With the Valorant open beta launching earlier this week, while the game itself is being received very well by the community, there is an aspect of it that has caused more than a little controversy. Namely, the rather invasive nature of its anti-cheat detector in the PC version.
In a report via Eurogamer, however, Riot is so confident in the system that they’re offering a $100,000 to anyone who can find any potential flaws within it!
Riot Offers $100,000 Valorant Bounty!
If you’re not aware of the controversy, let me give you a quick run-down. Valorant’s anti-cheat system installs itself very deeply within the PC version of the game. So deeply, that it runs automatically on start-up and even operates in high privilege (Kernel) mode. While not going into the details of how it works, Riot has said:
“If anti-cheat software is only run in user-mode, its capabilities would be compromised by a cheat running at a higher privilege level. For example, some of the more advanced cheating communities have used Direct Memory Access (DMA) to rebroadcast memory to a separate computer for later processing.”
In looking to address some of the (quite sensible) concerns, however, Riot is prepared to offer a $100,000 bounty to any one who can discover any potential flaws within their anti-cheat system that could allow for PCs to be compromised. This could be through the remove execution of code by an unauthorized third-party or simply the potential for Riot to be spying on your usage!
What Do We Think?
The anti-cheat software used within Valorant is undoubtedly one of the most invasive PC users will have ever encountered. That being said though, given its competitive first-person nature, games can quickly be ruined by a huge influx of cheaters. PUBG is a prime example of how cheaters can affect a game’s success. Albeit, this problem seemed to escalate rather significantly when they opened the server doors to Chinese gamers.
With them offering a $100,000 bounty, however, they’re clearly willing to put their money where their mouth is. So, if you are a white-hat hacker, this could be a great opportunity to earn a little cash. Well, presuming that there are flaws to be found…
What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!
