RICOCHET Anti-Cheat provides update ahead of Black Ops 7 launch

Cheating is a real buzzkill. Activision has recognized that and has dove even deeper this year into methods on taking out hackers. With TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot required, along with good results in the beta test, things are going pretty well. Still, there's more to be done, and the team dropped an update today to let you know how they're approaching Call of Duty: Black Ops 7's launch.

When Call of Duty®: Black Ops 7 launches November 14, RICOCHET Anti-Cheat's advanced security systems will be live, protecting your experience from Day One.

Last month’s Black Ops 7 Beta delivered the strongest anti-cheat results in Call of Duty history. Our systems acted faster than ever, cutting median detection time to under three matches and keeping nearly 99% of Beta games cheater-free. That’s not just a number to us – it’s the myriads of matches where players could focus on competing and having fun. That’s what RICOCHET Anti-Cheat is built to protect.

With launch just around the corner, we’re continuing that momentum as we aim to deliver the most robust anti-cheat system in the industry. The battle against cheating is constantly evolving, and we’re committed to staying ahead throughout Black Ops 7 launch and beyond.

Heading into Black Ops 7:

• Important: TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are required to play on PC
• Machine learning: Advanced aimbot and behavioral detections
• Faster actioning: New systems shorten the time between detection and enforcement

Important: TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot Required

Every fair match starts with a secure foundation. For PC players, TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot help build that foundation by verifying that your system is trusted before you enter the match, like a handshake that says, “I’m legit. Let’s play.”

By enabling these features, you’re helping us lock out cheaters who rely on tampered systems to gain an advantage. It’s one of the strongest defenses we’ve ever added, and it works before you start playing.  TPM 2.0 helps us tell the difference between a secure PC and a compromised one, closing off one of the most common points where cheaters try to get in.

We know that these steps take time, and we’re grateful for your commitment – this is a shared effort between us and our community.

These features aren’t standalone settings; they work in concert as part of our layered defense system. Secure Boot ensures your system launches from a trusted state, while TPM 2.0 validates the integrity of the key components #TeamRICOCHET relies on to protect your game. Together, they strengthen the entire ecosystem.

In Black Ops 7, we’ll use a remote verification system (called Remote Attestation) that offers stronger safeguards than the local or client-based verification methods typically used in other games. 

To help you enable these features, we’ve built guides on how to update your system safely. Most players won’t need to change anything. But if you do, our instructions will walk you through it. 

You can also watch the videos below for a tutorial on how to turn on TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, and information on updating your BIOS.  

(Note: Not every player will need to update their BIOS. Activision is not responsible for any damage to your PC. Please follow instructions from your motherboard manufacturer. Incorrect changes can cause system damage.)

Learn more about how to enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot.

Learn more about how to update your BIOS.

Stay tuned for more support we’ll be providing , including an application you can use to check your system’s TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot status. This tool will show the next steps you need to take if either of these security features don't meet Call of Duty requirements. More information about the application will be available as we get closer to launch.

Thank you for being part of keeping Call of Duty fair for everyone. Your effort here matters - every player who enables these features strengthens the RICOCHET Anti-Cheat shield we’re building together. 

Evolved Machine Learning: Smarter, Faster, and Fairer

#TeamRICOCHET’s machine learning systems evolve with every match played. We continue to sharpen how quickly we spot inhuman precision – and we shut it down fast. Each improvement we make to our detection systems means fewer unfair matches, and more wins that are 100% earned.

Our aimbot detection models are trained to decide whether a player’s targeting was performed by a human or an aimbot. In Black Ops 7, these updated models will discriminate between natural aim and cheating with even greater precision by taking what they have learned from real gameplay to catch more cheaters than before.

But aim is only part of the picture. We’re also improving our behavioral models, which look at how players act across an entire match and take a bird’s-eye view of what cheating looks like. These upgraded models now analyze not just where a player aims, but how they move, how they engage, and how their play changes. 

If an account consistently racks up high kills in areas of the map that aren’t typically hotspots – we flag that anomaly for deeper analysis. And if someone’s aim snaps across the map in ways that the human eye can’t track, RICOCHET Anti-Cheat is onto that.

Our pattern recognition is trained on real matches, learning what genuine skill looks like – and recognizing when it’s not.

We examine patterns across:

• Kills, deaths, and damage ratios
• Movement, aiming angles, and reaction times
• Anomalous ping and latency behavior
• Map activity density and team-level stats
• And more 

Used side-by-side, these upgraded machine learning tools help us get bad actors out of the game faster than before.

Booting Cheaters Quickly

During Beta, we piloted new systems designed to shorten the time between detection and enforcement. These tools helped us to act on cheat detections and boot cheaters from Call of Duty the game faster than in any previous Call of Duty title.

Those systems will be even more effective at launch. Our tools will continue to take action on accounts caught cheating using standard processes, but we’re also going a step further. In Black Ops 6, #TeamRICOCHET actioned on accounts within an hour. But now, a number of cheats will get bad actors booted immediately (No, we won’t say which ones. Cheaters read these blogs, too.) 

Our mission is simple: Make every round you play fair. Each RICOCHET Anti-cheat upgrade means cleaner matches and wins that reflect real skill. You deserve nothing less, and that’s our promise to you. 

Follow @CODUpdates on X for real-time updates, information from upcoming Progress Reports, and more. You can also find us on Reddit at u/RICOCHETcm.

Stay tuned to GamingTrend for more Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 news and info!