Can you get VAC banned for cheating in a un-protected server?

[marble]

So basically my god friend challenged me to 1v1 in csgo, I know I'm gonna lose but I though it would be funny if I used cheats, but im also wondering, would I get vac banned for using cheats in a private, non vac-secured server?

[ChaosBahamut]

Not directly, but cheats are VERY hard to remove so traces of them might get detected by VAC later on.

So don't do it.

[The Giving One]

VAC bans accounts for connecting to a VAC secure server while cheats are detected as active on the PC in question.

"What is VAC?"

VAC stands for Valve Anti-Cheat, an automated system designed to detect cheats installed on users' computers. If a user connects to a VAC-Secured server from a computer with identifiable cheats installed, the VAC system will ban the user from playing that game on VAC-Secured servers in the future.

The VAC system reliably detects cheats using their cheat signatures. Any third-party modifications to a game designed to give one player an advantage over another is classified as a cheat or hack and will trigger a VAC ban. This includes modifications to a game's core executable files and dynamic link libraries.

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7849-RADZ-6869&l=english#whatisvac

The problem is if you ever DO connect to a VAC server again, after cheats are installed. Because simply deleting them is not good enough. The only way to be sure a PC is cleaned of cheats once they have been installed is fully format the hard drive(s) and start over with a clean install of the OS.

[Cathulhu]

Keep in mind that all servers are VAC secured by default, including private matches.

[The Giving One]

That's true and a good point by helpful Cathulhu above. A user posted here the other day that is a server admin on a private server, and said a friend could not join. Because that user had a VAC ban already, and the server admin did not understand how to make the server insecure with the correct flag.

So this could happen also, if cheats were installed but there was no VAC ban yet actually, and therefore, the account would be later VAC banned for that connection to that server, simply because an admin forgot to make the server insecure when they maybe said it was or thought it was anyway.

[marble]

Originally posted by The Giving One:

That's true and a good point by helpful Cathulhu above. A user posted here the other day that is a server admin on a private server, and said a friend could not join. Because that user had a VAC ban already, and the server admin did not understand how to make the server insecure with the correct flag.

So this could happen also, if cheats were installed but there was no VAC ban yet actually, and therefore, the account would be later VAC banned for that connection to that server, simply because an admin forgot to make the server insecure when they maybe said it was or thought it was anyway.

It's my server though so I will make sure its unsecure haha. Not gonna let that happen to me.

[The Giving One]

It's a dangerous thing, installing cheats to hopefully remove them later and clean the PC of them.

Honestly, it would never be worth it to me, to play games like this only to have to format my hard drive(s) later afterwards.

[vadim]

Originally posted by #hawk Fluxzion:

It's my server though so I will make sure its unsecure haha. Not gonna let that happen to me.

No one knows whether you can be banned for using cheats on insecure server or not. I bet, you can.

[Theblaze]

I wonder why the developers made the cheats usable for the publicity on a server with cheats enabled when people are going to take the risk and using third-party cheats anyway.

Wanna joke with your friend?, setup a server, open developer console type "sv_cheats 1", give yourself whatever cheat you want using console commands, let him join and don't tell him cheats are enabled for the server.

0% risk of getting banned.

More informations here:
https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Sv_cheats
https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Console_Command_List

[Johnny Reb]

I hope you used undetected cheats. Your account is gone sorry