Playing Black Ops 2 on Steam is Dangerous, Players Recommend Refund. “I Would've Just Given All My Information to Hackers”

Source: Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 / Activision Blizzard

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Sometimes it’s wise to pay attention to what the gaming community has to say, as hackers are always on the lookout for ways to access personal data. One Reddit user learned about this, but was fortunate enough to receive a warning just in time to avoid potential consequences.

Problematic purchase

Let’s start from the beginning. A Reddit user named spacequestvoyage purchased Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 on Steam for $64. The game wasn’t even on sale, and it also had some concerning cybersecurity issues. This user provided proof of their purchase on Reddit, where many other users advised them to seek a refund, arguing that spending over $60 on the game wasn’t the smartest financial decision.

Later, the user spacequestvoyage successfully refunded the game and got their money back. The situation had a happy ending, as many players agreed that this was the smartest decision regarding this particular game. spacequestvoyage also shared their thoughts on the matter on Reddit:

Black Ops 2 RCE cyber security issue

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was released nearly 12 years ago. The game received good reviews but still had its share of issues. Despite this, some players today are still willing to pay for it and enjoy some time in the game. However, there's a serious problem with older Call of Duty titles. Players who continue to use these older versions are at risk of being hacked and having their personal data stolen. One of the first reports about the problem is from about a year ago. It’s also worth noting that Activision is aware of the whole situation and still didn’t manage to fix it. We know that Infinity Ward and Activision have taken several steps to fight the issue, but that isn’t enough.

If you haven't updated your older Call of Duty games, you could be vulnerable to Remote Code Execution (RCE) exploits, which allow hackers to take control of a player's system and access personal information. The words of spacequestvoyage, which I quoted earlier, also refer to this specific problem. That's why, despite the high price, other Reddit users recommended refunding the game, as even buying it on Steam might not be safe.

At the end, I’ll provide a list of titles affected by this issue. Keep in mind that it’s difficult to create a perfect list that tracks all exploits, as they tend to come and go. You can also learn more about this topic at 9meters.com.

1. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007);
2. Call of Duty: World at War (2008);
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009);
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011);
5. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (2012);
6. Call of Duty: Ghosts (2013);
7. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 (2015).