Valve has updated the rules for Steam to make it clear to players if games contain anti-cheat software such as Easy Anti-Cheat, which runs in kernelmode (ring 0) and not user mode, writes Tom’s Hardware.
Software that embeds itself in the Windows kernel can in theory read everything the user does on the computer, but in addition to the privacy risk, such programs also pose a security and stability risk. Bugs in drivers can often be exploited to give malware or hackers control of the computer, and even more commonly lead to system crashes with blue screens.
Steam’s new Windows kernel anti-cheat warning.
Valve writes in one update to developers that they must now state on games’ store pages if they contain anti-cheat software running on kernel-level. They must also indicate whether the anti-cheat software in question modifies system files or is installed as a pure add-on, and whether it can be uninstalled using a provided script or must be done manually.
For games that contain anti-cheat software running in user mode, including a warning is optional.
Many competitive online games such as Apex Legends, Fortnite and Rainbow Six: Siege use this type of anti-cheat. Tom’s Hardware writes that the developers’ argument is usually that cheating software runs in it kernelmode, and that the anti-cheat software must therefore also do so.
It’s up to individual players to decide whether they agree with that trade-off between security and cheater control, and increased transparency makes it easier for players to choose.
Source: www.sweclockers.com
