The beta for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 launched yesterday, inviting countless enthusiastic gamers to experience the game ahead of its official release on November 14. Unfortunately, this has also attracted a wave of cheaters who are undermining the experience.

To participate in the Black Ops 7 beta, players must have both TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot activated on their PCs. Treyarch has indicated that these requirements are in place to foster a more secure gaming environment capable of detecting and preventing cheating.

Shortly after the beta commenced, various videos surfaced on social media showcasing cheats such as wall hacks and aim bots in action. One notable example was shared on X, depicting these cheats operating seamlessly within the game.

While Treyarch has since confirmed the manual ban of the cheating account featured in the video, it raises concerns about how easily these outdated cheats are resurfacing in a new title. The anticipated updates to Activision’s kernel-level Ricochet Anti-Cheat system have yet to be implemented in the beta, meaning players will need to wait until the full game is released for enhanced cheat protection.

This incident highlights the ongoing struggle between first-person shooter developers and cheat creators, a cyclical battle where cheats flourish until a new anti-cheat measure is introduced, leading to a temporary ban of numerous offenders. Afterward, cheats adapt to breach defenses, and the cycle continues. This has been a persistent issue within the Call of Duty franchise for years.

For players seeking to combat cheating, Activision recently announced the option for console gamers to disable crossplay, aiming to minimize cheating incidents, particularly given that most cheaters tend to use PCs.

Additionally, this year’s competitor, Battlefield 6, has also faced its own challenges with cheaters during its open beta, with EA’s anti-cheat system managing to eliminate over 300,000 cheaters throughout the event.