Activision is investigating reports of malware stealing player data

Activision is reportedly investigating the possibility of malware that’s been targeting players in Call of Duty in attempts to steal player data. At the moment it doesn’t seem to be confirmed where the malware comes from or how it’s infecting players’ PCs. However, there is talk that the malware was able to infect player PCs through the downloads of unauthorized software for use with Call of Duty.

In other words, players who had their data stolen may have been infected with the malware after downloading cheat software. First reported by TechCrunch, the main goals of these hackers aren’t yet clear. TechCrunch says the hackers were “trying to steal passwords for various types of accounts.” It’s also noted that it isn’t just passwords for gaming accounts that are being targeted. But also the passwords for crypto wallets.

Activision has acknowledged these claims and is actively looking into the situation. The company is also “aware of some claims that some player credentials across the broader industry could be compromised from malware from downloading or using unauthorized software.” It isn’t confirmed yet that these hacks were caused by the downloads of unauthorized third-party software.

Following reports of malware stealing player data, Activision says company servers are safe

The good news for legitimate players, it seems, is that Activision company servers are reportedly fine. A spokesperson for Activision Blizzard who spoke with TechCrunch says that the company servers “remain secure and uncompromised.” So it’s quite likely that only players downloading and using unauthorized third-party software have been impacted.

Call of Duty has had an ongoing issue with cheaters using third-party software to gain an advantage. Activision’s anti-cheat team has implemented a number of mitigations over the last couple of years to try and stop them. For instance, players caught using aim assist on PC through unauthorized software will have the game immediately shut down. Other mitigations cause enemy players to become invisible for those cheating, as well as make them invincible to damage.

While it hasn’t been confirmed that players using cheat software are the targets, that appears to be the case. According to TechCrunch, a cheat software developer named Zebleer was the first to discover the presence of this malware after being contacted by a customer who had purchased their cheat software. The customer said that they had some of their data stolen, which led Zebleer to investigate. Who says that it looks like players were being with an Infostealer malware campaign.

Whether or not these claims from players are true, it goes without saying that players should be vigilant in protecting their online information. However, if it’s true that the malware is targeting cheaters, the simple fix is to just not download cheat software.