Ubisoft promises "important changes" to Rainbow Six Siege X including Secure Boot as holiday cyberattack fallout lingers

Rainbow Six Siege X developer Ubisoft promises that it's implementing "important changes across our account security, anti-cheat, and anti-toxicity systems" as it heads into Year 11 of the tactical multiplayer game. As cleanup from the recent cyberattacks continues, the developer cautions that the R6SX marketplace is likely to remain out of action for "several months." Among the plans for 2026 is the implementation of official mouse-and-keyboard support for console players, and an initial rollout of Secure Boot for its new "highly competitive playlist," Top of the Ladder.

The Rainbow Six Siege X team confirms it has restored lost inventories resulting from the recent cyberattack, and reassures users that "While we are continuing our investigation, there is no indication that players' personal data or any source code was compromised." For Year 11, it will be introducing "additional security measures" including "app-based two-factor authentication for key features such as ranked play and the marketplace."

Siege's in-game marketplace was disabled as part of Ubisoft's response to the attacks, and it will remain that way for the foreseeable future as the developer implements "stronger account security, enhanced fraud detection, and refined economy management." It notes, "This work is expected to take several months. The team is actively working as quickly as possible to implement these protections so the marketplace can reopen safely and reliably."

Ubisoft acknowledges that Year 10 Season 4 saw "a surge of player concerns across social channels regarding cheating, particularly at the highest ranks." It says it has strengthened the R6 Shieldguard platform "through team expansion, improved tools, and faster response capabilities." On top of this, it'll be introducing a new layer of protection that's built around the system-level Windows Secure Boot feature.

Initially, this new branch of Shieldguard will be used for Siege X's new Top of the Ladder playlist, which is currently scheduled to launch with the midseason update in Year 11, Season 2. It's designed for "the best of the best," and will require you to reach Champion rank in the current season to take part. "Cheating has the greatest impact at the highest levels of play," Ubisoft explains. "Deploying R6 Shieldguard Secure Platform here lets us validate both effectiveness and player experience under the most demanding conditions."

The rollout for the Shieldguard Secure Platform will begin in limited tests, followed by "full deployment to eligible players in the Top of the Ladder playlist." Ubisoft says this lets it "harden the system, improve reliability, and communicate clearly with players before considering broader deployment." If it proves a success, I'd expect to see it eventually roll out into other modes as well, especially given Secure Boot's use by rivals such as Battlefield 6, Call of Duty Black Ops 7, Arc Raiders, and Valorant.

Beyond those anti-cheat steps, Ubisoft is also considering taking "stronger actions" against boosters and smurfers. This includes targeting "players who intentionally squad with cheaters, participate in account sharing, or use secondary accounts to disrupt lower ranks." It also aims to build on the live moderation and reputation systems introduced in Year 10, promising "better reporting feedback, clearer visibility on moderation actions, and continued improvements to live text and voice moderation."

Console players are getting official mouse-and-keyboard support, and using it will place them into the 'PC input' matchmaking pool. As a result, cases of input spoofing to use such devices illegitimately "will be handled more strictly." Finally, the team says it's planning changes to the way abandons work, with the intent "to reduce match dodging at higher ranks while avoiding unfair penalties caused by technical issues."

Ubisoft's Rainbow Six Siege X Year 11 roadmap reveal is due to take place on Sunday February 15 at 8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm GMT / 5pm CET. It's apparently going to feature the arrival of Solid Snake in what might be the finest collaboration of the year, so I'll be watching with interest.