The makers of Call of Duty: World War 2 took the PC version of the game offline over the weekend amid widespread reports online that a remote code execution vulnerability was being used to take over victim computers during live multiplayer matches.
On June 30, the 2017 game was released through Xbox’s GamePass service. On July 5, the X account for game updates announced that the version of the 2017 game for personal computers would be removed from the Microsoft Store “while we investigate reports of an issue.”
But users playing through GamePass quickly began posting videos showing their PCs being taken over during live matches.
One player posted a recording of his game freezing as a Windows command file executes in the background, followed by a text note saying the hacker had “just RCEd your ass” while telling them to contact Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP, an entertainment law firm in Los Angeles. Other users reported that their computers were shut down by the hackers or had their desktop pictures changed to pornographic images.
According to the cybersecurity firm MalwareBytes, the problem appears to stem from the way older Call of Duty games — like many other titles — switch from dedicated servers to peer-to-peer networking as a game ages out. Rather than run and maintain a fleet of servers to host older games online, many video game companies eventually discontinue or reroute those resources, allowing players to use their own machines as the server host. But that opens those players up to malicious parties who use that connection to hack their opponents.
“The hacking of older titles is an open-air secret among the Call of Duty community, with players often avoiding the games on Steam,” wrote Pieter Arntz, a researcher at MalwareBytes.
Call of Duty games are notorious for being replete with hackers and cheaters who exploit vulnerabilities in the game’s software to gain an unfair advantage — like automatic aiming — or simply to frustrate other players. This is not the first time hackers have exploited vulnerabilities in Call of Duty’s massive codebase to disrupt or compromise other players. Six years ago researchers flagged CVEs with proof-of-concept code for gaining remote code execution privileges on Call of Duty games through Steam, a popular PC gaming platform.
The Call of Duty X account has not provided an update on the game’s status or the investigation since Saturday. According to the game’s main X account, Call of Duty: World War 2 was briefly taken down for maintenance the morning of July 2 alongside nine other titles in the series.
Questions sent to EA/Activision’s press office seeking confirmation the game was taken offline due to the exploits were not immediately returned.
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