Call of Duty Prepares for Black Ops 7 with the Introduction of Enhanced Anti-cheat Measures, Including TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, Similar to Battlefield 6's Approach.

Call of Duty Prepares for Black Ops 7 with the Introduction of Enhanced Anti-cheat Measures, Including TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, Similar to Battlefield 6's Approach.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Battlefield 6 have introduced a new set of system requirements that include enabling TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot in your PC's BIOS/UEFI. These security measures are part of Activision’s RICOCHET anti-cheat system, a system also adopted by future Call of Duty titles.

Key System Requirements

• Operating System: Windows 10 (version 22H2 or later) or Windows 11
• TPM: Trusted Platform Module version 2.0 hardware must be available and enabled
• CPU: For Intel systems, 8th Gen or newer is generally required for TPM 2.0 support. AMD CPUs also support TPM 2.0, but the exact generation requirements depend on the motherboard and chipset.

What TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot Do

TPM 2.0 verifies the integrity of the hardware platform, while Secure Boot ensures only trusted operating system loader and signed drivers run during system startup, preventing malware like rootkits from loading before Windows boots.

Enabling Secure Boot on Your Gaming PC

1. Enter your BIOS/UEFI:
2. Restart your PC and press the BIOS access key during startup (commonly F11, F12, Delete, or Esc; check your motherboard manual if unsure).
3. Locate the Secure Boot Setting:
4. Switch to Advanced Mode in your BIOS.
5. Find the Boot or Security menu where Secure Boot options are listed.
6. Enable Secure Boot:
7. Set “Secure Boot State” to Enabled or toggle Secure Boot to On.
8. In some BIOS versions, enabling Secure Boot requires setting the boot mode to UEFI instead of Legacy/CSM mode.
9. Save and Exit BIOS:
10. Save changes to BIOS settings.
11. Reboot your PC.
12. Verify TPM 2.0 is Enabled:
13. On Windows, press Windows key + R, type , and press Enter.
14. The TPM Management window should show TPM version 2.0 and that it is ready for use.
15. If not enabled, you may need to enable TPM (sometimes called PTT on Intel systems) in BIOS under security settings.

Once both TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are enabled, your PC will satisfy the security checks for launching Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Battlefield 6, and similarly protected games. Enabling these settings enhances your system’s security and helps maintain fair online gameplay by supporting anti-cheat tools.

For those with older hardware that does not support TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot, unfortunately, you will not be able to play these games unless you upgrade to compatible hardware.

The new anti-cheat measures for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will not replace the kernel-level driver monitors already in place with RICOCHET anti-cheat. Activision has acknowledged that PC players who utilize cheats significantly outweigh the number of players on console who find ways to take advantage of unfair play mechanics.

Activision has also taken legal action against cheat distributors, issuing cease and desists that force the developers behind Call of Duty cheats to shut down. If the system fails the checks, the player won't be able to play Call of Duty until Windows confirms that everything is secure.

Electronic Arts (EA) has announced similar anti-cheat efforts for its upcoming game, Battlefield 6. Battlefield's team utilizes an in-house developed anti-cheat dubbed Javelin, which is a kernel-level solution.

Activision has provided an option for console players to turn off cross-play with PC players to mitigate the risk of running into cheaters. The Call of Duty servers provide a final check to ensure the system is trustworthy before allowing the player access to the game.

The new anti-cheat measures do not give Activision or the development team access to login credentials or sensitive data stored on your PC. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is set to be released in the fall. Since the previous update, RICOCHET has targeted an additional 22 cheat distributors to cut off the development and selling of game-disrupting cheat software.

• Microsoft's Windows 11 and Windows 10 are the operating systems required for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Battlefield 6, with the latest versions even more preferable.
• TPM 2.0, a hardware security feature, and Secure Boot, a component ensuring trusted operating system loaders, are necessary system requirements for these games, owing to Activision’s RICOCHET anti-cheat system.
• To enable Secure Boot on a gaming PC, one needs to enter the BIOS/UEFI, set the boot mode to UEFI, locate the Secure Boot setting, and switch it on.
• The TPM 2.0 hardware can be confirmed on Windows by opening the TPM Management window, where version 2.0 should be visible and ready for use.
• The new TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot activation grants an added layer of security to the PC, boosting system protection and maintaining fair online gameplay by backing anti-cheat tools.
• Unfortunately, older hardware not compatible with TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot will not be able to run these games unless an upgrade to compatible hardware is executed.
• Technological advancements have prompted Activision to target and shut down cheat distributors, aiming to ensure a secure and fair online gameplay experience for console and PC players of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.

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