RICOCHET in Black Ops 7 – tougher PC security and quicker bans from day one

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will launch on November 14 with RICOCHET Anti-Cheat active from day one. According to Activision, the Black Ops 7 beta achieved the strongest anti-cheat results in the series to date. The team reports a median detection time of under 3 matches and nearly 99% of beta games free of cheaters. With release approaching, the studio says its priority is to keep pace with evolving cheats through layered security and faster enforcement.

Day-one rollout and beta metrics

RICOCHET will be fully operational at launch – the same tech that powered the beta’s best-to-date results. Activision states the beta reduced median detection to under 3 matches, with nearly 99% cheater‑free sessions. The goal now is to maintain that momentum as cheating tactics change over time.

Mandatory PC security: TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot

On PC, TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are required to play Black Ops 7. Activision positions these features as a foundation check – ensuring a trusted system state before you load into a match. Both are part of a layered defense: Secure Boot starts the system from a verified state, while TPM 2.0 validates the integrity of key components the anti-cheat relies on.

Black Ops 7 will use Remote Attestation – a server-side verification approach – rather than solely local checks, aiming for stronger protection against tampered environments. Most players should not need to change settings, but detailed guides are available if required. Not every system will need a BIOS update; if it’s necessary, users should follow motherboard vendor instructions carefully, as incorrect changes can cause damage.

• How to enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot: support.activision.com/articles/trusted-platform-module-and-secure-boot
• BIOS update guidance: support.activision.com/articles/trusted-platform-module-and-secure-boot#BiosFirmwareGuidance

Activision also plans to release a PC status checker closer to launch to confirm TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot readiness and outline next steps if requirements aren’t met.

Smarter ML detections: aimbot and behavior analysis

The RICOCHET team says its models continue to learn from real matches, refining how they separate natural aim from assisted targeting. Updated aimbot detection is designed to better distinguish human input versus automated aim. Beyond raw aim, expanded behavioral analysis looks at how a player moves, engages, and adapts across a match to spot outliers.

According to Activision, detection considers patterns across:

• Kills, deaths, and damage ratios
• Movement, aiming angles, and reaction times
• Anomalous ping and latency behavior
• Map activity density and team-level stats
• Additional gameplay signals

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In practice, this means anomalies – such as consistently high kill counts far from usual hot zones or aim behavior that snaps beyond human tracking – are flagged for deeper review and action.

Faster enforcement – including immediate removals for some cheats

During the beta, Activision piloted systems to shorten the window between detection and enforcement, removing cheaters faster than in any previous Call of Duty title. For context, in Black Ops 6 many actions occurred within about an hour of detection. For Black Ops 7, some cheats will trigger immediate removal upon detection – the team does not disclose which ones.

The aim is clear: minimize disruption and keep matches fair by collapsing the time from spotting a cheat to removing the offending account.

Official videos and setup help

If you need a refresher on enabling TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, or BIOS considerations, Activision has posted video explainers:

• TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot overview – YouTube:
• BIOS update guidance – YouTube:

Final takeaway – what it means for players

Bottom line: on November 14, Black Ops 7 launches with stricter PC verification, smarter ML detections, and faster bans. Enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot ahead of time to avoid issues, and expect RICOCHET’s upgraded systems to act quicker when they spot cheating. That should translate to more matches decided by skill – not exploits.