Easy Anti-Cheat v2 for Linux

Epic Games has introduced the second version of Easy Anti-Cheat for Linux, aiming to bring its protection level closer to that of the Windows version. The new system aims to address the lack of popular titles on the platform.

Fortnite will be the first game to use the updated EAC Linux v2. This will allow developers to test the reliability of the protection before integrating it into other projects.

The anti-cheat requires strict system security settings: signed kernels and modules with keys from Epic's whitelist, TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, and Measured Boot.

IOMMU must also be enabled to protect against cheat-enabled PCIe cards, Kernel Lockdown must be activated in integrity mode, kexec must be disabled, and an active BPF LSM must be used.

Unlike Windows, no kernel driver is used. Instead, systemd services and eBPF programs are employed, which run only during gameplay.

The list of supported distributions includes Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Fedora, Bazzite, Debian, and openSUSE. Proprietary NVIDIA driver modules must be signed with the appropriate keys.

Steam Deck currently does not support the necessary features, although Epic promises to coordinate with Valve. The update limits full control over hardware, which is why many choose Linux.