I\u2019m a Linux gamer.
That means I\u2019m used to disappointment. This game isn\u2019t supported on your platform. Every big multiplayer release brings the same cycle: hype, checking ProtonDB, and then that familiar slap in the face of kernel-level anti-cheat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For years, that infuriated me. I didn\u2019t want to use Windows; I just wanted to play Fortnite, Warzone, and Madden more than I loved the open-source mindset and enjoyed my easy Linux workflow. I thought developers were just lazy, or indifferent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wasn\u2019t overly ideological. I saw the benefits of the open-source model and wanted to use that model whenever possible. I just wanted to use my computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then I started looking closer at what these anti-cheat systems actually do. Now? I\u2019m 100% Linux and relieved that kernel-level anti-cheat is unavailable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kernel-level anti-cheats are marketed as \u201cnecessary\u201d for fairness. But underneath the PR, they\u2019re functionally indistinguishable from rootkits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The only difference is intent<\/em>. Rootkits are written by attackers; anti-cheats are written by billion-dollar publishers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rootkits are not defined by their morality or intent, but by architecture and level of privilege. That\u2019s not a \u201csecurity feature.\u201d That\u2019s trust on a cosmic scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These drivers are closed-source<\/strong> and kernel-resident<\/strong>. When a company says \u201cdon\u2019t worry, we only monitor what\u2019s necessary,\u201d<\/em> you\u2019re taking that entirely on faith. The signature on the binary doesn\u2019t guarantee safety. It just means someone paid Microsoft for a certificate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s be honest. That\u2019s real life. One vulnerability, one sloppy update, or one hijacked installer is all it takes for that \u201canti-cheat\u201d to become a malicious rootkit following you straight through your corporate VPN tunnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I first saw \u201canti-cheat not supported on Linux,\u201d<\/em> I felt excluded. Gamers will refuse their employer\u2019s endpoint agent for \u201cprivacy reasons,\u201d then happily install a closed-source kernel driver from a game publisher that phones home 24\/7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s funny until you realize it\u2019s horrifying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026but it might also be the best thing that ever happened to me.I get to keep gaming without gambling my entire workstation, my projects, and my sanity on a company\u2019s promise that their<\/em> rootkit is the good kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Awesome!! I highly encourage it! This blog will never say that Linux is the correct choice for you (Gaming, CAD, specific Windows or Mac programs that you want to run natively are great reasons not to), that you NEED to use Tailscale or Proxmox, and that you can\u2019t play certain games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the goals of this blog is to simplify complex computing. Computing is just a series of yes\/no questions. A 1 or a 0. Understanding the cascading effects of our decisions, weighing the different forces at play, and creating conscious choices that affect our livelihood. (Tell someone with a compromised identity through PII leaks that this isn\u2019t the case.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The simplest way to do this is to set up a dual boot environment. (WINDOWS USERS YOU CAN DO THIS TOO!) You don\u2019t even have to install grub on a separate partition with a live-cd and do all that nerd shit if you\u2019ve made the decision for yourself that you DoNt PrOgRaM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Windows will automatically recognize other Windows installs during installation and Windows Boot Loader will let you choose the OS that you want to boot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you set up your sandboxed gaming environment you should think about<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anti-cheat at ring 0 is just a rootkit with marketing.<\/strong> I\u2019m a Linux gamer.That means I\u2019m used to disappointment. This game isn\u2019t supported on your platform. Every big multiplayer release brings the same cycle: hype, checking ProtonDB, and then that familiar slap in the face of kernel-level anti-cheat. For years, that infuriated me. I didn\u2019t want to use Windows; I just wanted to play Fortnite, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":77,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,34],"tags":[12,27,20,16,31,21,11,24,28,26,32,17,23,30,10,15,13,22,19,29,14,9,18,25],"class_list":["post-76","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gaming","category-linux","tag-anti-cheat-linux","tag-anti-cheat-privacy","tag-anti-cheat-security-risk","tag-battleye-linux","tag-cyber-security","tag-dual-boot-gaming","tag-easyanticheat-linux","tag-endpoint-security","tag-fortnite-linux","tag-game-rootkit","tag-gaming-malware","tag-gaming-on-linux","tag-gaming-security","tag-kernel-driver-security","tag-kernel-level-anti-cheat","tag-kernel-mode-anti-cheat","tag-linux-gaming","tag-pc-gaming","tag-protondb","tag-protondb-compatibility","tag-ring-0-anti-cheat","tag-rootkit-anti-cheat","tag-valorant-vanguard","tag-windows-linux-gaming"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ryslab.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ryslab.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ryslab.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ryslab.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ryslab.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ryslab.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79,"href":"https:\/\/ryslab.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76\/revisions\/79"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ryslab.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ryslab.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ryslab.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ryslab.dev\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Either way, you\u2019re installing code that can see everything, do anything, and live beneath your OS.<\/p>\n\n\n\nClosed Source, Full Privilege<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You can\u2019t audit them. You can\u2019t sandbox them. You can\u2019t even verify that they\u2019re only touching \u201cgame memory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And that same driver can read your passwords, inspect your VPN, or snoop your SSH keys if it\u2019s ever compromised.<\/p>\n\n\n\nReality Isn\u2019t Neat; It\u2019s Human<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
People click phishing links. They torrent. They browse sites they shouldn\u2019t. They use one laptop for work, gaming, banking, and the occasional \u201cquestionable download.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now add a privileged kernel driver into the mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMy Shift: From Angry to Relieved<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Now I see it as protection.The fact that those drivers can\u2019t even load here is honestly a relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Ironic Twist<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
So Yeah, No Linux Support Sucks\u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
But I Want to Play BF6!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
NO, I REALLY WANT TO PLAY BF6! (Safely, of course)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
TL;DR<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>If Linux blocks it, maybe Linux is saving you.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"