Phillip Koskinas

As online gaming evolves, so do cheating methods that exploit client-server vulnerabilities. Traditional anti-cheat, such as kernel-level drivers and runtime detections, has long been the primary defense. However, advanced cheats like Direct Memory Access (DMA) exploits and AI-powered Computer Vision (CV) hacks increasingly render client-side detection ineffective. This presentation examines the escalating arms race between cheat creators and developers, highlighting client-side limitations. With CV cheats mimicking human behavior, anti-cheat must shift toward server-side, data-driven detection. By leveraging AI, machine learning, and behavioral analytics to analyze player patterns, input anomalies, and decision inconsistencies, future solutions can move beyond static detection to adaptive security models, ensuring fair play at scale. The session will also include real-life examples from Riot Games’ anti-cheat efforts, specifically insights and case studies from the development and operation of Riot Vanguard, to illustrate how these strategies are applied in practice.