Call of Duty: Warzone is getting a robust new anti-cheat system that uses a kernel-level driver to bolster security.
Ricochet Anti-Cheat is launching on PC alongside Call of Duty: Warzone's Pacific update later this year, with a subsequent release on Call of Duty: Vanguard at a later date.
For the uninitiated, kernel-level anti-cheat systems have drawn some scrutiny because they're able to access a wider range of software and applications on your PC, including your graphics card driver. The benefit is that the anti-cheat driver is able to better detect suspicious behavior and provide developers more data to combat cheaters, but what rubs some folks the wrong way is that it can monitor and manage your data beyond the application level.
That said, Activision is fully aware of some of the privacy concerns around kernel-level anti-cheat and assures that the software will only turn on when you boot up Call of Duty and will shut down as soon as you exit the application. The publisher also says Ricochet's anti-cheat driver will only access data that's related to Call of Duty. For some perhaps reassuring context, loads of games use kernel-level anti-cheat drivers including Fortnite, Fall Guys, Apex Legends, Gears 5, Genshin Impact, Valorant... the list goes on.
The kernel-level driver is the biggest highlight of the new anti-cheat system, but Activision says Ricochet also adds "a broad enhancement to the security" of Call of Duty Warzone and Vanguard, including more advanced machine learning algorithms. Finally, Activision says player reports and two-factor authentication remain critical in the ever-evolving battle against Warzone cheaters, so keep on fighting the good fight on your end as well.
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