Riot Vanguard: Difference between revisions

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==Incidents==

This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this software. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].

===League of Legends Implementation (April 2024)===

In April 2024, Riot Games announced that Vanguard would become mandatory for all League of Legends players. <ref>https://support-leagueoflegends.riotgames.com/hc/en-us/articles/24169857932435-Riot-Vanguard-FAQ-League-of-Legends</ref> This decision was particularly controversial for several reasons:

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==Concerns==

===Tencent Ownership and Chinese Government Ties===

A major concern surrounding Vanguard stems from Riot Games' ownership by Tencent Holdings, a Chinese technology conglomerate. This ownership, combined with Vanguard's kernel-level access, raises significant security and privacy implications due to Chinese legal requirements, particularly the National Intelligence Law of the People's Republic of China (2017).

A major concern surrounding Vanguard stems from Riot Games' ownership by Tencent Holdings, a Chinese technology conglomerate. This ownership, combined with Vanguard's kernel-level access, raises significant security and privacy implications due to Chinese legal requirements, particularly the [[wikipedia:National_Intelligence_Law_of_the_People's_Republic_of_China|National Intelligence Law of the People's Republic of China]] (2017).

The law mandates cooperation with national intelligence efforts from all organizations and citizens. Relevant articles include:

The law mandates cooperation with national intelligence efforts from all organizations and citizens. Relevant articles include:<blockquote>Article 7: All organizations and citizens shall support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence efforts in accordance with law, and shall protect national intelligence work secrets they are aware of.

"Article 7: All organizations and citizens shall support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence efforts in accordance with law, and shall protect national intelligence work secrets they are aware of.

Article 10: As necessary for their work, national intelligence work institutions are to use the necessary means, tactics, and channels to carry out intelligence efforts, domestically and abroad.

Article 18: As required for work, and in accordance with relevant national provisions, national intelligence work institutions may ask organs such as for customs and entry-exit border inspection to provide facilitation such as exemptions from inspection."

These legal requirements raise several concerns:

Article 18: As required for work, and in accordance with relevant national provisions, national intelligence work institutions may ask organs such as for customs and entry-exit border inspection to provide facilitation such as exemptions from inspection.</blockquote>These legal requirements raise several concerns:

*Tencent, as a Chinese company, could be legally compelled to provide data or access through Vanguard.

*The kernel-level access could potentially be leveraged for surveillance or data collection beyond anti-cheat purposes.

*An attack on Riot's Vanguard servers could have catastrophic consequences

*Users have no way to verify if or when such access might be utilized.

*The combination of mandatory installation, kernel-level access, and Chinese ownership creates potential security risks for:

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{Sources to be added}

*Following the League of Legends implementation announcement, Riot published a detailed FAQ addressing community concerns. They maintained that Vanguard's kernel driver is focused solely on game integrity and doesn't process any personal information.

*Following the League of Legends implementation announcement, Riot published a detailed FAQ addressing community concerns. They maintained that Vanguard's kernel driver is focused solely on game integrity and doesn't process any personal information.<ref>https://support-leagueoflegends.riotgames.com/hc/en-us/articles/24169857932435-Riot-Vanguard-FAQ-League-of-Legends</ref>

*Riot's Security Team published a technical blog post explaining that Vanguard's kernel-level implementation is necessary to detect and prevent sophisticated cheating methods that operate at the same level.

*Riot Security Team published a technical blog post explaining that Vanguard's kernel-level implementation is necessary to detect and prevent sophisticated cheating methods that operate at the same level.<ref>https://www.riotgames.com/en/news/a-message-about-vanguard-from-our-security-privacy-teams</ref>

Riot Games has expressed that kernel level ~~anticheat~~ is becoming an industry standard, that ~~to be able~~ to defeat cheaters operating at the kernel level is to also be operating at the same level ~~and that this~~ is the only way to stop account botting, ranked boosting and to ban cheaters permanently via using hardware identifiers.

{{quote|We understand the decision to run the driver component in kernel-mode can raise concerns, and that some of you want to know more about the tech behind Vanguard. We can't get too deep into the technical specifics without potentially compromising Vanguard... plus we can assure you that it has been reviewed by both internal and external security experts.|[[Riot Games]]<ref>[https://www.riotgames.com/en/news/a-message-about-vanguard-from-our-security-privacy-teams "A Message About Vanguard from our Security & Privacy Teams"] ''Riot Games''. Retrieved 2024-02-16</ref>}}

Riot Games has expressed that kernel level anti cheat is becoming an industry standard however no other anti cheat software is as invasive as Vanguard. Riot claims that to defeat cheaters operating at the kernel level, it is necessary to also be operating at the same level. This is untrue. They claim the only way to stop account botting, ranked boosting and to ban cheaters permanently via using hardware identifiers is to compromise your privacy despite the fact that other company's within the gaming industry whom are capable of banning bots and cheaters including hardware banning customers can do so without the need of kernel-level anti cheat detection that runs even when you are not playing their games.

Riot Vanguard is the only anticheat that requires it to be running at all times.

===Privacy and Security Assurances===

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==References==

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

~~[[Category:Anti-cheat software]]~~

~~[[Category:Privacy controversies]]~~

~~[[Category:Software]]~~

~~[[Category:Riot Games]]~~

~~[[Category:Articles requiring expansion]]~~

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 ==Incidents==
+This is a list of all consumer protection incidents related to this software. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{PAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].
 ===League of Legends Implementation (April 2024)===
 In April 2024, Riot Games announced that Vanguard would become mandatory for all League of Legends players. <ref>https://support-leagueoflegends.riotgames.com/hc/en-us/articles/24169857932435-Riot-Vanguard-FAQ-League-of-Legends</ref> This decision was particularly controversial for several reasons:
@@ Line 27: / Line 28: @@
 ==Concerns==
 ===Tencent Ownership and Chinese Government Ties===
-A major concern surrounding Vanguard stems from Riot Games' ownership by Tencent Holdings, a Chinese technology conglomerate. This ownership, combined with Vanguard's kernel-level access, raises significant security and privacy implications due to Chinese legal requirements, particularly the National Intelligence Law of the People's Republic of China (2017).
+A major concern surrounding Vanguard stems from Riot Games' ownership by Tencent Holdings, a Chinese technology conglomerate. This ownership, combined with Vanguard's kernel-level access, raises significant security and privacy implications due to Chinese legal requirements, particularly the [[wikipedia:National_Intelligence_Law_of_the_People's_Republic_of_China|National Intelligence Law of the People's Republic of China]] (2017).
-The law mandates cooperation with national intelligence efforts from all organizations and citizens. Relevant articles include:
+The law mandates cooperation with national intelligence efforts from all organizations and citizens. Relevant articles include:<blockquote>Article 7: All organizations and citizens shall support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence efforts in accordance with law, and shall protect national intelligence work secrets they are aware of.
-"Article 7: All organizations and citizens shall support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence efforts in accordance with law, and shall protect national intelligence work secrets they are aware of.
 Article 10: As necessary for their work, national intelligence work institutions are to use the necessary means, tactics, and channels to carry out intelligence efforts, domestically and abroad.
-Article 18: As required for work, and in accordance with relevant national provisions, national intelligence work institutions may ask organs such as for customs and entry-exit border inspection to provide facilitation such as exemptions from inspection."
-These legal requirements raise several concerns:
+Article 18: As required for work, and in accordance with relevant national provisions, national intelligence work institutions may ask organs such as for customs and entry-exit border inspection to provide facilitation such as exemptions from inspection.</blockquote>These legal requirements raise several concerns:
 *Tencent, as a Chinese company, could be legally compelled to provide data or access through Vanguard.
 *The kernel-level access could potentially be leveraged for surveillance or data collection beyond anti-cheat purposes.
+*An attack on Riot's Vanguard servers could have catastrophic consequences
 *Users have no way to verify if or when such access might be utilized.
 *The combination of mandatory installation, kernel-level access, and Chinese ownership creates potential security risks for:
@@ Line 57: / Line 57: @@
 {Sources to be added}
-*Following the League of Legends implementation announcement, Riot published a detailed FAQ addressing community concerns. They maintained that Vanguard's kernel driver is focused solely on game integrity and doesn't process any personal information.
+*Following the League of Legends implementation announcement, Riot published a detailed FAQ addressing community concerns. They maintained that Vanguard's kernel driver is focused solely on game integrity and doesn't process any personal information.<ref>https://support-leagueoflegends.riotgames.com/hc/en-us/articles/24169857932435-Riot-Vanguard-FAQ-League-of-Legends</ref>
-*Riot's Security Team published a technical blog post explaining that Vanguard's kernel-level implementation is necessary to detect and prevent sophisticated cheating methods that operate at the same level.
+*Riot Security Team published a technical blog post explaining that Vanguard's kernel-level implementation is necessary to detect and prevent sophisticated cheating methods that operate at the same level.<ref>https://www.riotgames.com/en/news/a-message-about-vanguard-from-our-security-privacy-teams</ref>
-Riot Games has expressed that kernel level anticheat is becoming an industry standard, that to be able to defeat cheaters operating at the kernel level is to also be operating at the same level and that this is the only way to stop account botting, ranked boosting and to ban cheaters permanently via using hardware identifiers.
+{{quote|We understand the decision to run the driver component in kernel-mode can raise concerns, and that some of you want to know more about the tech behind Vanguard. We can't get too deep into the technical specifics without potentially compromising Vanguard... plus we can assure you that it has been reviewed by both internal and external security experts.|[[Riot Games]]<ref>[https://www.riotgames.com/en/news/a-message-about-vanguard-from-our-security-privacy-teams "A Message About Vanguard from our Security & Privacy Teams"] ''Riot Games''. Retrieved 2024-02-16</ref>}}
+Riot Games has expressed that kernel level anti cheat is becoming an industry standard however no other anti cheat software is as invasive as Vanguard. Riot claims that to defeat cheaters operating at the kernel level, it is necessary to also be operating at the same level. This is untrue. They claim the only way to stop account botting, ranked boosting and to ban cheaters permanently via using hardware identifiers is to compromise your privacy despite the fact that other company's within the gaming industry whom are capable of banning bots and cheaters including hardware banning customers can do so without the need of kernel-level anti cheat detection that runs even when you are not playing their games.
+Riot Vanguard is the only anticheat that requires it to be running at all times.
 ===Privacy and Security Assurances===
@@ Line 78: / Line 82: @@
 ==References==
 {{reflist}}
 [[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
-[[Category:Anti-cheat software]]
-[[Category:Privacy controversies]]
-[[Category:Software]]
-[[Category:Riot Games]]
-[[Category:Articles requiring expansion]]