Riot Games explained that the new Vanguard update is designed only to stop advanced cheating devices, not to harm normal computers. Some cheaters use special external hardware called DMA devices to secretly access game data and avoid detection. Vanguard now blocks those devices by using a standard Windows security feature called IOMMU protection. For regular players, nothing changes: >Your PC will not be damaged. >Normal hardware and software are unaffected. >Games and programs will work normally if you are not using cheating hardware. The DMA devices themselves are not destroyed or damaged. They just can’t be used to cheat in games like Valorant and League of Legends anymore. Riot says the goal of the update is to reduce cheating and keep matches fair.

Riot Games has released a new update for Valorant’s Vanguard anti-cheat system aimed at stopping advanced DMA (Direct Memory Access) cheating hardware. Vanguard anticheat now damages the firmware of these devices upon detection. It can be repaired, but bricking a person's hardware without their consent or knowledge is highly illegal The update targets certain SATA and NVMe firmware setups commonly used in expensive DMA cheating devices. These cheats rely on external hardware to read game memory while bypassing traditional anti-cheat detection methods. Some users claim Vanguard now triggers IOMMU-related warnings that can temporarily block affected hardware until system settings or firmware are updated. These DMA cheats have become popular in competitive games because they bypass many kernel-level anti-cheat systems. Riot has worked with motherboard manufacturers including ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, and ASRock to address firmware vulnerabilities related to DMA access.

Riot Games has removed the song “Remember Me” by d4vd from official Arcane Season 2 music platforms, including Spotify and YouTube. The removal follows first-degree murder charges against the singer, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, for the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Burke has pleaded not guilty.