Riot has dealt a new blow against cheaters in Valorant, but fans believe the method used has gone too far.
How has Riot tackled cheating? With a new anti-cheat update for Vanguard, Riot has blocked the firmware of a cheat provider. This essentially involves a hardware cheat that the person connects to their PC, granting the device read and write permissions.
Riot’s anti-cheat software is said to now be able to disable the firmware of this physical component. At the start of the PC, there will be a check in the “Input-Output Memory Management Unit” (IOMMU) that recognizes the cheating hardware and, according to user statements, completely disables its firmware on the software side. IOMMU controls which devices are connected and makes them usable by the system.
To be able to use the tools again, users report that a complete reinstallation of the operating system is required. However, anyone who reinstalls Riot’s anti-cheat Vanguard renders their own hardware unusable again.
A Step Too Far
How is this being received? Riot is loudly celebrating its hefty blow against cheaters on X.com with the words: “Congratulations to the owners of a brand new $6,000 paperweight!” and is receiving some validation from its own fans.
At the same time, the post has sparked a wave of outrage. Many players believe it is wrong for Riot to render hardware unusable via an anti-cheat update, even if it is not used for their games. The hardware remains unusable even if all Riot programs are uninstalled from the computer.
The risk that the anti-cheat software could damage innocent programs or devices also makes players anxious. The cheat tool used basically functions like an external device. If the firmware of another hard drive is mistakenly recognized as cheating software due to a bug, it could even lead to data loss.
We have asked Riot how they plan to ensure that normal gamers remain unaffected, but we have not yet received a response. We will update this article as soon as Riot gets back to us.
Is this even legal? At MeinMMO, our expertise lies in video games and gaming culture; we are not legal experts. Nevertheless, there are heated discussions in the comments and community notes on X.com regarding the legal situation.
Because Riot could be walking a legal minefield: Players have agreed to the terms of use of Vanguard, but such a deep intervention in the system raises questions.
Without explicit and clear permission from the players, software should not modify or restrict the hardware outside of the game. The community is already discussing whether affected users could take legal action against Riot.
Whether this is ultimately legally valid, we cannot conclusively determine as journalists.
Even if Riot acts legally here, they have not scored any points with their blow against cheaters on the side of the fans and players. They are more afraid than before of the power of the anti-cheat and what Riot can do with the computers at the push of a button. You can learn more about the anti-cheat in LoL here: LoL introduces controversial features, but if you see them, Riot Games has already set their sights on you
Your opinion is important to us!
Do you like the article? Then let us know!