This Call of Duty game just hit Xbox Game Pass, but it’s infested with RCE hackers — I’d take cover and avoid playing until there’s a fix

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Following Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard towards the end of 2023, the company behind Xbox and Windows has gradually introduced popular Call of Duty games, among the highest-grossing titles globally, to its widely used all-you-can-play subscription service, Xbox Game Pass. This process started with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 last year, followed by the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, then Modern Warfare 2 in May, and most recently, Call of Duty: WWII on Monday.

Since then, players have been steadily pouring into the 2017 FPS game, available on both Xbox and PC. This influx might be due to the game being included in Game Pass on these platforms, a subscription service that allows players to play the game for free who would otherwise have to pay $60. Regrettably, this anticipated resurgence of the “boots on the ground” shooter has been tainted by numerous reports of troubling RCE hacks during online multiplayer sessions.

Remote Code Execution (RCE) incidents enable hackers to run code on another user’s computer from a distance, as implied by their name. Although infrequent, these types of hacks have led to data leaks and malicious software infiltration in the past. They serve as warning signs for significant security loopholes within anti-cheat systems. A recent example is when all Dark Souls servers were temporarily shut down before Elden Ring’s launch due to an RCE exploit that FromSoftware needed to rectify.

It appears that Call of Duty: WWII players are reporting suspicious activities, such as hacks, on social media. For instance, in the video shared by user Wrioh (which can be viewed here), their game freezes after being killed by “FlyingBell76523,” a strange combination of words and numbers often used for temporary accounts. It seems that some code is triggered following their death, opening a Notepad document with a mocking message before the Call of Duty: WWII client shuts down.

A well-known content producer for Call of Duty, TDAWG, posted an image received from a fan, revealing a threatening message due to a Remote Code Execution (RCE) hack. The message read, “Get hacked by adrian5909, your PC is now under my control.

A friendly heads-up about Call of Duty WWII on PC Game Pass: be aware that your computer could potentially get hacked if you play it. I received this warning from one of my subscribers, so let’s help spread the word by sharing this message.

As a tech-savvy individual, I stumbled upon an intriguing post by user Lasagne Manne, who refers to themselves as a “Cheat Engine expert” and “video game hacker.” Remarkably, they shared a screenshot of a program that, according to them, is being used for these Remote Code Execution (RCE) exploits. The image reveals various options, ranging from toggling a player’s microphone on or off, playing sound effects, to more alarming actions such as inducing a blue screen of death (BSOD) or even forcing a PC shutdown.

They mentioned conversing with someone who had access earlier and received a preview/opportunity to purchase the source code. It’s not just World War II games that are affected, but most Call of Duty games in general. This indicates that other Call of Duty games may also be at risk. They went on to say that there is currently an illegal sale of these features, and computers of those who buy them are being transformed into botnet zombies.

It appears that rapid investigations show that RCE hacks have been an issue in previous Call of Duty games on PC. However, these occurrences seem less frequent than the numerous reports about WWII currently circulating on social media. Nonetheless, it underscores that there is indeed a significant concern at hand.

It’s challenging to definitively assess the extent of these exploit programs’ danger and prevalence at this stage, but considering Call of Duty: WWII is eight years old, it’s reasonable to expect that its anti-cheat mechanisms might be insufficient to counteract them. This could potentially become a significant concern as more players are drawn to the game due to its availability on PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

At the moment of writing, neither Activision nor developers Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software have publicly addressed player reports regarding a potential serious flaw in Call of Duty: WWII on PC. It’s hoped they are working to fix this issue as soon as possible. For your safety, it might be best to postpone playing Call of Duty: WWII online for now.

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2025-07-03 23:09