'Call Of Duty' Gets New Kernel-Level Anti-Cheat To Fight Against Hackers

Activision will be implementing its own proprietary anti-cheat software for the next generation of “Call Of Duty” games and “Warzone” in an attempt to curb the rampancy of hackers in the games’ lobbies.

Ricochet is a kernel-level driver that was specifically developed to counter cheaters in “Call Of Duty” titles, especially in “Warzone” where the amount of cheaters is perceived to be exceptionally high. The developers described Ricochet as a “multi-faceted approach to combat cheating,” which sounds promising considering how some cheatmakers have managed to bypass other kernel-level anti-cheat software.

To explain without getting too technical, kernel-level anti-cheat software works by blocking a game’s connection to potentially malicious system processes that are found deep inside a computer’s operating system. As far as Ricochet is concerned, it will only monitor processes that interact directly with “Call Of Duty” games.

Due to the nature of kernel-level drivers, Activision has made transparency in Ricochet’s operation a top priority. The developers emphasized that the anti-cheat software will only be active when a “Call Of Duty” game like “Warzone” is running and it will automatically shut down when users stop playing. Additionally, Ricochet’s operations will only affect “Call Of Duty” and nothing more.

This will prevent the anti-cheat driver from interfering with essential PC processes that might impact a computer’s performance even while users aren’t playing. Unlike Riot Vanguard, another proprietary anti-cheat developed specifically for “Valorant,” Ricochet will automatically turn on when a “Call Of Duty” game is started; players will not need to restart their computers every time Activision’s anti-cheat is turned off.

Because of Ricochet’s automatic boot and shutdown properties as well as its focus on processes that affect only “Call Of Duty,” players can rest assured that their private data will remain untouched whenever the anti-cheat system is active.

Kernel-level drivers have the highest privileges when it comes to accessing sensitive data in a computer, and malicious software with the same level of access can completely destroy a PC. However, Activision reassures players that there is nothing to be worried about, as Ricochet’s only goal is to prevent cheaters from ruining the fun “Call Of Duty” experience that millions of fans have come to love over the years.