Epic Games Rebuilds Easy Anti-Cheat for Linux With EAC Linux v2

Epic Rebuilds Linux Anti-Cheat

Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) has supported native Linux game clients since 2014 and added support for running Windows game builds on Linux via Wine/Proton in 2021. However, that support is opt-in for each game, and many titles have not opted in because the Linux implementation could not offer the same level of protection as the Windows version. Epic says this is why Fortnite is not available on Linux yet, but it is coming.

Epic describes cheating in online games as a billion-dollar market where cheat operators sell subscriptions for tools that are updated frequently and require minimal technical skill to use. Without effective anti-cheat measures, these operators can drive enough players away from a game that it is no longer financially viable for the developer to run.

No Kernel Driver, New Security Stack

To close the gap, Epic is rebuilding its Linux anti-cheat implementation into EAC Linux v2, aiming to bring the level of protection much closer to parity with Windows in the near term. The solution relies on existing Linux features including a signed kernel, signed kernel modules, and secure boot with attestation. Epic says the more distributions that meet these requirements by default, the fewer players will need to change their setup to play.

Unlike on Windows, where EAC relies heavily on a kernel driver, EAC Linux v2 will not install or load an anti-cheat kernel module. Instead it uses measured boot, the kernel lockdown LSM, IOMMU support, and Epic's own eBPF logic to maintain integrity and detect cheaters. Players launching a protected game for the first time will be prompted to install an anti-cheat systemd service that runs only while a protected game is running.

System Requirements

EAC Linux v2 requires a signed kernel and kernel modules, TPM 2.0 enabled in the BIOS, Secure Boot enabled with well-known keys, measured boot, IOMMU enabled with passthrough disabled, kernel lockdown integrity mode, kexec disabled, and the Linux Security Module BPF loaded and active. Epic expects to iterate on these requirements over time and welcomes feedback from developers and distribution maintainers.

Well-known keys currently include those from Canonical, Fedora, Universal Blue, Debian, openSUSE, SUSE Linux Enterprise, Rocky Linux, Microsoft UEFI CA, and AlmaLinux. Epic plans to make the well-known key list open source and welcomes community pull requests to expand it. Distribution maintainers can reach out to Epic at [email protected] to get their signing keys added to the list.

Fortnite Pilot and Steam Deck

Epic plans to pilot EAC Linux v2 in Fortnite first, testing it in a live environment and refining it based on what is learned, before making it available to more game developers. Later this year, Epic will co-host a panel discussion with Jef Spaleta, Fedora Project Leader, about the path to enabling fair competitive gaming on Linux.

The Steam Deck does not currently support the required features for EAC Linux v2, but Epic says it is actively talking with Valve and hopes to support it in the future. Players who accidentally start a protected game without meeting the requirements will see an error message rather than receive a ban. Epic also uses server data as an additional detection layer, though it says that alone is not sufficient. The goal of EAC Linux v2 is to create a strong foundation that updates will build upon and to raise the cost of developing and maintaining cheats.

Sources: onlineservices.epicgames.com