: wrong, do your research first.
@Ashes_To_Ashes: the point is about chosing who to trust yourself not being forced to trust some shady 3rd party/ being handed over to said 3rd party by a lazy company.

[PFC Demigo [29th ID]]

https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/5flaz3/watch_dogs_2_uses_easyanticheat_essentially/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Smite/comments/5wb8n5/never_heard_of_easy_anti_cheat_before_just_how/

[MrBloodworth]

Originally posted by coolDisguise:

So I take from those posts they stayed with lazyness and destroyed an otherwise somewhat playable game whilst not doing anything noteworthy against the rampant cheater wave at all. Thanks for your information.

No, what you have read is they have recently added another LAYER of anticheat.

[Pizlenut]

Originally posted by coolDisguise:

So I take from those posts they stayed with lazyness and destroyed an otherwise somewhat playable game whilst not doing anything noteworthy against the rampant cheater wave at all. Thanks for your information.

I don't think I've seen an obvious speed hacker since it went in. I mean, if you didn't even bother installing it how do you know that it didn't stop the "rampant cheater wave".

Either way. Your greatest security vulnerability is your windows OS because its huge and has control to do things and they keep leaving holes in it.

I really doubt the anti-cheat has capability to do much beyond what it normally does. Even if it was "hacked into" it would bt mostly useless. Hackers aren't magic, it can't do what it wasn't programmed to do. There is no reason it would even need to be able to accept remote connections or install other programs, so a vulnerability there wouldn't even likely be possible.

[Flyingbox]

It's not a rootkit. It turns on when you boot the game.

Come on now this isn't 2001. The internet has been through this.
It requests access to the SYSTEM KERNEL because there are cheats that disguise themselves as the SYSTEM KERNEL so they won't be easily detected. Spoiler alert: This is a good way to hide bad programs from detection like ... oh I don't know... games and commercial software?