The Hardware Anchor: Trusted Platform Modules (TPM 2.0)
Software-based hardware bans (checking hard drive serials or MAC addresses) failed because ring-0 spoofers could easily intercept and spoof Windows API calls. To create an unforgeable hardware identity, Riot Vanguard, FaceIT, and Easy Anti-Cheat transitioned to TPM 2.0 Cryptographic Attestation.
The Architecture of the Endorsement Key (EK)
Every genuine TPM 2.0 chip manufactured by Intel, AMD, Infineon, Nuvoton, or STMicroelectronics contains a permanent cryptographic identity:
- Burned-In Silicon Key: The Endorsement Key (EK) is an RSA-2048 or ECC-256 private key permanently fused into the TPM hardware silicon during factory fabrication. The private key cannot be extracted or modified, even with physical chip decapping.
- Manufacturer Signed Certificate: The factory burns an EK Certificate (EK Cert) into the TPM NVRAM, digitally signed by the chip manufacturer root Certificate Authority (CA).
- Cryptographic Challenge-Response: When you launch Valorant, the anti-cheat kernel driver generates a random cryptographic challenge nonce. The TPM signs this challenge using its private EK. Vanguard validates the signature against the public manufacturer root certificate.
Why Emulated / Spoofed TPMs Fail Instantly
Software spoofers claiming to "spoof TPM serials" fail because they cannot forge the cryptographic signature of Intel or AMD root CAs. Attempting to present a self-signed EK cert triggers immediate hardware ban attestation failures.
Review our analysis on Vanguard TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot troubleshooting.
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