Building a Strong Anti-Cheat System in Lua

Introduction

Creating an anti-cheat system requires robust validation, monitoring, and integrity checks within the gaming environment. This Lua function will provide a foundation for such a system in Multi Theft Auto (MTA) scripting.

Key Components

1. Client-Side Integrity Check: Verifying that the client has not been tampered with.
2. Server-Side Validation: Ensuring that the data from the client is valid and not coming from malicious sources.
3. Logging: Monitoring for suspicious behavior and recording potential cheats.
4. Alerts: Notifying admins or executing kicks/bans when cheats are detected.

Lua Code Implementation

-- Anti-Cheat Module for MTA
local AntiCheat = {}

-- Function Documentation
--- Checks if the client is modified ('cheat check').
-- @param player The MTA player object to check
-- @return boolean Indicates if the player is a cheater
-- @throws Error if player is not valid
function AntiCheat.checkClientIntegrity(player)
    if not isElement(player) or getElementType(player) ~= "player" then
        error("Invalid player element provided") -- Input validation
    end

    -- Check if specific game files are intact (example: we are checking for a specific script)
    local integrityHash = getFileHash("client/script.lua")  -- Placeholder for actual hash checking
    local expectedHash = "expectedHashValue"  -- Set expected hash value here

    -- Return false if hashes do not match
    if integrityHash ~= expectedHash then
        outputDebugString("Cheat detected for player: " .. getPlayerName(player))
        return true
    end
    return false
end

-- Function Documentation
--- Validates player actions for suspicious behavior.
-- @param player The MTA player object
-- @param action The action being performed by the player
-- @return boolean Indicates if the action is valid
function AntiCheat.validatePlayerAction(player, action)
    if not isElement(player) or getElementType(player) ~= "player" then
        error("Invalid player element provided")
    end

    -- Example check for unusually high speed (speed hack)
    local speed = getElementSpeed(player)  -- Placeholder function for player's speed
    if action == "move" and (speed > 100) then
        outputDebugString("Speed hack detected for player: " .. getPlayerName(player))
        return false
    end
    return true
end

-- Function Documentation
--- Monitors suspicious behavior and logs any anomalies.
-- @param player The MTA player object
-- @param message The suspicious activity description
function AntiCheat.logSuspiciousBehavior(player, message)
    if not isElement(player) then
        error("Invalid player element provided")
    end
    local logMessage = "[" .. getPlayerName(player) .. "] " .. message
    outputDebugString(logMessage)  -- Output log (can be sent to a file or server log system)
end

-- Example Usage
addEventHandler("onPlayerJoin", root,
    function()
        if AntiCheat.checkClientIntegrity(source) then
            kickPlayer(source, "You have been kicked for using cheats.")
        end
    end
)

addEventHandler("onPlayerCommand", root,
    function(command, ...)
        if not AntiCheat.validatePlayerAction(source, command) then
            AntiCheat.logSuspiciousBehavior(source, "Invalid command usage: " .. command)
            kickPlayer(source, "Cheating detected.")
        end
    end
)

return AntiCheat

Explanation of the Code

• checkClientIntegrity: Validates the player's client state by comparing file hashes.
• validatePlayerAction: Monitors player actions to detect anomalies like speed hacking.
• logSuspiciousBehavior: Records suspicious activities for auditing purposes.

Conclusion

This Lua code serves as a basic framework for an anti-cheat system in the MTA environment, ensuring the integrity of players and reducing the risk of cheating. Further enhancements can include more sophisticated detections and a more comprehensive logging system.

For more advanced anti-cheat techniques, consider exploring related courses on the Enterprise DNA Platform that delve into data validation and security best practices.