To understand why Valorant requires Secure Boot, one must first understand the nature of the threats it aims to neutralize. Traditional cheats often operate by injecting code into the game process, which standard anti-cheat software can detect by scanning for anomalies. However, sophisticated cheats operate at the kernel level, the core of the operating system where hardware and software meet. If a malicious program can load before the anti-cheat software, it can manipulate the operating system to hide its own presence—a technique known as "rootkit" behavior. In this scenario, the anti-cheat is effectively blind because the operating system itself has been compromised, reporting false data back to the security software.
By requiring Secure Boot to be ON , Riot ensures that no unsigned, malicious driver could have loaded before Vanguard. It creates a chain of trust from the very first flicker of electricity to the final pixel on your screen. valorant secure boot