RICOCHET Anti-Cheat is making it harder for cheaters to get back into Call of Duty matches.
Team RICOCHET has added stronger PC checks in Black Ops 7 and Warzone. It is also still looking for devices such as Cronus Zen and XIM Matrix. Players can use those devices to get an unfair advantage.
The main change is Remote Attestation. It checks a PC’s security settings through Microsoft before a player enters Ranked Play.
Failing these checks does not automatically ban a player. Instead, Activision puts those players in a smaller matchmaking group with fewer playlists. It says this helps keep secure PCs separate from PCs with security problems.
RICOCHET is trying to stop cheaters before a match starts. It is not only trying to catch them after they have spoiled a game.
How RICOCHET Anti-Cheat checks a PC
PC players now need TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot. These are security settings found on most newer computers.
Microsoft checks these settings through its own servers. This makes it harder for a changed PC to look safe when it is not.
Players who fail the check will see a message. They cannot match with players who pass it, including console players.
However, failing a check does not always mean someone cheated. A PC can fail because of a hardware or system update problem. Activision tells players to check its support guide if they need help.
RICOCHET is also looking for banned input devices. Cronus Zen and XIM Matrix can run scripts that change aim, recoil or button presses. Activision does not allow them when players use them to cheat.
The company looks at how a player’s inputs behave. It does not only look for a device name. This matters because cheat makers can change their tools to avoid a simple block.
Activision says nearly two-thirds of players who got a temporary ban for these devices did not use them again in Black Ops 7.
Because of this, RICOCHET does more than hand out permanent bans. A warning or short ban can still stop someone from using a cheating tool again.
RICOCHET uses more than one check. It can look at security settings, suspicious programs and strange input patterns. One sign may not prove cheating. Several signs can give the team a clearer answer.
The system has to keep changing. For example, a block may stop one version of a cheating tool. Its makers can then release another version. RICOCHET also needs to spot what the tool does.
Why the new checks matter for Call of Duty players
Cheating is a big problem in online shooters. An aimbot, wallhack or scripted controller can ruin a match in seconds.
On August 7, 2026, Insider Saga checked 1,000 recent English Steam reviews for Black Ops 7. There were 638 negative reviews and 362 positive reviews.
Our count found 57 negative reviews, or 9%, that mention cheaters or hackers. Only seven positive reviews, or 2%, use those words. This does not prove that every complaint is right. It does show that unhappy players talk about cheating much more often.
These checks matter most in Ranked Play. One unfair result can hurt a player’s progress. They also matter to anyone who wants a normal multiplayer match without worrying about cheating tools.
RICOCHET cannot stop every cheat forever. Cheat makers keep changing their tools. So, Activision has to keep changing its checks too.
The new PC checks give Activision another way to find problems. They can spot them before a player enters a Ranked Play lobby. The company does not have to wait for reports after a match.
Team RICOCHET says it will keep improving its tools during the season. A permanent ban can apply to more than one Call of Duty game.
The checks will change again as cheating methods change.
RICOCHET has not ended cheating in Call of Duty. No anti-cheat system can promise that. However, the new checks and device bans should make it harder for cheaters to come back.
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