[GameSpot] - Call Of Duty's Newest Anti-Cheat Tool Can Tell When You're Using Banned Hardware

[343iBot]

Activision has released new anti-cheat tools for the Call of Duty series that can detect when third-party hardware devices are attached to a person's setup.

In a blog post, Activision said such devices can give players the ability to gain an unfair advantage by way of reducing or completing eliminating weapon recoil, among other things. Following a testing period, Activision has now deployed the new hardware detection update in Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2.0. Anyone suspected to be cheating by way of a third-party hardware device on PC or console will see a warning page (see below) before potentially more serious action is taken.

Don't be a jerk

Anyone who continues to use such devices after the warning could face harsher penalties like an additional warning, "mitigations," an account suspension, or a total ban.

"We will continue to monitor this new detection's effectiveness and update our systems against further circumvention over time," Activision said. "We know players have been asking us to examine the improper use of these devices and we're happy to lay the foundation for this detection to protect against unfair play across PC and console."

Additionally, Activision announced that it created a new "Replay" tool that allows its development teams to watch any completed match as part of their investigation into potential bad behavior. Whether or not the Replay feature is ever made available to players is unknown.

These new anti-cheat measures are in addition to the various other in-game mitigation techniques that Activision uses to help stamp out bad actors. These include Cloaking (legitimate players are hidden from cheaters), Disarm (offending players have their weapons taken away), and Damage Shield (legitimate players get extra armor to fend off cheaters).

Finally, Call of Duty Modern Warfare II and Warzone 2.0 will now provide in-game warnings to players who are found to be using glitches and exploits or purposefully griefing players. Players found to be engaging in account-boosting will also see warnings, which could advance to account suspensions and progression resets, among other penalties.

Microsoft is in the process of buying Activision Blizzard and the Call of Duty series. The UK's CMA recently paved the way for the deal to go through, but it hasn't happened yet.

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