EAC



EAC or Easy Anti Cheat is Robocraft's Anti cheat system. This is implemented to stop packet sniffing and hacking.

=List of supported operating systems=

This is a list of operating systems that EAC currently supports:

=General information=

What Data is captured and stored by Roboshield / EAC?

 * EAC records all the information listed below, and only the information listed below, for the purposes of detecting and preventing cheating in Robocraft and other games that use EAC for this purpose, and for no other reason. Additionally EAC only captures this information when Robocraft is running. The following data is captured and stored by EAC:


 * GUID – this is simply your username in Robocraft
 * IP – your IP address
 * HardwareID
 * Executable code memory – this is explained in more detail below
 * For clarity, EAC does NOT capture, store, or share ‘screenshots’, ‘key presses’, or ‘chat messages’ at all.

Why does Roboshield / EAC capture and store ‘executable code memory’?

 * When Robocraft is running – and only when it is running – EAC scans the memory of executable code (i.e. not data) running on your system at the time, for the exclusive purpose of trying to detect attempts to interfere or modify the Robocaft game logic. EAC sends this data to a back-end server for analysis. The reason for capturing and storing this is so that EAC can ‘post process’ the patterns in the memory to detect new methods of hacking and cheating in Robocraft. The following steps are taken with the data captured:


 * Analysis: Data captured when Robocraft is running is sent from your computer to the EAC back-end for analysis. If nothing abnormal is detected (i.e. no attempts to cheat or hack in Robocraft) then this memory is discarded forever.
 * Red Flag Analysis: If unknown abnormal patterns are found, EAC stores these pieces of information for manual analysis. If the pattern doesn’t prove to repeat itself, and/or, not to be a cheat, then EAC discards it, usually within one month, but at the most within three months.
 * Known Patterns: If a known cheat pattern is found, that piece of memory is stored indefinitely as evidence, and in rare cases this allows bans that have been triggered due to false positives (e.g. by software compatibility issues) to be evaluated and possibly lifted.
 * For the sake of clarity, EAC only handles data relevant to the identification of cheats. EAC does not target nor store any data identifying individual users outside of their Robocraft user ID, HardwareID, and IP address.

Who does EAC Share the data with?

 * Only Freejam, EAC employees, and soon Robocraft Community Admins, have access to stored information such as GUID, ban reason, ban time, and game server on which was cheated.
 * EAC may hire services that could be considered as 3rd party who may require access to the databases to work effectively. These 3rd parties may e.g. be subcontracted employees. The sole purpose is to develop competent anti-cheat software and all data is guarded with the utmost care.

=Troubleshooting=

During game launch I get the "CreateService failed" error
This error is occurring because there is already an instance of EAC protected game running. Open task manager and close the game processes and also EasyAntiCheat.exe. Alternatively, restarting your computer will also resolve this issue.

Could not load EasyAntiCheat library
This is a case of your antivirus blocking the application from starting. More information can be found below, under the subcategory "Antivirus False Positives".

Error: EasyAntiCheat cannot run under Windows Test Signing Mode
Windows Test Signing mode is not supported by EasyAntiCheat. You need to disable it in order to play EAC protected games, or then you will need to obtain signed driver. If you are using for example some old sound card please check if the manufacturer website has signed driver available or contact them and ask if one is available.

You can disable the test signing mode with these instructions: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/ff553484%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

Error: Start Service Failed
The error dialog specifies a number between the brackets. Please find the appropriate fix below.


 * (5) ERROR_ACCESS_DENIED


 * (1053) ERROR_SERVICE_REQUEST_TIMEOUT


 * (1058) ERROR_SERVICE_DISABLED


 * (1450) ERROR_NO_SYSTEM_RESOURCES
 * NETWORK ERROR CAN NOT CONNECT TO EASYANTICHEAT NETWORK

This error can occur if Windows is not up-to-date. Try downloading the Windows Hotfix: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2922790 and then restart Windows for changes to take effect.

If the Windows Update does not help, then the issue is likely to be caused by anti-virus software falsely detecting EAC protected game as malicious software.

We're in contact with several anti-virus companies who have already whitelisted EAC, but if yours hasn't, you can find ways to add an exception for your game from here.


 * (31) ERROR_GEN_FAILURE

This error appears when the system is unable to load any kernel-mode driver. This would indicate a system level corruption, which unfortunately is most often irreversible without re-installing Windows. Possible causes are a rootkit virus infecting the system, blocking any other non-boot-time driver to be loaded, or a corrupted old anti-virus installation that failed to uninstall cleanly. In either case, we strongly recommend you to reinstall Windows.


 * (1056) ERROR_SERVICE_ALREADY_RUNNING

This error is occurring because there is already an instance of EAC protected game running. Open task manager and close the game processes and also EasyAntiCheat.exe. Alternatively, restarting your computer will also resolve this issue.
 * (1058) ERROR_SERVICE_DISABLED

This error appears when the EasyAntiCheat service is disabled. To enable it, press Win+R on your keyboard, type in services.msc into the text box and click Run. Locate EasyAntiCheat in the list, right click it, Click Properties then, in Startup Type change Disabled to Manual and click ok and close the Services list. The issue should then be resolved.

During launch I get the error message WaitForSingleObject failed
The 'WaitForSingleObject failed' -error occurs, when EasyAntiCheat attempts to load its Windows driver but the operation stalls for longer than 20 seconds and thus fails. This happens when something in the system is blocking saving file operation or terminates forcefully the anti-cheat service process. Almost always the cause is a program or driver in the system blocking EAC from loading itself, a corrupted anti-virus installation or a rootkit virus infecting the system.

Network DNS Error: DNS resolve to EasyAnticheat network failed!
For some reason we could not resolve the address download.eac-cdn.com.

Try clearing the local DNS cache and then restarting game. To clear the cache, run the following command in command-line:


 * Windows: 'ipconfig /flushdns',
 * MAC: 'sudo dscacheutil -flushcache'
 * Linux: 'sudo service dnsmasq restart'

When starting EAC protected game I get the following error: Game File Mismatch. Verify Game Installation.
This error message happens because EAC failed verifying the game installation. It might be caused because of a modified, corrupted or a missing file in the game installation. Verifying the integrity of game cache from Steam should fix this problem.

Antivirus False Positives
Most antiviruses use heuristic scans to detect protected viruses and trojans. Due to EasyAntiCheat being well protected, sometimes these heuristic scans generate false positives. Usually uninstalling an outdated AV version and installing the latest from the vendor's website fixes this issue.

We are constantly working in improving EasyAntiCheat user experience and working with major antivirus companies to get EasyAntiCheat whitelisted permantently. You can also help us by reporting a false positive to your antivirus vendor. You can find a false positive link from here. Before reporting false positive please check that you have the latest virus signatures installed in your antivirus software.

List of current antivirus status with EAC:

If you use a too old version of some of the listed antivirus softwares above, you might still get a false positive detection. In this case please update to latest version or add a manual exception.

Below is a list of manual methods how to add an exception for your antivirus to allow EAC:

How to Exclude EAC for Avast
To exclude a file or folder from scanning:


 * Open Avast (Double Click on the Avast icon in the system tray )
 * Select the Real-Time Shields tab
 * In the right pane click on the "Expert Settings" button
 * In the dialog that opens up select the "Exclusions" tab.
 * In the right pane, (on an empty line) click on the Browse button and select the folder C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\gamefolder\easyanticheat.
 * Finally click on the "Add" button.

How to Exclude EAC for F-Secure
To exclude a file or folder from scanning:


 * Open Computer Security.
 * On the main page of Computer Security, click Settings.
 * Select Computer Security > Virus and spyware scanning.
 * Select Other settings > Manual scanning.
 * Click the Exclude files from the scan link. The Exclude from scanning dialog is displayed.
 * Select the Objects tab.
 * Select the Exclude objects (files, folders...) check box.
 * Click Add.
 * Select the file, drive, or folder that you want to exclude from virus scanning: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\gamefolder\easyanticheat.
 * Click OK to close the Exclude from scanning dialog.

How to Exclude EAC for Bitdefender

 * Open the Bitdefender window and go to Protection.
 * In there select Antivirus.
 * In the Antivirus window select the Exclusions tab.
 * Make sure Exclusions for files is turned on by clicking the switch.
 * Click the Excluded files and folders link.
 * Click the Add button, located at the top of the exclusions table.
 * Click Browse, select the folder that you want to be excluded from scanning (C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\gamefolder). Make sure it's excluded for both "on-access" and "on-demand" scanning and then click OK.
 * Click Add and then click OK to save the changes and close the window.
 * Then click on "Excluded processes", add the .exe file of the application and make sure it is "Allowed" > click "Add" and then on Close. (this will exclude them from being monitorized by the AVC and IDS)

How to Exclude EAC for GData
By clicking on the Exceptions button you can exclude specific drives, directories and files from the scan and so significantly accelerate parts of the virus detection process.

To do this, proceed as follows:


 * Click the Exceptions button.
 * Click on New in the Exceptions for on-demand scan window.
 * Now, select whether you want to exclude a drive, a directory or a file or a file type.
 * Underneath this, select the directory or drive you want to protect (C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\gamefolder\EasyAntiCheat). In order to protect files, enter the complete file name in the entry field under File mask.

List of EAC compatible recording software
This page contains list of EAC compatible recording software that you can use when playing EAC protected games.

=Controversies=

Although somewhat effective at stopping basic cheating such as "no plasma reload" or "rapid fire rails", there has been some voices of disgruntled users being concerned on what the application records. Some people claim that EAC takes keystrokes and other information without the user's knowledge. The End-User License Agreement of EAC, however, clears several misconceptions, which are as follows:

"Freejam is using EasyAntiCheat anti-cheat service (“EasyAntiCheat”), which is operated by a third-party service provider offering services to Freejam. EasyAntiCheat has a client software (“Client”) that is integrated into the Robocraft game client. When you start a new game session the Client will automatically load and install its latest version to your PC. When you are using Robocraft on your PC EasyAntiCheat is monitoring the PC, analyzing the Game binaries and scanning the memory of the PC for the purpose of detecting and preventing cheating in the Game (“Purpose”). For the Purpose EasyAntiCheat is storing information regarding cheating methods used in the Game (“Data”). By installing, copying, or otherwise using this Software Product, you give your consent that EasyAntiCheat may gather, store and publish Data for the sole purpose of the Purpose. The Data will be used solely for the Purpose including but not limited to identifying and banning players who are cheating in computer games, analyzing cheating behavior and cheating codes as well as sharing data about cheats with affiliates of EasyAntiCheat."

Along with this EULA, EasyAnitCheat has also released a public repository of all recent logs taken, found in the website http://eac.krond.org.