Don't make or sell game cheats or assist tools, including AI assists that "only read the screen and never touch memory," and don't sell modified versions that add features to software like WeChat

Cost

Free. The cost is giving up the income from this kind of job and these "little tools." The hard part is that the money comes fast and you can't see who will come after you.

What you get

Providing a program or tool made specifically to break into or illegally control a computer information system, when the circumstances are serious, carries up to 3 years, with a fine on top or a fine alone. "With a fine on top" means a prison sentence plus a fine, and "a fine alone" means only a fine. In especially serious circumstances the sentence is 3 to 7 years plus a fine. The bar for "serious circumstances" is providing the tool to 20 or more people, or illegal gains of 5,000 CNY or more. Illegal gains means the money earned from doing this. Deliberately getting around or breaking the technical protection set up by the rights holder may also amount to the crime of infringing copyright (侵犯著作权罪), with up to 3 years, or 3 to 10 years in serious cases. Official cases: Wang and others made and sold cheats that read and changed game memory to give wallhacks and aimbots. They sold more than 80,000 CNY worth in 3 months and made a profit of more than 30,000 CNY. The sentence was 1 year, suspended for 1 year, and a fine of 5,000 CNY. A suspended sentence of 1 year means the sentence is imposed but not served at first, and if the person does not offend again within that year, they do not go to prison. Xiang and others sold a "TZ" series of cheats with sales of more than 200,000 CNY. Xiang got 3 years, suspended for 3 years, and a fine of 20,000 CNY. Liu and others got hold of a game's server program, changed its parameters to run a private server, and took in more than 20,000,000 (2000余万) CNY in top-ups. Sentences ranged from 4 years to 2 years 6 months, with fines from 10,000,000 (1000万) to 1,300,000 (130万) CNY. It is not only games. A Shanghai company made a flashable phone package that gave the WeChat on a phone dozens of extra functions, such as automatic forwarding, liking and mass messaging, and sold 2,381 units as "marketing phones." In 2019 the Xuhui court in Shanghai convicted the company of infringing copyright and fined it 500,000 CNY. The person in charge got 1 year 6 months, suspended for 1 year 6 months (nationwide)

Notes

The published cheat cases all involve reading and writing game memory or getting around anti-cheat. No official case has been seen for assists that "only take screenshots and simulate key presses." But the ticket-grabbing case in §11.3 shows that sending requests without touching memory can still be convicted as illegally obtaining data. In the end, whether it is a crime and which crime it is depends on the investigating authority, based on the materials the vendor submits when it reports, not on what the author says. Selling to 20 people is enough for "serious circumstances," which is a very small number.

Evidence grade

A : Specific numbers from meta-analyses, large cohorts or randomized trials; for law and policy, the statute or official text.

Sources

1. National People's Congress (2020). Criminal Law [in Chinese] (as amended by Amendment XI, Article 285, paragraph 3, and Article 217, item 6). https://jtgl.beijing.gov.cn/jgj/jgxx/flfg/fl/11033925/index.html
2. Supreme People's Court, Supreme People's Procuratorate (2011). Interpretation on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in Handling Criminal Cases Endangering the Security of Computer Information Systems [in Chinese] (Article 3). https://ga.sz.gov.cn/ZWGK/ZCFG/ZCJD/content/post_1304363.html (republished by the Shenzhen Municipal Public Security Bureau)
3. Supreme People's Procuratorate (2026). Jing'an, Shanghai: Severely Punishing the Black and Gray Industry of Making and Selling Game Cheats to Jointly Protect a Clean Cyberspace [in Chinese]. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/zdgz/202608/t20260825_735480.shtml
4. Supreme People's Procuratorate (2021). Typical Cases of Procuratorial Organs Protecting Intellectual Property Rights in 2020 [in Chinese] (Case 5). https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/xwfbh/wsfbt/202104/t20210425_516525.shtml
5. National Copyright Administration (2020). Top Ten Typical Copyright Cases in Shanghai in 2019 Announced [in Chinese] (released by the Shanghai Copyright Bureau; Case 8: the case of Shanghai Yugong Network Technology Co., Ltd. and others infringing copyright). https://www.ncac.gov.cn/xxfb/ywxx/202004/t20200430_47269.html

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 11, tip 2. This section describes legal rules, mostly mainland China’s. It is general information, not legal advice; for your own case, talk to a lawyer. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer