Kernel-level anti-cheats have long been a nuisance to gamers. Sure, they do the job pretty well, but their intrusive behavior causes not only privacy concerns but also compatibility issues for platforms other than Windows. A couple of months ago, we saw Microsoft looking to replace kernel-level anti-cheats by developing an isolated environment for these anti-cheats to work in, meaning they won’t require kernel permission anymore.

Well, it looks like Valve is also working to bring more transparency about games using kernel-level anti-cheats. Today, Valve announced a new anti-cheat transparency feature for Steam. The feature requires developers to disclose if the game they are submitting requires any anti-cheat system that works on the kernel level.

Are kernel-level anti-cheats really bad?

To answer this, let’s shortly go over what kernel is. Simply put, the kernel is the core part of your Windows OS. This is the part that controls all the hardware, software, and system memory. If you’re working on the kernel level, you have absolute control over the entire system and its information. A few examples which may access kernel include:

• Easy Anti-Cheat
• BattlEye
• EA AntiCheat
• Ricochet
• Vanguard
• PunkBuster
• EQU8

As you can guess, kernel-level anti-cheats can raise major privacy and security concerns, after all, you’re allowing a third-party company to have full control over your system, and you’re basically trusting them with a blind eye that they will only use this power to detect any cheats, and not anything else.

Of course, these anti-cheats are really great at their job. For instance, Valorant’s Vanguard and Call of Duty’s RICOCHET are two examples of famous kernel-level anti-cheats, and they both work very well in detecting and banning cheaters. On the other hand, Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) used in Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, and other games, does not operate on a kernel level, and that’s also why it is not nearly as effective as others.

Kernel level anti-cheats are a double-edged sword; while they provide good protection against hackers, they also risk leaking your data and information.

Why Steam’s transparency matters

Until someone comes up with a good alternative, we're stuck with these intrusive anti-cheats to keep our games fair. But Valve’s new rule to make games with kernel-level anti-cheats label them on the store page is a smart move. Most people just want to jump into a game without realizing what's being installed, so this at least helps raise awareness that some anti-cheats have deeper access to system data and permissions.

About the Author

Sameed Hussain

Sameed is a writer specializing is tech & hardware.