Activision is stepping up its fight against cheating in Call of Duty, with Team RICOCHET announcing that more than 70,000 systems linked to cheating have been blocked over the past week across Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Call of Duty: Warzone.
The latest enforcement wave focuses heavily on stronger hardware bans, making it significantly harder for repeat offenders to simply create another account and return to the game.
In brief:
- Team RICOCHET blocked more than 70,000 systems tied to cheating over the past week.
- The bans affect Black Ops 7 and Warzone.
- Hardware bans target the player’s machine rather than only their Activision account.
- Activision says additional hardware enforcement and weekly anti-cheat updates are coming.
According to Team RICOCHET, Call of Duty has already used hardware identifiers to detect and take action against cheaters. However, Activision says recent improvements have strengthened those enforcement systems considerably.
The studio claims that more than 70,000 systems associated with cheating were blocked across Black Ops 7 and Warzone during the past week. Unlike a traditional account ban, the new measures are designed to target the machine itself.
So, creating another Activision account should no longer be enough for a banned system to immediately return to Call of Duty.
RICOCHET already uses a combination of client-side and server-side security systems, including a kernel-level driver on PC. Activision has also continued expanding hardware-based security measures and device verification as part of its broader anti-cheat strategy.
More Hardware Bans Are Coming to PC and Console
Activision says this is only the beginning. Hardware bans will continue rolling out across both PC and console, while Team RICOCHET plans to keep improving its detection and enforcement systems.
The company has previously expanded its efforts against unauthorized third-party devices such as Cronus Zen and XIM Matrix, which can manipulate player inputs and provide unfair advantages.
Team RICOCHET also confirmed that Call of Duty players can expect weekly anti-cheat updates through Season 1 of Modern Warfare 4. These updates will cover new detections, enforcement actions, and other changes aimed at making it increasingly difficult for cheaters to return.
All in all, hardware-level enforcement could prove far more impactful than simply banning individual accounts.
