Activision Pulls Call of Duty Game After PC Players Are Hacked

In a shocking move, Activision has pulled its popular first-person shooter game, Call of Duty: WWII, from the Microsoft Store and PC version of Game Pass, citing reports of multiple PC players having their computers compromised by hackers after playing the title.

The publisher announced that the game was "brought offline" on Friday, while they investigate reports of an issue. However, it's unclear what specific reason led to the game's removal from these platforms. The outage only affects PC versions of the game from Microsoft's storefront and the Game Pass subscription service, leaving players who download the game through Steam or other means unaffected.

According to social media reports, players are complaining about their PCs being hacked after playing Call of Duty: WWII. One popular streamer, Wrioh, posted a clip of the hack in action, showing the game freeze, command line and text box windows pop up, and the desktop wallpaper changed. The text box warns that Wrioh has been "RCEd," referring to remote code execution vulnerabilities, where a hacker plants malware that allows them to run malicious code and take control of a device.

The hack is believed to be related to an "old flaw" that had been patched on other versions of the game. TechCrunch reports that different versions of Call of Duty: WWII were added to Microsoft's store and subscription, including this vulnerable version. It's unclear why this specific version was uploaded in the first place.

The game has not yet been restored, leaving many players wondering if they will be able to play it again in the future. Activision has not announced when or if the game will return to the Microsoft Store and Game Pass. In the meantime, PC players are being warned to exercise caution when playing online games, especially those with a history of security vulnerabilities.

The incident highlights the ongoing struggle between game developers and hackers, who constantly seek ways to exploit game vulnerabilities for malicious purposes. It also serves as a reminder for gamers to stay vigilant and keep their software up-to-date to protect themselves from potential threats.