Cheaters Already Plaguing Black Ops 7 Despite Enhanced Anti-Cheat Measures

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 launched on November 14 with promises of the most advanced anti-cheat protection in gaming history, but cheaters have been present in the game since its beta testing in early October, raising concerns about the effectiveness of Activision's upgraded security systems.

Despite requiring PC players to enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot—measures designed to create a trusted gaming environment—cheaters using wall hacks and aimbots appeared within hours of the beta's early access launch on October 2. Videos quickly surfaced on social media showing players utilizing cheat engines that allowed them to see through walls and automatically lock onto enemy heads, prompting frustration from the community.

Well-known streamers like Stodeh highlighted the issue almost immediately, posting clips with the caption "This can't be happening in Black Ops 7 ALREADY." Other players reported encountering cheaters in their very first beta matches, leading to widespread disappointment given Activision's recent promises about building toward the most robust anti-cheat protections in gaming.

Activision has defended its approach, claiming the presence of cheaters during the beta was actually part of its strategy. The publisher stated that allowing cheaters to test the system during beta provided valuable data to improve detection methods before launch. An Activision representative noted that Team Ricochet was "watching, learning, and removing them as they appear," with accounts permanently banned for cheating during the beta also being banned across all Call of Duty titles.

The company has reported impressive statistics, claiming that 97% of cheaters caught during the beta were banned within 30 minutes, and that by day five of testing, 98.8% of matches were cheater-free. Activision also stated that fewer than 1% of cheating attempts reached a match, with most being stopped before players could even enter a game.

However, skepticism remains within the community. Critics point out that the 97% figure only applies to cheaters Activision knows about and has detected, potentially excluding those who remain undetected. Some community members have claimed that cheat developers adapted their tools for Black Ops 7 in as little as five minutes, suggesting the arms race between developers and hackers continues.

The enhanced anti-cheat measures include upgraded machine learning systems trained on millions of hours of gameplay, behavioral analysis that examines how players move and engage, and remote attestation with Microsoft Azure servers for validation. Activision claims major cheat providers are now labeling their tools as "unusable" or "detected," and the company has contributed to shutting down over 40 cheat developers and resellers since Black Ops 6 launched.

With Black Ops 7 facing stiff competition from Battlefield 6 and already struggling with disappointing sales figures, a launch plagued by cheaters could prove devastating for the franchise's reputation and player retention.