No. Mods do not prevent cheaters and this is after the fact. I get what you’re saying but it is exactly what I’ve said above: proactive admin. Admins on privates cannot prevent users from using 3rd party. For exploits, some mods or server settings can remove the opportunity to use an exploit but that’s about the only way to prevent some, not all.
You’re minimizing the impact of third party injection programs which is commonly referred to as: hacking. Hacking is not an exploit.
You’re right and is absolutely a factor. However, on PVP Official especially, the numbers have quickly dwindled over the past 4 months due to hacking, the worst it has ever been. There are spaces dedicated to discussing, obtaining and using the hacks that have exploded in popularity. A group has even vowed to make Official PVP servers dead. They’re even moving onto PVE-C now.
I would still be playing if it wasn’t for this huge problem. So would the rest of my clan, friends and acquaintances. We’re not alone in this decision.
I’ve spent the better part of 2 weeks trying to find a private server that meets my basic, realistic expectations to avoid hacking: vanilla PVP. None exist without so many of the drawbacks that players face with private admins. So I also explored (again, I’ve had a private server before) opening my own. It’s not as simple as you make it out to be. Especially if you want it to be successful; cost, player enjoyability, retention, time.