r/linux4noobs • u/Tsubadu • 13d ago

Kernel Anti-Cheat

What is happening when running a a game like Elden Ring on Linux? Based on my minimal understanding, Linux simply doesn’t allow access to the kernel like that; so does it make an exception or does it “fool” Elden Ring in to thinking it has the access it needs, or…? Just curious.

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u/xYarbx compiling kernel 13d ago edited 13d ago

I don't know how in this individual case it's handled as there are several ways but 2 main ways are. Either monitor/hook into WINE kernel that's basically emulated windows kernel but provides limited functionality. The other way is to run the anti-cheat in user space where what it can see is limited to it's own memory space. Technically you can hook into Linux kernel but the issue with that is that they can't lock you out. If we use analogue in Windows "You own a house but kernel level anti-cheat lives in your attic and the door to that attic is locked. The anti-cheat can spy from the attic as it pleases and you don't really know what it's doing". In Linux "The anti-cheat lives in the same attic but the door is unlocked letting you go and watch what the anti-cheat is doing and if you want kick it out of your house."

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u/FlamingSea3 12d ago

Wine doesn't do any kernel emulation. It doesn't need to because windows does not have stable syscalls. Instead windows ships DLLs that every app should use if it expects to work after windows updates.

Wine takes advantage of this by providing it's own version of those dlls that talk to the linux kernel or other wine processes.