Anti-cheat guide

This guide explains how you can fine-tune MTA's anti-cheat on your server using mtaserver.conf. It does not allow players to modify their own AC settings.

An anti-cheat helper resource, acpanel, is included as a default resource. This shows the current anti-cheat status of your server, along with an option to keep your clients up to date and a basic implementation of onPlayerModInfo to block modified img files.

You may want to fine-tune AC to prevent certain players have from having an unfair advantage or to ensure competitive integrity. The settings you provide depends entirely on the kind of server you run. Here are some examples on what can be achieved:

• Problem: Alice tries to ram/pit manoever the vehicle of Eve, and Alice can clearly see the collision, but Eve's vehicle is not flinching easily or losing control at all.

Explanation: Eve has changed their vehicle model to a much smaller vehicle, or a model with a tiny hitbox or (nearly absent) collisions.

Solution: Disallow non-standard gta3.img

• Problem: Eve seems to be using wallhacks! She even seems to even be shooting through them!

Explanation: Eve has replaced buildings so that they are either invisible (textures) or tiny (models).

Solution: Disallow non-standard gta3.img

• Problem: Mallory seems to be solving complex maths questions instantly! It should take at least a second... for humans.

Explanation: Mallory is injecting keyboard input via something like AutoHotkey

Solution: Enable SD #31 to prevent users from injecting keyboard input. You can use SD #32 for injected mouse input (e.g. for scripts that require natural skill from mouse input)

• Problem: Mallory seems to be spamming my commands and GUI... and it lags my entire server!

Explanation: You are running expensive user-initiated code without rate limiting players.

Solution: You should write code that prevents players from spamming certain actions.

Lazy Solution: Enable SD #31/#32 to make it more difficult for players to spam certain actions.

<disableac></disableac>

Comma separated list of disabled anti-cheats. This setting disables specific AC codes. If a detection is triggered and it's not disabled by the server, a player will get kicked and be shown the AC code corresponding to that detection.

DISCLAIMER: Please note that this will only void the AC # kick for using GTA singleplayer cheats and some very basic, outdated and patched MP cheats (such as s0beit). Hacks & cheats designed for MTA or other general hacking tools may trigger a Global ban. If you try to use a typical MTA cheat or hacktool under the belief using disableAC will save your day, and get banned for a while, it's your own fault, regardless of this setting being used to disable any of the AC classifications that it may fall under.

There is also a good chance that disabling certain detections won't enable your players to (even) use the majority of 'basic' GTA:SA trainers, but result in a kick only. Due to the current state of MTA anti-cheat, and its advanced heuristics, it's simply not feasible to try and create a freehaven for cheaters. You can experiment, but we don't recommend using disableac for these reasons.

Note: With trainer, cheats (for MTA or GTA) or forbidden cheat tools are meant. This is especially true for AC #4. Please note that getting kicked for anything listed here isn't neccesarily (intended) hacking, someone can open hacktools that they plan to use for another game, while both that game and MTA are opened, and be kicked. It's also possible that someone isn't aware of certain software containing hack/tamper features (making it prohibited) when they run it and get kicked. Basically, (the intent of) cheating on MTA or your server can never be proven by triggering these detections alone.

Available codes are:

Code for <disableac>	Displayed on detect	Required server version	Required <minclientversion>	Notes
1	AC #1	any		Classic health/armour hack detector
2	AC #2	any		Corrupted dll files
4	AC #4	any		Detects presence of trainer. Capital letters in the message are for tagging particular trainers
5	AC #5	any		Detects use of trainer.
6	VF #6	any		Detects use of trainer incl.: player movement, health/damage, weapons, money, gamespeed, game cheats, aimbot
7	VF #7	any		Detects use of trainer.
8	VF #8	any		Detects unauthorized mods
11	AC #11	any		More trainers
	VF #11	any		Dll injector / Trainer
13	SD #13	any		Data files issue
17	VF #17	any		Speed / wall hacks
21	AC #21	any	1.3.1-9.05097	More trainers
	VF #21	any	1.3.1-9.05097	Custom gta_sa.exe
26	SD #26	any	1.3.4-9.05858	Anti-cheat component blocked

<enablesd></enablesd>

Comma separated list of enabled Special Detections (SD #). A special detection is a type of anti-cheat for (usually) harmless game modifications. Competitive servers or servers dealing with a certain problem structurally may wish to enable special detections, but most servers should leave this setting blank. Available codes are:

Code for <enablesd>	Displayed on detect	Required server version	Required <minclientversion>	Notes
12	SD #12	any		Disallow custom D3D9.DLL
14	SD #14	1.3.1-9.04605	1.3.1-9.04605	Disallow virtual machines such as VMWare
15	SD #15	1.3.1-9.04791	1.3.1-9.04791	Disallow disabled driver signing
16	SD #16	1.3.1-9.05097	1.3.1-9.05097	Disallow disabled anti-cheat components. This is triggered when an anti-cheat component can not start. It is usually due to some problem with the PC and might be fixed by a reboot. Can also be triggered by a virus.
20	SD #20	1.3.1-9.05097	1.3.1-9.05097	Disallow non-standard gta3.img or gta_int.img (For servers not using onPlayerModInfo)
22	SD #22	1.3.4-9.05884	1.3.4-9.05884	Disallow resource download errors/corruption (Lua script files)
23	SD #23	1.3.4-9.05884	1.5.2-9.07911	Disallow resource download errors/corruption (Non-Lua files e.g. png,dff)
28	SD #28	1.3.4-9.05884	1.3.4-9.05884	Disallow Linux Wine
31	SD #31	1.5.3	1.5.3-9.11204	Ignore injected keyboard inputs (e.g. from AutoHotkey, macro's and on screen keyboard)
32	SD #32	1.5.3	1.5.4-9.11528	Ignore injected mouse button inputs and movement (this detection can prevent an ambigious type of aim hacks (bullet spread/recoil manipulation)
33	SD #33	1.5.6	1.5.6	Disallow software of the category 'Net limiter' (ideal for lagswitching or causing structural lag, but may also be used for benign purposes)
34	SD #34	1.5.6	1.5.6	Disallow internet café users (only use as last resort to combat mass ban evasion using café PC's)

We are constantly working on keeping the definitions for above SD (special detections) up-to-date, so as to ensure all violating software or circumstances that you opt-in to disable gets detected once used. While we are pro-actively checking if new or unknown software/tools are still being detected under the same signature, it's possible that something slips through the cracks. Therefore, you can help us if you come across anything that should be detectable using SD # but is not currently; send a forum PM to Dutchman101 or ccw with your report.

<client_file name="data/carmods.dat" verify="0"/>

By default, clients may not join a server if they have customized GTA:SA data files. Adding one or more of the above lines excludes files from validation. The file names that can be used are:

• "anim/ped.ifp"
• "data/animgrp.dat"
• "data/ar_stats.dat"
• "data/carmods.dat"
• "data/clothes.dat"
• "data/default.dat"
• "data/default.ide"
• "data/furnitur.dat"
• "data/gta.dat"
• "data/handling.cfg" - this is unavailable because MTA always ignores this file so that setVehicleHandling works correctly. Click here if you want to load custom handling.cfg files.
• "data/maps" - this applies to all files within this folder
• "data/melee.dat"
• "data/object.dat"
• "data/peds.ide"
• "data/pedstats.dat"
• "data/plants.dat"
• "data/procobj.dat"
• "data/surface.dat"
• "data/surfinfo.dat"
• "data/txdcut.ide"
• "data/vehicles.ide"
• "data/water1.dat"
• "data/water.dat"
• "data/weapon.dat"
• "models/coll/weapons.col"

<hideac></hideac>

You can use this setting in mtaserver.conf to hide the AC info from the client, showing the following line upon join:

Server AC info: [Allowed client files: Undisclosed] [Disabled AC: Undisclosed] [Enabled SD: Undisclosed]

Values: 0 - disabled, 1 - enabled; default value: 0.

Client

When joining a server, the server AC info is displayed in the client console (F8)
Example:

Server AC Info: [Allowed client files: None] [Disabled AC: None] [Enabled SD: None]

Disabled AC contains the contents of the server setting from <disableac></disableac>
Enabled SD contains the contents of the server setting from <enablesd></enablesd>
Allowed client files contains numbers to indicate which client files the server allows to be modified. The numbers represent these files:

• 1 - "data/carmods.dat"
• 2 - "data/animgrp.dat"
• 4 - "data/ar_stats.dat"
• 5 - "data/melee.dat"
• 6 - "data/clothes.dat"
• 7 - "data/object.dat"
• 8 - "data/default.dat"
• 9 - "data/surface.dat"
• 10 - "data/default.ide"
• 12 - "data/gta.dat"
• 13 - "data/surfinfo.dat"
• 14 - "data/peds.ide"
• 15 - "data/vehicles.ide"
• 16 - "data/pedstats.dat"
• 17 - "data/water.dat"
• 18 - "data/txdcut.ide"
• 19 - "data/water1.dat"
• 20 - "models/coll/weapons.col"
• 21 - "data/weapon.dat"
• 22 - "data/plants.dat"
• 23 - "anim/ped.ifp"
• 24 - "data/furnitur.dat"
• 25 - "data/procobj.dat"
• 26 - "data/maps"

Note: If the info is marked "Undisclosed", it means that the server has decided not to disclose the AC info to the client.

Using modified files

If you want to use modified data files from your GTA:SA install directory, check this check box:

Settings -> Multiplayer -> Use customized GTA:SA files

(checkbox only appears if your GTA:SA data files are customized)

Note: This will restrict your access to some public servers as most do not allow customized data files.