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class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"25.15411558669\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"33.549295774648\">\n<ul class=\"single-article__eyebrow\">\n<li class=\"single-article__category\"> <a class=\"single-article__category-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/call-of-duty-remote-code-execution-pc-game-offline\/\"> <span>Cybersecurity<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> Gamemakers have only said they are investigating an unspecified \u201cissue.\u201d Players are posting videos of their computers being compromised. <\/p>\n<p>  <br \/>\n<audio id=\"audio-player\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-tts-cdn.api.scpnewsgrp.com\/cyberscoop\/85089\/english.openai.mp3\"><\/audio> <\/p>\n<div readability=\"11\">\n<div>\n<p>Listen to this article<\/p>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p>0:00<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p> <span id=\"tts-tooltip\">Learn more.<\/span> <span> This feature uses an automated voice, which may result in occasional errors in pronunciation, tone, or sentiment. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"348\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/call-of-duty-takes-pc-game-offline-after-multiple-reports-of-rce-attacks-on-players.png?resize=640%2C348&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/call-of-duty-takes-pc-game-offline-after-multiple-reports-of-rce-attacks-on-players-1.png 2866w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/call-of-duty-takes-pc-game-offline-after-multiple-reports-of-rce-attacks-on-players-1.png?resize=300,163 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/call-of-duty-takes-pc-game-offline-after-multiple-reports-of-rce-attacks-on-players-1.png?resize=768,418 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/call-of-duty-takes-pc-game-offline-after-multiple-reports-of-rce-attacks-on-players-1.png?resize=1024,557 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/call-of-duty-takes-pc-game-offline-after-multiple-reports-of-rce-attacks-on-players-1.png?resize=1536,836 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/call-of-duty-takes-pc-game-offline-after-multiple-reports-of-rce-attacks-on-players-1.png?resize=2048,1115 2048w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/call-of-duty-takes-pc-game-offline-after-multiple-reports-of-rce-attacks-on-players-1.png?resize=600,327 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/call-of-duty-takes-pc-game-offline-after-multiple-reports-of-rce-attacks-on-players-1.png?resize=1200,653 1200w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/call-of-duty-takes-pc-game-offline-after-multiple-reports-of-rce-attacks-on-players-1.png?resize=1500,816 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><figcaption> A screenshot of a video posted by a player on X showing their PC being taken over by hackers on Call of Duty: World War 2. (Image source: X.com) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"23.290497737557\"><body readability=\"47.03413582465\"><\/p>\n<p>The makers of Call of Duty: World War 2 took the PC version of the game offline over the weekend amid widespread reports online that a remote code execution vulnerability was being used to take over victim computers during live multiplayer matches.<\/p>\n<p>On June 30, the 2017 game was released through Xbox\u2019s GamePass service. On July 5, the X account for game updates announced that the version of the 2017 game for personal computers would be removed from the Microsoft Store \u201cwhile we investigate reports of an issue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But users playing through GamePass quickly began posting videos showing their PCs being taken over during live matches.<\/p>\n<p>One player <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/wrioh75753\/status\/1940597447467979053?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1940597447467979053%7Ctwgr%5Eff025cd00550143ee9affd2c2703530109442d2b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.malwarebytes.com%2Fblog%2Fnews%2F2025%2F07%2Fgamers-hacked-playing-call-of-duty-wwii-pc-version-temporarily-taken-offline\">posted<\/a> a recording of his game freezing as a Windows command file executes in the background, followed by a text note saying the hacker had \u201cjust RCEd your ass\u201d while telling them to contact Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP, an entertainment law firm in Los Angeles. Other users reported that their computers were shut down by the hackers or had their desktop pictures changed to pornographic images.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>According to the cybersecurity firm MalwareBytes, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.malwarebytes.com\/blog\/news\/2025\/07\/gamers-hacked-playing-call-of-duty-wwii-pc-version-temporarily-taken-offline\">the problem<\/a> appears to stem from the way older Call of Duty games \u2014 like many other titles \u2014 switch from dedicated servers to peer-to-peer networking as a game ages out. Rather than run and maintain a fleet of servers to host older games online, many video game companies eventually discontinue or reroute those resources, allowing players to use their own machines as the server host. But that opens those players up to malicious parties who use that connection to hack their opponents.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe hacking of older titles is an open-air secret among the Call of Duty community, with players often avoiding the games on Steam,\u201d wrote Pieter Arntz, a researcher at MalwareBytes.<\/p>\n<p>Call of Duty games <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gamespot.com\/articles\/call-of-duty-rampant-cheating-activision-finally-responds\/1100-6528903\/\">are notorious<\/a> for being replete with hackers and cheaters who exploit vulnerabilities in the game\u2019s software to gain an unfair advantage \u2014 like automatic aiming \u2014 or simply to frustrate other players. This is not the first time hackers have exploited vulnerabilities in Call of Duty\u2019s massive codebase to disrupt or compromise other players. Six years ago researchers <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/RektInator\/cod-steamauth-rce\">flagged CVEs<\/a> with proof-of-concept code for gaining remote code execution privileges on Call of Duty games through Steam, a popular PC gaming platform.<\/p>\n<p>The Call of Duty X account has not provided an update on the game\u2019s status or the investigation since Saturday. According to the game\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CODUpdates\/status\/1940149037073924550\">main X account<\/a>, Call of Duty: World War 2 was briefly taken down for maintenance the morning of July 2 alongside nine other titles in the series.<\/p>\n<p>Questions sent to EA\/Activision\u2019s press office seeking confirmation the game was taken offline due to the exploits were not immediately returned. <\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"3.683615819209\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"13\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/call-of-duty-takes-pc-game-offline-after-multiple-reports-of-rce-attacks-on-players.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Derek B. Johnson\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Derek B. Johnson<\/h4>\n<p> Derek B. Johnson is a reporter at CyberScoop, where his beat includes cybersecurity, elections and the federal government. Prior to that, he has provided award-winning coverage of cybersecurity news across the public and private sectors for various publications since 2017. Derek has a bachelor\u2019s degree in print journalism from Hofstra University in New York and a master\u2019s degree in public policy from George Mason University in Virginia. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<section class=\"latest-podcasts\">\n<h2 class=\"latest-podcasts__title\"> Latest Podcasts\t<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"top-categories\">\n<div class=\"top-categories__container\">\n<h3 class=\"top-categories__category-title\">Government<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"top-categories__container\">\n<h3 class=\"top-categories__category-title\">Technology<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/main> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--bottom \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"interstitial\" class=\"welcome__container\"> <button id=\"close-modal-1\" class=\"welcome__clickable_area\"><\/button> <\/p>\n<div class=\"welcome__ad_wrapper\">\n<p> <button id=\"close-modal-3\" class=\"welcome__continue-button\">Continue to CyberScoop<\/button> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>   <\/body> <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/call-of-duty-remote-code-execution-pc-game-offline\/\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Call of Duty takes PC game offline after multiple reports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4536,282,78,625,2879],"tags":[4537,286,86,630,2881],"class_list":["post-7782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-call-of-duty","category-cybercrime","category-cybersecurity","category-microsoft","category-remote-code-execution","tag-call-of-duty","tag-cybercrime","tag-cybersecurity","tag-microsoft","tag-remote-code-execution"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":"","chromenews-featured":"","chromenews-large":"","chromenews-medium":""},"author_info":{"display_name":"Cyber Scoop","author_link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/author\/cyberscoop\/"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/call-of-duty\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Call of Duty<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/cybercrime\/\" rel=\"category tag\">cybercrime<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/cybersecurity\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Cybersecurity<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/microsoft\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Microsoft<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/remote-code-execution\/\" rel=\"category tag\">remote code execution<\/a>","tag_info":"remote code execution","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7782"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7782\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

{"id":7782,"date":"2025-07-07T13:26:06","date_gmt":"2025-07-07T18:26:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=85089"},"modified":"2025-07-07T13:26:06","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T18:26:06","slug":"call-of-duty-takes-pc-game-offline-after-multiple-reports-of-rce-attacks-on-players","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2025\/07\/07\/call-of-duty-takes-pc-game-offline-after-multiple-reports-of-rce-attacks-on-players\/","title":{"rendered":"Call of Duty takes PC game offline after multiple reports of RCE attacks on players"},"content":{"rendered":"