Riot Games has brought attention to a critical security vulnerability found in numerous modern motherboards, which could be exploited by cheaters without detection. In response, leading tech companies such as Asrock, Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI have issued BIOS updates to rectify the problem. Riot explained that if this vulnerability had remained unnoticed, it could have rendered all current DMA detection and prevention technologies ineffective, affecting not just them but other gaming companies as well. This is because these cheats operate in a privileged area that anti-cheat systems typically do not access.
Consequently, Riot’s Vanguard anti-cheat software may require players to update their BIOS to the patched version to continue playing Valorant. It is anticipated that other anti-cheat systems might implement similar measures to enhance security.
Riot detailed how DMA (direct memory access) devices connected to PCIe slots could exploit the flaw to bypass IOMMU (input-output memory management unit) protections. These protections seemed to be initializing properly but were not fully operational right away. Riot metaphorically described the situation as the system’s “bouncer” seeming active but actually napping on the job.
While updating BIOS might not be as thrilling as seeing ban statistics, Riot emphasized that this step is essential in their ongoing battle against hardware cheats. By addressing this pre-boot loophole, they aim to eliminate a category of previously untouchable cheats, thereby significantly increasing the difficulty of playing unfairly.
