Valorant's anti-cheat software loads kernel-based driver on system boot

[Andrew]

  Quote

Riot Games' new team shooter Valorant has an anti-cheat system called "Vanguard" that has raised some security concerns. When the game launches, the Vanguard client loads with it into the userspace. However, there is a kernel-mode driver for the system that loads when you boot into Windows.

...

Running a driver in kernel-mode raises concerns that Riot is only improving its cheat detection at the cost of increasing the attack surface of Windows, and at the root level no less. If you recall the 2005 Sony DRM rootkit fiasco, this level of risk might make you nervous.

 

Source

[schuck6566]

Wow,Vanguard is bad enough,but the story puts the bullseye on Battleye & Easy Anti-cheat also just in case any hackers happened to miss them. It's easy for the companies to say "Oh we can handle any attacks that come along" as long as hardly anyone knew that they were doing things the same way Sony did. I wonder HOW long before they're reversed with a loaded gem added in. Or it'll be going through the chat's that you can make it run faster by removing the software by downloading "THIS blah,blah" that is actually an encryption virus. Or maybe I'm just paranoid.

[ENTERPRISE]

I am never fond of anything that loads into Kernel level unless it has to, as far as I am concerned anti-cheat solutions...no thanks.

[486]

Wow that's going way too far. I'm sure people are already working full time to exploit that.

 

Cheaters are going to cheat no matter what, only way to somewhat suppress that is to host a LAN and give players zero access to the computer short of playing the game.

 

 

[Andrew]

I can't remember what game it is, but I do know there's one game that "shadowbans" users who use cheats. It ends up putting them in servers with each other.

[Supercrumpet]

  Andrew said:

I can't remember what game it is, but I do know there's one game that "shadowbans" users who use cheats. It ends up putting them in servers with each other.

 

I think I remember hearing years ago that the original Titanfall did that, but I'm sure there are a few other games out there that do the same thing.

[ENTERPRISE]

  SeriousDon said:

Wow that's going way too far. I'm sure people are already working full time to exploit that.

 

Cheaters are going to cheat no matter what, only way to somewhat suppress that is to host a LAN and give players zero access to the computer short of playing the game.

 

 

That or multiplayer using the cloud gaming services like Stadia and Geforce Now, no access to install or otherwise implement cheats/hacks. Sure you could use a game exploit from a player end, but that would be it.