Valorant/Riot Vanguard can now take screenshots of your PC screen without you knowing

b40ab27155eb30c47dcbb16fa783637c.gif
 
is this a multiplayer problem that i'm too single-player to understand ?

on a more serious note, i would say it is not ok to take in-game screenshots without player's consent, but here the tweet is saying they can screenshot anything on your PC i.e any window other than the game itself ? How ? is there no Windows permission required to do this ? This is FUBAR

and then they wonder why piracy is a thing
 
Last edited:
Sounds like malware. I only played Valerant for 10 matches and then uninstalled. It's a typical souless game designed to sell cosmetics. It got valve to update counterstrike so it served its purpose.
 
Last edited:
Its totally justified. They just need to see if you have any illegal pictures of Tiananmen Square, Hong Kong protestors or Winnie the Pooh which could make you a problematic toxic gamer.
 
Wildebeest said:
Its totally justified. They just need to see if you have any illegal pictures of Tiananmen Square, Hong Kong protestors or Winnie the Pooh which could make you a problematic toxic gamer.
Click to expand...

I don't even need to say what happens if you're watching South Park on your computer.
 
And that's the reason I want to move to consoles for online gaming, no kidding, it's creepy af, some of us don't feel comfortable with those privacy issues... I'll have to say goodbye to LoL but it's not that I played too frequently in the last few years
 
This is why you don't mix business and pleasure.

While some apps like media players may block full or partial screen capture of media, I doubt if you're, for example, internet banking the web browser content gets blanked out.
 
Considering how widespread cheating is in Valorant, I can understand why they would do this, but even then some popular cheating methods will still bypass this!
 
rodrigolfp said:
Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I believe console makers can do stuff like this without anyone knowing.
Click to expand...
Yes but a console only has access to played games in the console itself and gaming related data, a PC can contain a lot of other personal stuff one may not feel comfortable with others accessing, even if just family photos or stuff like that, it's creepy af
 
Last edited:
MayauMiao said:
I smell class action lawsuit.
Click to expand...
Doubtful. Intrusive anti-cheat software aren't illegal as far as I'm aware. Nothing will come of this. I sacrificed my privacy for a better gaming experience, and deliberately ignored the fact I'd given them kernel level access. That's on me, not on them.
 
near said:
Doubtful. Intrusive anti-cheat software aren't illegal as far as I'm aware. Nothing will come of this. I sacrificed my privacy for a better gaming experience, and deliberately ignored the fact I'd given them kernel level access. That's on me, not on them.
Click to expand...
Does any anti-cheat tell you the level of access you have to give for the pleasure? I can't imagine any do.
 
Shin-Ra said:
This is why you don't mix business and pleasure.
Click to expand...
Sadly you are right.
In many ways, online games are a major security risk, and maybe some of us take that risk a bit too lightly.

The right approach would be to play those on console or on a separate blank computer without personal data.
 
Last edited:
Soodanim said:
Does any anti-cheat tell you the level of access you have to give for the pleasure? I can't imagine any do.
Click to expand...
Riot have always been transparent about what Riot Vanguard is and what it does. It is actually an amazing counter software to cheaters, and in all the years I've been playing Valorant I can attest to this. The unfortunate reality is that in order to enjoy a multiplayer game on PC without running into cheaters that use kernel level hacks, is to use a kernel level anti-cheat.

www.leagueoflegends.com

/dev/null: Anti-Cheat Kernel Driver

We’re protecting some of Riot’s upcoming games with new anti-cheat systems.
www.leagueoflegends.com www.leagueoflegends.com
 
near said:
Riot have always been transparent about what Riot Vanguard is and what it does. It is actually an amazing counter software to cheaters, and in all the years I've been playing Valorant I can attest to this. The unfortunate reality is that in order to enjoy a multiplayer game on PC without running into cheaters that use kernel level hacks, is to use a kernel level anti-cheat.

www.leagueoflegends.com

/dev/null: Anti-Cheat Kernel Driver

We’re protecting some of Riot’s upcoming games with new anti-cheat systems.
www.leagueoflegends.com www.leagueoflegends.com
Click to expand...
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
 
RickSanchez said:
Fuck me. That's terrifying. Maybe we should have a Steam curator that lists games containing intrusive anti-cheat/DRM programs.....is there already a tracker like this ?
Click to expand...
store.steampowered.com

Steam Curator: Rootkit Anti-Cheats

Games that use dangerous rootkits as a form of anti-hack. They are essentially malware/spyware and are a serious security threat. Even if they don't directly do harm, they leave a backdoor for malicious software.
store.steampowered.com store.steampowered.com
 
I feel the future of anti-cheat mechanisms doesn't lie on the client side (and it fucking shouldn't. Not only because it is extremely unethical but also because good hackers can circumvent that shit anyway) but on the server side, where you train some neural networks to detect irregular traffic and memory values.

The gall that companies have to request kernel level access to your system is, quite frankly, incomprehensible to me.
 
Why not use AI instead to screen out actions and movements that are outside the normal patters for 99.99% of gamers? At least you would think that would remove the most obvious cheats.....
 
Kataploom said:
Yes but a console only has access to played games in the console itself and gaming related data, a PC can contain a lot of other personal stuff one may not feel comfortable with others accessing, even if just family photos or stuff like that, it's creepy af
Click to expand...
It is but if you think a big game dev will steal info risking ruining themselves, that is on you.
 
rodrigolfp said:
It is but if you think a big game dev will steal info risking ruining themselves, that is on you.
Click to expand...
If they have powerful connections on their side (which they definitely do since they're owned by Tencent), I don't see how that can be an issue... That's only a problem for us, normal people
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

  • Poll
2025 PC Screenshot Thread of No Compromises | "Can't see fake frames on screenshots"
|OT|  2 3 4
189
14K
andrew22 replied
Riot will now hardware ban toxic players in Valorant
News Platform  2 3
102
6K
ShadyAcshuns replied
FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH - PC Features Trailer (you can even customize on-screen NPC count)
2
92
6K
ArtHands replied
  • Poll
What is your screen size (when gaming)?
2 3 4
169
4K
Bungie replied
How many games do you have installed on your PC?
2
86
331
rodrigolfp replied
Top Bottom