Valorant Anti-Cheat Update (Dec 2023): Account Bans, New Cheating Methods, More
The never ending battle continues.
Cover-Credits:
Riot Games released an anti-cheat update on 11th December revealing how they keep cheaters away from Valorant. This is done to maintain a high level of competitive integrity which allows players to enjoy the game without worrying about bad actors.
It is nearly impossible to free any game from all cheaters but the instances can surely be minimized by taking the proper steps and measures.
Valorant has done this by imposing bans, explaining the influence of social media to market cheats, talking about the latest method used to bypass existing security measures, and implementing certain protocols for restricting suspicious behavior.
Valorant Anti-Cheat Update (Dec 2023): Complete Details
Four points were shared by Valorant to summarize its efforts to curb cheating and prevent cheaters from further gaining an advantage against anti-cheat measures currently in place.
Bans were handed out to bad actors at a stable rate.
Tracking social media where cheats are advertised and taking action against them.
Detecting advanced cheating methods and deploying best-in-class technology to render these ineffective.
Rolling out VAN:RESTRICTION to provide an extra layer of security to players that meet a variety of risk factors.
Bans
Valorant has maintained its ban rate despite more advanced attempts being made by cheaters. They also shared that repeat offenders, those who used multiple accounts to cheat on the same machine, constituted the majority of bans.
On average across 2023 about 25,000 cheaters were banned every month. The highest number of cheaters this year, more than 45,000, were banned in February 2023, while the lowest number of cheaters this year, less than 20,000, were banned in October 2023.
Advanced Cheating Method: Direct Memory Access Cheat
Cheaters have come up with an advanced method that bypasses Vanguard's preventive measures called Direct Memory Access (DMA).
In this method, cheaters use a hardware device to work in an environment outside of Vanguard, enabling them to read and write game memory without installing the game.
Valorant claimed that they have developed and deployed what they consider to be a best-in-class technology to prevent these external devices from being effective in the game. However, no specific information was shared.
Introducing VAN:RESTRICTION System
A new system has been deployed by Valorant which will require players that have been identified to meet various risk factors to meet certain additional security requirements.
This will involve the usage of common security features on devices in tandem with various behavioral systems to identify suspicious behavior. Based on this, players will be alerted of device changes needed to maintain competitive integrity.
Valorant clarified that these measures should not be treated as punishments and if players continue to face difficulties they should get in touch with the player support.
Valorant seems to be doing its due diligence when it comes to handling cheaters and staying on top of the situation by constantly monitoring new developments.
This has also allowed them to initiate certain protocols in advance to safeguard potential targets and keep their systems updated to handle advanced cheats as well.
