Cheating has been an issue in Call of Duty for a long time, and Activision is now pushing harder against it. Ahead of the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 open beta, the publisher announced PC players must have TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot enabled to play. These hardware-level security rules will also apply in the full release, making this the strongest anti-cheat step yet for the series.
What Are TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot?
- TPM (Trusted Platform Module) 2.0: This is a devoted chip that is tied into the computer and is responsible for encryption technology and system integrity. It creates a trusted foundation for Windows and anti-cheating software.
- Secure Boot: This is a firmware option in UEFI that restricts which software is loaded on *boot*. Only software that is digitally signed and trusted can load at startup. Secure Boot restricts low-level malware or bootkits from taking over before the operating system loads.
Together, TPM 2.0, and Secure Boot, ensure the PC boots in a validated state, meaning it is much more difficult for cheat developers to abuse kernel or boot level situations.
Official requirements for BO7 Beta on PC
Image via Activision
According to documents from Activision on Ricochet Anti-Cheat:
- Operating System: Windows 10 (22H2 or newer) or Windows 11.
- TPM: It has to be 2.0, L1.x versions are not supported.
- CPU Requirements:
- For Intel, 8th gen or newer with Intel PTT (or separate TPM)
- For AMD Ryzen, Ryzen 2000 series or newer with AMD fTPM (or separate TPM).
- Firmware/BIOS: Secure Boot has been enabled, boot mode is UEFI (not legacy BIOS), and disk partitioning is GPT, not MBR.
If a system does not meet those specifications, players will receive a warning when they launch. Once enforcement goes live the game will entirely block Black Ops 7 on any non-compliant PC.
Why Activision Is Doing This & Concerns from Players
The announcement follows years of growing cheating. Treyarch, in January of 2025, said they had banned over 136,000 cheaters within Black Ops 6 alone, yet many players still left the game due to cheating. Call of Duty developed Ricochet Anti-Cheat and is expanding Ricochet to use TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot to block cheats that run before the operating system or as part of the OS. This refers to kernel-level cheats and bootkits which have proven very hard to detect with standard software.
Image via Activision
Activision states the goal is to ensure fair play from the system being booted, to head off advanced tools for cheating, and to give players time to prepare their machines before the beta.
Still, there are worries:
- Older Hardware: PCs without TPM 2.0 or UEFI can’t run it.
- Firmware Updates: Some players may need BIOS/UEFI updates, which can be risky.
- Privacy Concerns: Activision says no personal data is touched, but some are still cautious of kernel-level checks.
- Compatibility: Linux or custom OS setups may not work with the strict Secure Boot/TPM rules.
One player summed it up: “The problem is not just turning on TPM or Secure Boot, it’s updating BIOS and finding that the TPM firmware is old.” Battlefield 6 beta had similar issues with these same requirements.
How well this works depends on how the players handle the setup, and how effective Ricochet is in practice. For the time being, Activision makes it clear that Black Ops 7 is going to operate with some security and fair play at a base level.
