Riot Games Says It ‘Would Not and Cannot’ Use Vanguard Anti-Cheat to Brick PCs After Rumors Spread
Riot Games ignited a firestorm of controversy when it posted a sarcastic message on X/Twitter stating “congrats to the owners of a brand new $6k paperweight,” appearing to suggest its Vanguard anti-cheat system could permanently disable gaming PCs. The tongue-in-cheek post, made in response to discussions about the anti-cheat’s capabilities, quickly spawned rumors that Riot had weaponized Vanguard to brick the computers of cheaters.
The company was forced to clarify within hours that it “would not and cannot” use Vanguard to render PCs inoperable. The actual situation is considerably less dramatic. Vanguard’s latest update targets DMA (Direct Memory Access) cheating hardware—specialized equipment that cheaters use to circumvent kernel-level anti-cheat by directly accessing a game’s memory from external devices. The update works by modifying system firmware to disable access to these specific cheating devices, not the entire computer system.
This incident reflects the ongoing technological arms race between anti-cheat developers and cheaters in competitive gaming. As anti-cheat systems have become more sophisticated, cheaters have correspondingly evolved their methods, pushing deeper into system-level access. Riot’s response demonstrates how the company is adapting its defenses against increasingly advanced cheating techniques used in titles like Valorant and League of Legends. While the misunderstanding highlighted the concerning power kernel-level anti-cheat systems can wield, Riot’s clarification reassured players that the company remains within ethical boundaries in its fight against cheating.
Sources
- Riot Games Says It ‘Would Not and Cannot’ Use Vanguard Anti-Cheat to Brick PCs After Rumors Spread
- Lastest Riot Vanguard Update Can Brick Your Hardware (If You’re a Cheater)
- Riot taunts would-be hackers using physical hardware to cheat: ‘congrats to the owners of a brand new $6k paperweight’
- “Congrats to the owners of a brand new $6k paperweight”: Valorant dev Riot makes players think Vanguard anti-cheat will brick their PCs, causing uproar — here’s what’s really happening