Vanguard, the expansive anti-cheating system which Riot Games is using in their upcoming competitive shooter Valorant, has been attracting attention on social media and video game forums recently for both good and bad reasons. On the one hand, the system could be extremely good at preventing cheating, while on the other, some have voiced concerns about the amount of access the system has to user PCs. Whatever the case, Riot is evidently making anti-cheating measures a top priority. They have now announced that they will pay bounties of up to $100,000 to anybody who can find Valorant exploits within the Vanguard system.
Riot Enlists Hackers to Find Valorant Exploits
Approaching independent hackers in this manner is an unusual tactic, but not necessarily a bad one. It does tend to be the case that, despite whatever anti-cheating measures studios take, hackers still find a way to cheat. This way, those hackers get paid to fix the problems before they can be exploited. All told, Riot is offering six categories of special bounties to people who find exploits within the Vanguard system, providing they meet certain criteria. The maximum bounties for these categories range from $25,000 to $100,000.
If you want to try and claim one of these bounties, you will need to meet a few eligibility requirements. Firstly, you need to identify an exploit that works in the latest version of Vanguard, of course. Then, you must provide Riot with a working proof of concept and a detailed report. Obviously, it has to be a new exploit, and importantly, you cannot share it with anybody besides Riot; the whole point is to stop cheating, after all!
Hopefully, this unusual step to combat cheating has an impact when Valorant launches later this year. The game is anticipated to be a major hit, with enormous demand already emerging just for the game’s closed beta. Riot is also likely aiming for Valorant to be a major esports title, making it even more important that they keep the gameplay fair and free of cheaters. Indeed, with Valorant clearly taking cues from the mechanics of CS:GO, it has been speculated that Riot is hoping to supplant CS:GO’s spot in the esport scene with the new shooter.