Riot Requires Kernel Level Anti-Cheat Software
tuta.com
League of Legends and Valorant Players Being Forced to Run Closed Source Low-Level Software.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/10958052

Vanguard, the controversial anti-cheat software initially attached to Valorant, is now also coming to League of Legends.

Summary:

The article discusses Riot Games’ requirement for players to install their Vanguard anti-cheat software, which runs at the kernel level, in order to play their games such as League of Legends and Valorant. The software aims to combat cheating by scanning for known vulnerabilities and blocking them, as well as monitoring for suspicious activity while the game is being played. However, the use of kernel-level software raises concerns about privacy and security, as it grants the company complete access to users’ devices.

The article highlights that Riot Games is owned by Tencent, a Chinese tech giant that has been involved in censorship and surveillance activities in China. This raises concerns that Vanguard could potentially be used for similar purposes, such as monitoring players’ activity and restricting free speech in-game.

Ultimately, the decision to install Vanguard rests with players, but the article urges caution and encourages players to consider the potential risks and implications before doing so.

    • @DehydratedOP
      14•11 months ago

      Having a rootkit running at Ring 0 (kernel level), as soon as you start your computer is not a modern solution. It’s a really shitty “solution” and it’s terrible for both privacy and security. I’m waiting for some bug/security vulnerability in the anti-cheat software that suddenly makes millions of machines vulnerable at kernel level. You really shouldn’t run some random, untrusted proprietary code at Ring 0. In a few years, every single program on your PC will probably demand ridiculous privileges like Ring 0 access, congrats, now you have exponentially increased your operating system’s attack surface.