Report: Valve anti-cheat scans your DNS history

Valve is looking at your browsing history right now, if a recent report is to be believed. It seems that the company's Valve Anti Cheat system (VAC) reportedly looks at all the domains you have visited, and if it finds that you've frequented hack sites, who knows what actions it will take.

[cyphertech]

I'll post an indignant outraged response after I finish this competitive round of CSGO.

[Talidan]

So far there seems to be nothing conclusive, only that it grabs DNS info, hashes it and that's about it. No one has been able to determine whether any data actually gets sent to Valve, and most seem to be assuming that if it's really used, it is used to check a list LOCALLY. No data mining, no NSA, etc.

The only thing to be seriously concerned about at this point is that you might get banned for visiting blacklisted sites, and it's most likely got safe guards for false-positives.

So, after reading through the posted Reddit thread, I think I'm going to wait and see how it all goes before grabbing a torch and pitchfork.

[AnEwGuY]

Let's be real...if "Valve" was replaced by "Microsoft" in this article, there'd be no "wait and see". Double standards shouldn't exist, anymore than racism or sexism should.

[Polock]

So the company with no history of screwing over customers, should be lumped in with one that has screwed over everyone at some point.. Sure, makes sense to me.

[forcefullpower]

And how do you actually think anticheat software works.

[Agent_hitman]

lol VALVE is now acting like an NSA??.. Crazy!, they obviously invading their subscriber's internet privacy!..

[deerain]

It will be game related it doesn't make sense to get marketing info from the anti cheat program when you have a perfectly good store front to do that when people are not playing. I am sure they wouldn't want to slow down the games, the gamers would be in an uproar

[ninjagoat]

People only mad cus the £150 plus the nerds have paid for there x22 at the x22 shop and forum support will be blocked :D. gawd people are so obvious at times.

[GentlemenRUs]

Wait, Are you serious?

Hmm... Spying on me while I visit P sites! Dirty! :P

EDIT: Look's like I'll be flushing out my DNS every night before bed then...

[GentlemenRUs]

I could always just disable DNS caching full stop...

"net stop dnscache" though it does slow down the internet a little.

[FlyingFoxy]

That's kinda BS though.

For starters, you might suspect someone of cheating and go looking to see if a cheat for that game exists, and end up on a hacking site just out of curiosity. Secondly, if this is true then anyone can use someones computer and intentionally do searches for cheats just to get the player banned.

[XiSasukeUchiha]

Valve please don't be like Xbone DRM fiasco last year!

[FreakyFox]

I cant see any proof for this at all, sounds like someone had a bad dream with his tin foil had still on.

But in saying that i do have to question why steam every now and then will want your permission to scan your PC for what you have installed.

" Go on Gabe have snoop around you dirty hacker! "