- cross-posted to:
- technology@lemmy.ml
- privacyguides@lemmy.one
- privacy@lemmy.ml
- cross-posted to:
- technology@lemmy.ml
- privacyguides@lemmy.one
- privacy@lemmy.ml
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.
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Yep, a lot of recent anti-cheat is looking a lot like DRM.
more like intentionally installed malware but yes, 100 % this
Not just looking like DRM, I would say it IS DRM.
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Kernal level anti-cheat means I ain’t gonna play it
I don’t care where the company is based no game should be requiring kernal level access, that’s just opening the door for security concerns
Good cheat prevention needs to be part of the game’s fundamental design, not some virus as a band-aid.
Can you name one of those games that have no anticheat and also no cheaters?
While I do agree with you, some cheats manipulate the memory itself so you would need some elevated privilages to dectect them as the cheats themsevles run with these privileges
I’m wondering if there’s a way we can even know they’re installing it. Windows just gives that generic admin prompt, I imagine? Tells you nothing of what’s happening.
Well if you get asked for sudo, then that’s a risk.
It would probably show up in Autoruns. Maybe even with a background service in task manager.
Kernel level drivers would not be in auto run.
What, why not?
Ask Microsoft
*kernel
They can fuck all the way off.
Wait so the not being able to completely get rid of the Riot client and all their games and it still popped up on my desktop wasn’t me going crazy? It might be Chinese malware in the end? This is just a whole new meaning to that now
There is a chance that it has something to do with the Xbox app, maybe
You cannot make a paper that can have any text written onto, but not the one text you don’t like. The only way to do it is to spy on someone and check actively what is being written.
You cannot make a computer that can run any program written into, but not the one program you don’t like. The only way to do it is to spy on someone eather physically or via lower level spyware.
If you uninstall is there any guarantee that the kernel level anticheat gets removed, too, or are they in there forever?
I don’t know but if you get a law degree then spend 3 months reading their extremely long and intentionally complicated user agreement I’m sure you’ll find out that they have the right to keep it installed whether they currently choose to or not.
Guess nows as good a time as any to uninstall this trash.
Their garbage anti cheat has done barely anything to improve valorant and now they want more control of my computer for league?
Die in a fire, trash.
I guess the shame and expense Sony learned the hard way in 2005 has faded and now kernel invasion has become acceptable.
I’ve been playing League casually from time to time on Linux, and it’s just a shame that they’re adding Vanguard to the game since that kills any compatibility it had under wine. Though, knowing League community, a lot of players on Linux are so addicted to the game, they’ll switch their operating systems for it or buy a second computer just to play.
That being said, even for Windows users with older PC’s this is bad, because you need TPM 2.0 support for Vanguard to even work (not 100% sure about this one so correct me if I’m wrong), and one of the main draws of League was that you can play it on older systems just fine.
That’s another problem. So few will vote with their wallets because they’re so addicted to the game they’ll just deal with it.
I think the main issue here (I haven’t seen it mentioned in the top comments) is that LoL doesn’t even have a cheating problem honestly. I’ve been playing since 2014, off and on, and I think I might have met maybe one scripter (I’m not really sure). Lol has definitely a toxicity problem, but I honestly don’t think it has ever had a scripters/cheaters problem, so I really don’t understand this. Is it because of bot accounts? Whose games are these bots ruining (never seen them between gold-diamond)? Does it justify a kernel level anti cheat? Honestly, the real problem with this is not the kernel level anti cheat (because I guess that might be useful for games like valorant), it’s the fact that this was never really even close to be necessary
I don’t even consider scripting and macros to be cheating tbh.
Auto dodging, perfect skills hots, staying at max range at all times, instant item usages to maximize potential.
Yeah, nothing illegal officer.
I so wish you had a game with enemy Zeri using scripts. You’d change your mind very quickly.
Scripters and cheating was a pretty common complaint in both r/lol and also on inven and in Chinese forums.
Kernel level anti-cheat is never justified.
Other than that, true!
Nope. Take your rootkit and go fuck yourself with it.
There’s absolutely 0 reason a game should ever have kernel access. Ie unrestricted access to every piece of data on the system.
