Call of Duty anti-cheat system Ricochet reportedly leaked — to cheaters

Well, this is ironic. The Call of Duty team just announced a new anti-cheat system called Ricochet, and now one of its key components has reportedly been leaked. That’s not good.

Modern Warzone reported the leak, with some screenshots from cheat forums as evidence. Ricochet is a multi-faceted system, and its kernel-level driver is specifically what has reportedly leaked. As explained in the Ricochet announcement, this PC-only driver is intended to cross-reference Call of Duty games with other active apps on your computer, keeping programs that aren’t intended to be used with the game from tapping in.

There are two things to note about the reported leak. One, Ricochet is built to be an evolving thing, so if the kernel information really is out there, it’s not a complete downfall for the anti-cheat system. Two, Modern Warzone suggests that the leak could also be a Trojan Horse operation, handed out intentionally to throw potential cheaters off the scent with outdated or incorrect information. Both cases would mean that Ricochet isn’t dead in the water, and that’s a good thing – no one wants to play with cheaters, which were common during the Call of Duty: Vanguard beta.

Speaking of Vanguard, its release date isn’t very far off: it’s headed to PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One on November 5. Ricochet will make its debut with the new game, and the anti-cheat system will head to Warzone later when the Pacific map arrives.