Call of Duty Black Ops 7: Activision Claims 97% Of Cheaters Are Banned In Under An Hour

The battle against cheating in online gaming is a relentless arms race. For every new anti-cheat measure developers implement, cheat creators work tirelessly to find a way around it. With the recent launch of the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 multiplayer beta, Activision has made a bold and headline-grabbing claim: its enhanced security measures are catching 97% of cheaters within just 30 minutes of their first sign-in.

This statement, released by the Team Ricochet anti-cheat division, has sent waves through the gaming community. It signals a new level of confidence from a publisher that has long struggled to contain the plague of cheating in its flagship franchise. This article will dive into Activision’s aggressive new approach, the technology behind the Call of Duty Black Ops 7 anti-cheat system, and what this means for the future of fair play online.

Call Of Duty Black Ops 7: A Proactive Stance in the Beta

Almost as soon as the Black Ops 7 beta went live, clips of cheaters using aimbots and wallhacks began to surface on social media. For veteran players, it was a familiar and disheartening sight. However, Activision was quick to address the issue, issuing a statement that framed the presence of cheaters as an expected part of the beta testing process.

“Cheaters were expected,” Team Ricochet wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “But our upgraded systems caught them faster than ever… Those who did manage to slip through didn’t last long. Most never made it into a match.”

The publisher went on to make its most audacious claim: “fewer than 1% of cheating attempts reached a match, and those who did were removed within minutes.” This proactive and transparent communication is a notable shift in strategy for Activision. Rather than letting the narrative be controlled by viral clips of cheaters, the company is getting ahead of the story, armed with data it believes proves the effectiveness of its new system.

The Technology Behind the Ban Hammer

Activision’s newfound confidence stems from a multi-layered security approach powered by its proprietary Ricochet Anti-Cheat system, now bolstered by stricter hardware-level checks. This two-pronged strategy is at the core of the new Call of Duty Black Ops 7 anti-cheat system.

Ricochet Anti-Cheat: Smarter and Faster

First introduced in 2021, the Ricochet Anti-Cheat system uses a kernel-level driver to monitor software and applications that attempt to interact with and manipulate the Call of Duty game client. This deep level of system access allows it to detect cheat software more effectively than traditional anti-cheat methods.

For Black Ops 7, Ricochet has been upgraded with more sophisticated automated systems. These systems are designed to identify cheating behavior in real-time, flag accounts, and issue bans with minimal human intervention. This speed is what allows Activision to claim that 97% of cheaters are caught within half an hour. The system is constantly learning from new cheat attempts, making it a dynamic and evolving defense.

Hardware-Level Security: TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot

The biggest change for PC players is the new requirement for Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 and Secure Boot. These are hardware-based security features built into modern computer motherboards and processors.

• TPM 2.0: This is a dedicated microchip designed to provide hardware-based security functions. It creates a secure, encrypted environment that makes it much harder for malicious software, including cheats, to run undetected.
• Secure Boot: This is a security standard that ensures a device boots using only software that is trusted by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). It prevents unauthorized and potentially malicious code from loading when you start your PC.

By requiring these features, Activision is creating a more secure and verifiable environment on a player’s PC. It makes it significantly more difficult for cheat developers to create software that can bypass Ricochet’s kernel-level driver. While some players have voiced concerns about these requirements, feeling disruptive, Activision maintains they are essential steps to “ensure a secure, fair experience for every player.”

Community Skepticism and the Road Ahead

Despite Activision’s confident statistics, the community response has been mixed. On social media, the official announcement was met with a healthy dose of skepticism. Some players pointed out that the claim of banning “97% of cheaters” only applies to the cheaters that the system actually detects, leaving open the possibility that more sophisticated cheats are going unnoticed.

Other players have shared their own experiences of encountering cheaters in the beta, questioning the accuracy of the “fewer than 1% of cheating attempts reached a match” statistic. There are also reports from legitimate players who claim to have been “shadowbanned”—placed in lobbies with suspected cheaters—despite not using any illicit software, suggesting the new system may be overly aggressive in some cases.

Activision acknowledges that the fight is far from over. In its statement, Team Ricochet noted that it is also going after cheat vendors directly, contributing to the closure of over 40 cheat developers and resellers since the launch of Black Ops 6. The publisher has committed to transparency and community feedback as it continues to fine-tune its systems.

The Broader Implications for Online Gaming

Activision’s aggressive and technologically advanced approach to anti-cheat has significant implications for the entire online gaming industry.

1. Hardware Requirements are Becoming the Norm

The use of TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot is not unique to Call of Duty. Other competitive titles, like Valorant, have successfully used similar hardware-level requirements to maintain a high level of competitive integrity. Activision’s adoption of this standard for one of the world’s biggest gaming franchises solidifies it as the new baseline for competitive PC gaming.

2. The PR Battle is as Important as the Tech Battle

Activision’s public-facing strategy of releasing statistics and communicating proactively is a powerful tool in managing player perception. By demonstrating its commitment and sharing data, the company can help build player confidence and counter the narrative that cheating is running rampant and unchecked.

3. The True Test is Longevity

The ultimate test of the new Call of Duty Black Ops 7 anti-cheat system will not be the beta, but the state of the game six months after launch. Cheaters are persistent, and cheat developers are well-funded. Maintaining a fair playing field requires constant vigilance and evolution. While the initial claims are promising, players will be watching closely to see if Activision can sustain this level of effectiveness over the long term.

For now, Activision has drawn a new line in the sand. With a combination of sophisticated software and hardware-level security, it has made its boldest declaration yet in the war on cheating. The early results from the beta are encouraging, but the fight for fair play is a marathon, not a sprint.