Riot Games Uncovers Motherboard Flaw Allowing Cheaters to Bypass Vanguard
Riot Discovers Motherboard Vulnerability Favoring Game Cheaters
Riot Games has revealed a concerning security vulnerability found in modern motherboards that could allow cheaters to bypass detection seamlessly. Major manufacturers, including Asrock, Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI, have wasted no time in rushing out BIOS updates to patch this weakness before the problem escalates further.
Riot emphasizes that if this vulnerability is left unaddressed, current advanced anti-cheat detection for DMA (Direct Memory Access) hardware becomes compromised. This type of cheating operates at such a high privilege level that standard anti-cheat software cannot see it, posing a severe threat to competitive integrity.
As an immediate consequence, Riot’s Vanguard system may now trigger warning messages for Valorant players, requiring them to update their BIOS to the latest patched version before being allowed to enter the game. It is highly likely that other major online titles will adopt similar standards to prevent cheating in the future.
The “Sleeping Guard” Loophole
The technical details explained by Riot are particularly intriguing. DMA cheating devices plugged into PCIe slots can exploit this flaw to sidestep IOMMU (Input-Output Memory Management Unit) protections. This happens because the security system fails to fully activate during the boot process, even when the interface indicates it is active.
Riot compared the situation to having a security guard standing at a door who looks intimidating but is actually asleep on the job. This allows cheaters to walk right past and steal data or manipulate the game without anyone noticing, representing a critical weakness at the firmware level.
Necessary Action for Gamers
While updating a BIOS might seem like a hassle for the average gamer, Riot insists this step is necessary. Closing the door at the pre-Windows level helps eliminate cheating methods that were previously untouchable and significantly increases the cost and difficulty for those attempting to cheat, making it far less viable in the long run.
Riot is basically turning into the cybersecurity police of the PC world, and honestly, we are here for it. Forcing a BIOS update just to play a round of Valorant might feel like overkill to some, but when cheaters start using actual hardware to hide their tracks, the only way to win is to lock down the motherboard itself. It is a bold move that raises the bar for competitive gaming, proving that if you want to play in Riot’s house, your hardware better be as secure as a bank vault.
Origin: The Verge
