Beware 'Call of Duty' Players: Self-Spreading Malware Can Infect Accounts in Hacked Lobbies

Joseph Henry, Tech Times 27 July 2023, 01:07 pm

"Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2," an old version of "COD," has been exploited by an unknown group of hackers who deployed self-spreading malware to the players.

Although the game was first launched by Activision in 2009, the multiplayer aspect of the game remains inaccessible to a small number of gamers.

Self-Spreading Virus Hits COD Players

Beware 'Call of Duty' Players: Self-Spreading Malware Can Infect Your Account in Hacked Lobbies

(Photo: Activision) An old "Call of Duty" game became a channel of malware after hackers deploy the virus in hacked lobbies

As TechCrunch saw on a Steam Forum on Wednesday, July 26, hackers are infecting the account of "COD" players with strange malware.

It turns out that the virus is a worm that is capable of self-spreading across infected online lobbies. One user who found out that there's a trojan in "Call of Duty" has urged all players to run an antivirus when opening the game.

The original poster also said that hackers attack hacked lobbies and replace them with dsound.dll.

Some people on the discussion thread ask what kind of virus scanner can detect the malware. Others ask if the worm is existing in the Windows files since they couldn't locate the dsound.dll.

Furthermore, another commenter writes that it might be completely unsafe to play the original "Modern Warfare 2" in multiplayer on PC because of the cyber attack.

Another user says that every time he launches MW2 and MW2, Sophos Home blocks them. He is also wondering if he can overrule it but he doesn't know if it's safe.

While some question the nature of the malware, it turns out that it's indeed a worm. An anonymous game insider reveals that it has strings that confirm its identity.

Activision Launches Investigation with Latest 'COD' Hack

The official Twitter page "Call of Duty Updates" has tweeted a statement that hints at Activision's move to investigate the recent worm which hits "Modern Warfare 2."

"Multiplayer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) on Steam was brought offline while we investigate reports of an issue," the tweet says.

The hackers have indeed succeeded in infecting the players' accounts with a worm and executing malicious code on their PCs. Up to this day, no one knows the true movie of the hackers behind this attack.

'Call of Duty' Cheaters Are Spoiling the Fun of Gamers

While the cyberattack on "Modern Warfare" is a new string of concern for Activision, another in-game issue is affecting the gameplay of some players.

Per ComicBook's report, "COD" hackers are reportedly kicking players from lobbies. The cheating in the game has gotten worse and more annoying this time since you could easily lose points by not playing a ranked game.

What's more, players who are kicked will be slapped with a suspension which will restrict them from joining matches for some time.

For LunchTime, a popular "COD" streamer on Twitch is saying that these cheaters have been ruining the game again and again. He finds it bizarre to see the same cheating incident with the same people.