Call of Duty cheaters are getting their data stolen through malware

A few days ago, the Call of Duty community reportedly faced data breaches through malware. The news was first reported by Vx-underground, a team maintaining an online malware repository for educational purposes.

In a post on X (Twitter), Vx-underground wrote, “Over the past couple of days we have become aware of malware targeting gamers! More specifically, a currently unidentified Threat Actor is utilizing an information stealer to target individuals who cheat (Pay-to-Cheat) in video games.”

Further reports suggest, not only those who are using these pay-to-cheat pieces of software, but people using free VPNs and Controller Boosting software are also being affected. The malware is allegedly stealing payment information and Bitcoin wallet information.

Vx-underground revealed that this was found after the cheat maker of PhantomOverlay found out about the fraudulent transactions. At the moment, an estimated 5 lakh people are affected by the malware. Players are advised not to download and use external software for gaming.

Activision responds to the situation

Activision have come out and confirmed that they are investigating the situation. The company also revealed that the official servers were not compromised, meaning the people using external software are the only ones facing this issue.

In a statement to CharlieIntel, Activision said, “There have been claims that some player credentials across the broader industry could be compromised from malware from downloading or using unauthorized software. Activision Blizzard servers remain secure and uncompromised.”

The majority of the community, however, is calling this a ‘karma’ for people using cheating software. CoD players are already suffering from a cheating problem and since the target is people looking to cheat, other players will just point and laugh in this situation.

Activision has also denied helping remove this malware, as the company is not thrilled to help people selling and buying cheats for their game. The Call of Duty franchise is no stranger to cheaters. In fact, after Counter-Strike, CoD might be the second next in line for cheating problems despite multiple actions by the developers.