Riot Games finds motherboard flaw that could let cheaters sneak past anti-cheat

Technology Dec 19, 2025

Riot Games just uncovered a serious vulnerability in the BIOS of some popular motherboards—ASRock, ASUS, Gigabyte, and MSI.
This bug lets certain PCIe devices quietly access your PC's memory during system startup before security protections were fully active.
The news dropped on December 18.

What this means for gamers (especially Valorant players)

Because the motherboard's security checks aren't fully ready at boot, sneaky hardware can slip through and mess with system memory—making it tough for anti-cheat software to catch cheaters.
To fix things, all four motherboard brands have rolled out BIOS updates.
Riot says you might need to install these updates to keep playing Valorant with Vanguard running smoothly.
If you're affected, updating your BIOS is the way to stay safe and in the game.