Can't enable Kernel Mode Protection... is this a virus?

So a while ago I turned off memory integrity for performance reasons (I saw a lot of people recommending it). Today, I turned it back on and noticed another setting below it called Kernel Mode Hardware Enforced Stack Protection, but I can’t enable it. It says there’s a driver incompatibility and points to something called sguardsvc64.exe, which is from ANTICHEATEXPERT.COM, listed as Anti-Cheat Expert. I’m really worried it could be a virus. Any advice on what to do?

Do you play any Chinese games or on Chinese servers? Anti-Cheat Expert is widely used in some of those games.

I don’t think so—only stuff like Project Zomboid, CS2, PUBG, and Phasmo. Nothing comes to mind.

I looked it up, and games like Wuthering Waves use Anti-Cheat Expert, which is common in Tencent-owned games. Maybe it’s a leftover driver from something you played previously?

Oh, shoot, it’s probably from PUBG. Thanks for the info!

It’s not a virus—it’s a system service, likely tied to an anti-cheat. Don’t start deleting files from your OS! If you haven’t played any games that use this, something might be off, though.

Is it really safe? I can’t enable Kernel Mode Protection, and something called ‘Anti-Cheat Expert’ doesn’t seem like a normal system service.

It’s an anti-cheat service that comes with certain games, like this one [link]. Still, it’s not a virus.

Alright, how do I get rid of it? I don’t even remember playing any games that would’ve installed it.

It turns out it’s from a new game I downloaded on Steam a few days ago called Delta Force. I haven’t played it yet because the servers were down, but I found out it uses this anti-cheat.

Glad you figured it out! It’s not harmful, just part of the game’s anti-cheat system.