The Impact of Anti-Cheat Software on User Privacy

• Vinicius Matheus UFPR
• Tiago Heinrich MPI
• Vinicius Fulber-Garcia UFPR
• Newton C. Will UTFPR
• Rafael R. Obelheiro UDESC
• Carlos A. Maziero UFPR

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5753/sbseg.2024.241475

Abstract

The video game market is constantly growing, and with it, the use of cheat software, where users cheat to gain unfair advantages. As a consequence, game developers dedicate efforts to developing techniques to detect and prevent malicious users from using such software. One of the strategies used is the adoption of anti-cheat software. However, anti-cheats typically operate intrusively on their users’ systems, sometimes requiring execution permissions at the kernel level, raising concerns about the privacy and security of the personal data collected. This paper presents a technical analysis of anti-cheats, investigating their operations looking for potential privacy breaches for users.

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