nProtect GameGuard (sometimes called GG) is an anti-cheating

rootkit A rootkit is a collection of computer software, typically malicious, designed to enable access to a computer or an area of its software that is not otherwise allowed (for example, to an unauthorized user) and often masks its existence or the exis ...

developed by INCA Internet. It is widely installed in many online games to block possibly malicious applications and prevent common methods of cheating. 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 the online game security market"''. GameGuard uses rootkits to proactively prevent cheat software from running. GameGuard hides the game application process, monitors the entire memory range, terminates applications defined by the game vendor and INCA Internet to be cheats ( QIP for example), blocks certain calls to Direct X functions and

Windows API The Windows API, informally WinAPI, is Microsoft's core set of application programming interfaces (APIs) available in the Microsoft Windows operating systems. The name Windows API collectively refers to several different platform implementations th ...

s, keylogs keyboard input, and auto-updates itself to change as new possible threats surface. Since GameGuard essentially works like a rootkit, 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. Additionally, some versions of GameGuard had an unpatched

privilege escalation Privilege escalation is the act of exploiting a bug, a design flaw, or a configuration oversight in an operating system or software application to gain elevated access to resources that are normally protected from an application or user. The res ...

bug, allowing any program to issue commands as if they were running under an Administrator account. 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

anti-virus Antivirus software (abbreviated to AV software), also known as anti-malware, is a computer program used to prevent, detect, and remove malware. Antivirus software was originally developed to detect and remove computer viruses, hence the name. ...

anti-spyware Spyware (a portmanteau for spying software) is software with malicious behaviour that aims to gather information about a person or organization and send it to another entity in a way that harms the user—for example, by violating their privac ...

library, and others with nProtect Key Crypt, an anti-key-logger software that protects the keyboard input information.

List of online games using GameGuard

GameGuard is used in many online games. * 9Dragons *

Atlantica Online ''Atlantica Online'' is a free-to-play (F2P) 3D tactical massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by NDOORS Corporation. The game is currently published bValofe The game's primary setting is a fantasy-themed alternate hi ...

Blackshot ''BlackShot'' (Korean: 블랙샷) is a multiplayer first-person shooter game developed by Vertigo Games. It was initially released in Korea for Microsoft Windows on 15 November 2007. There were initially several different versions of the game fo ...

Blade & Soul ''Blade & Soul'' () is a Korean fantasy martial-arts massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by NCSoft (Team Bloodlust). ''Blade & Soul'' was released in Western territories on January 19, 2016. A Japanese animated televisio ...

Cabal Online ''Cabal Online'' ( ko, 카발 온라인, stylized as ''CABAL Online'') is a free-to-play, 3D massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by South Korean company ESTsoft. Different localizations of the game exist for various countrie ...

* City Racer * Combat Arms: Reloaded * Combat Arms: The Classic * Darkeden * Digimon Masters Online * Dragon Saga *

Elsword ''Elsword'' (Korean: 엘소드) is a free-to-play, 2.5D action MMORPG developed by the South Korean company KOG Studios. It features real-time action gameplay and includes both player vs. environment and player vs. player modes. There are four ...

(no longer used as of March 29, 2017) *

Flyff ''Flyff'' (short for ''Fly for Fun'') is a fantasy MMORPG by Korean development company Gala Lab (formerly Aeonsoft & nFlavor). Flyff is hosted in 13 countries and 10 languages and has over 30 million registered accounts. Development In Decem ...

Grand Chase ''Grand Chase'' ( ko, 그랜드체이스, lit=Grand Chase) was a free-to-play, two-dimensional side-scrolling MMORPG, developed by the South Korean company KOG Studios. Alternative names for ''Grand Chase'' included ''Three Young Heroes'' ( zh, ...

* Lineage 1 & 2 * Legend of Mir 3 *

Seal Online Seal Online (씰 온라인) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, originally developed by the Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th para ...

* Smash Legends * Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst * Priston Tale *

Metin2 Metin2 is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) originally developed by Ymir Entertainment (now owned by Webzen Games) and originally released in Korea in 2004. It has since been published in many European countries and in the ...

* Playpark Moxiang * Pangya * PUBG: Battlegrounds *

Mu Legend ''MU Legend'' is a massively multiplayer online action role-playing game (MMOARPG). It is based on the 2001 game MU Online as well as MU Origin. Like its predecessor, ''MU Legend'' is developed by the Korean gaming company Webzen Games. The ti ...

La Tale ''La Tale'' is a 2D side-scrolling online game developed by South Korean studio Actoz Soft. Gamers take the role of adventurers in a mythological fantasy world with three continents, Jiendia, Freios, and Eastland. It was launched in South Kore ...

MapleStory ''MapleStory'' () is a free-to-play, 2D, side-scrolling massively multiplayer online role-playing game, developed by South Korean company Wizet. Several versions of the game are available for specific countries or regions, published by vario ...

* PangYa *

Phantasy Star Online 2 is a free-to-play online action role-playing game in the ''Phantasy Star'' series, developed and published by Sega. It was created as a successor to '' Phantasy Star Online'' and ''Phantasy Star Universe'', ''Phantasy Star Online 2'' features ...

* Riders of Icarus * Rohan: Blood Feud *

RF Online ''RF Online'', originally named 'Rising Force', ( ko, 라이징 포스) is a 3D MMORPG developed by CCR. The first version of the game was released in South Korea and was later followed by Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Indonesian, Portuguese an ...

Rumble Fighter Wemade Co., Ltd (formerly Wemade Entertainment Co., Ltd) is a South Korean video game developer, based in Seongnam. They are the creators of the Legend of Mir series of MMORPGs, the two most successful being '' The Legend of Mir 2'', and its se ...

* Ran Online * Rappelz * Royal Crown *

Uncharted Waters Online is an MMORPG set in the Age of Exploration, with the English version published by Papaya Play. It features over a hundred different sailing ships and an open world based on real Earth geography, with players engage in many activities such as comba ...

* Undecember * Valkyrie Profiles Silmeria (PS2) * Fleet Mission: NavyField
Star Stable Online
(removed at 16.6.2022) * Mir4 Global

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nprotect Gameguard Anti-cheat software ja:NProtect#nProtect GameGuard