{{Short description|Anti-cheating root toolkit}} {{More citations needed|date=February 2016}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}} {{lowercase title}} {{Infobox software | name = nProtect GameGuard | logo = nProtect GameGuard logo.png | screenshot = | caption = | collapsible = | author = | developer = [[Inca Internet|INCA Internet Co., Ltd.]] | released = | latest release version = | latest release date = | latest preview version = | latest preview date = | programming language = | operating system = [[Microsoft Windows]] | platform = | size = | language = <!--Language-agnostic--> | genre = [[Cheating in online games|Anti-cheating]] | license = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]] | website = {{URL|gameguard.nprotect.com/en/index.html}} }}
'''nProtect GameGuard''' (sometimes called '''GG''') is an [[Cheating in online games|anti-cheating]] [[rootkit]] developed by [[INCA Internet]]. It is widely installed in many online games to block possibly malicious applications and prevent common methods of cheating.<ref name="book1">{{cite book |editor-last1=Stevens |editor-first1=Scott M. |editor-last2=Saldamarco |editor-first2=Shirley |date=2008 |title=Entertainment Computing – ICEC 2008: 7th International Conference |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vx1qCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA96|publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media]] |page=96 |isbn=978-3-540-89221-2}}</ref><ref name="kotaku">{{cite web |url=https://kotaku.com/hooray-aion-drops-gameguard-for-launch-5362441 |title= Hooray! Aion Drops GameGuard For Launch |author= Mike Fahey|date= September 18, 2009 |publisher= [[Kotaku]] |access-date=October 28, 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251028091033/https://kotaku.com/hooray-aion-drops-gameguard-for-launch-5362441 |archive-date=October 28, 2025 }}</ref><ref name="toms">{{cite news |last=le Ricque |first=Edouard |date=25 November 2011 |title=L.A. Noire sur PC : Kaspersky n'aime pas |url=http://www.tomsguide.fr/actualite/Kaspersky-L.A.-Noire,1732.html |newspaper=[[Tom's Hardware|Tom's Guide France]] |access-date=2 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111126011959/http://www.tomsguide.fr/actualite/Kaspersky-L.A.-Noire,1732.html |archive-date=26 November 2011 }}</ref> nProtect GameGuard provides B2B2C (Business to Business to Consumer) security services for online game companies and portal sites. The software is considered to be one of three software programs which ''"dominate South Korea's domestic online game security market"''.<ref name="IT Times">{{cite news |last=Sung-mi |first=Kim |date=11 September 2012 |title=Wiselogic, the Hidden Champion in Online Game Security |url=http://www.koreaittimes.com/story/23420/wiselogic-hidden-champion-online-game-security |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118061338/http://koreaittimes.com/story/23420/wiselogic-hidden-champion-online-game-security |archive-date=18 January 2013 |access-date=2 February 2016 |newspaper=[[The Korea IT Times]] |location=Seoul, South Korea}}</ref>
GameGuard uses rootkits to proactively prevent cheat software from running.<ref>{{cite book |last=Cano |first=Nick |date=2016 |title=Game Hacking: Developing Autonomous Bots for Online Games |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h4-7DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA248|publisher=[[No Starch Press|William Pollock]] |page=248 |isbn=978-1593276690}}</ref> GameGuard hides the game application process, monitors the entire memory range, terminates applications defined by the game vendor and INCA Internet to be cheats ([[Quiet Internet Pager|QIP]] for example{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}), blocks certain calls to [[DirectX]] functions and [[Windows API]]s, [[Keystroke logging|keylogs]] keyboard input{{Citation needed|date=February 2012}}, and auto-updates itself to change as new possible threats surface.<ref name="book1" />
Since GameGuard works like a rootkit,<ref name="kotaku" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://sites.google.com/site/rootrepeal/ |title=RootRepeal – Rootkit Detector |website= |access-date=3 February 2016 |quote=...many antivirus programs and some games (for example, nProtect GameGuard) use rootkit-like technology to hide or protect themselves.}}</ref> players may experience unintended and potentially unwanted side effects. If set, GameGuard blocks any installation or activation of hardware and peripherals (e.g., a mouse) while the program is running. Since GameGuard monitors any changes in the computer's memory, it will cause performance issues when the protected game loads multiple or large resources all at once.<ref name="able">{{cite web |url=http://ablegamers.com/game-news/GameGuard-Shuts-Down-Disabled-Gamers.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091120233156/http://ablegamers.com/game-news/GameGuard-Shuts-Down-Disabled-Gamers.html |title=GameGuard Shuts Down Disabled Gamers |last1=Spohn |first1=Steve |date=14 September 2009 |archive-date=20 November 2009 |website=[[The AbleGamers Foundation]] |access-date=4 February 2016 }}</ref>
Additionally, some versions of GameGuard had an unpatched [[privilege escalation]] bug, allowing any program to issue commands as if they were running under an Administrator account.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2005-0295/|title=CVE-2005-0295 : npptnt2.sys in nProtect Gameguard provides unrestricted I/O to any process that calls it, which allows local users to gain privileges.|accessdate=25 February 2017}}</ref>
GameGuard possesses a database on game hacks based on security references from more than 260 game clients. Some editions of GameGuard are now bundled with INCA Internet's Tachyon [[Antivirus software|anti-virus]]/[[Spyware#Remedies and prevention|anti-spyware]] library, and others with nProtect Key Crypt, an [[Keystroke logging|anti-key-logger]] software that protects the keyboard input information.
== List of online games using GameGuard == {{Expand list|date=February 2016}} GameGuard is used in many online games.<ref name="toms" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://eng.nprotect.com/partner.htm |title=nProtect gameGuard Partner |accessdate=27 August 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120818212410/http://eng.nprotect.com/partner.htm |archivedate=18 August 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://support.bladeandsoul.com/hc/en-us/articles/207195096-GameGuard-Errors |title=GameGuard Errors |publisher=[[NCSOFT]] |access-date=3 February 2016 }}</ref>
* [[9Dragons]] * [[Atlantica Online]] * [[Blackshot]] * [[Blade & Soul]] * [[Cabal Online]] * [[Combat Arms: Reloaded]] * [[Combat Arms: The Classic]] * [[Darkeden]] * [[Digimon Masters Online]] * [[Downtown Run|City Racer]] * [[Dragon Saga]] * [[Elsword]] (no longer used as of March 29, 2017)<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Announcing Our New Anti-Hacking Partner XIGNCODE3|url=https://elsword.koggames.com/2017/03/announcing-our-new-anti-hacking-partner-xigncode3/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-11-23|website=elsword.koggames.com}}</ref> * [[Flyff]] * [[Grand Chase]] * [[Helldivers 2]] * Horizon Walker * [[La Tale]] * [[Legend of Mir 3]] * [[Lineage (video game)|Lineage 1]] & [[Lineage II|2]] * [[MapleStory]] * [[Metin2]] * [[Mir4 Global]] * [[Mu Legend]] * [[Mu Online]] * [[:it:Navyfield|Fleet Mission: NavyField]] * [[Pangya]] * [[PangYa]] * [[Phantasy Star Online 2]] * [[Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst]] * [[Playpark Moxiang]] * [[Priston Tale]] * [[Ragnarok Online]] * [[Ran Online]] * [[Rappelz]] * [[Return of Warrior]] * [[RF Online]] * [[Riders of Icarus]] * [[Rohan: Blood Feud]] * [[Royal Crown (video game)|Royal Crown]] * [[Rumble Fighter]] * [[Seal Online]] * Smash Legends * Soul of the Ultimate Nation: Classic Edition * [[SoulWorker]] * Star Stable Online (removed on June 16th, 2022){{Citation needed|date=June 2025}} * [[Starseed: Ashina Trigger]] * [[Summoners War: Chronicles]] * Summoners War: Rush * [[Uncharted Waters Online]] * Undecember == See also == * [[BattlEye]] * [[Valve Anti-Cheat]]
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{Official website|http://gameguard.nprotect.com/en/index.html|nProtect GameGuard official website}} * {{Official website|http://www.inca.co.kr/|INCA Internet official website}} {{Anti-cheat software}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Nprotect Gameguard}} [[Category:Anti-cheat software]]
[[ja:NProtect#nProtect GameGuard]]