# call of duty hacking situation is insane

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERlHfeVmq6g
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/ERlHfeVmq6g
Generated: 2025-07-17T07:02:34.194+00:00

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## Quick Overview

Call of Duty: World War II players on PC via Game Pass are currently vulnerable to Remote Code Execution (RCE) exploits, allowing attackers to run arbitrary code on their computers, due to a long-standing buffer overflow vulnerability in the game's peer-to-peer networking architecture that anti-cheat systems cannot detect.

**Key Points:**
- Call of Duty: World War II players on PC (Game Pass version) are experiencing Remote Code Execution (RCE) hacks, allowing attackers to run code on their machines.
- This vulnerability is likely a re-emergence of a known buffer overflow exploit from older Call of Duty titles, specifically Modern Warfare 2 (2017).
- The exploit targets the host's system in peer-to-peer matches, leveraging a stack-allocated buffer overflow within the game's network handling.
- Maurice Heumann discovered and documented a similar RCE vulnerability in Call of Duty in 2017, which allowed remote code execution by injecting malicious packets.
- Anti-cheat systems are ineffective against this RCE exploit because they primarily detect injected programs or modified game states, not vulnerabilities within the game's core networking code itself.
- The Game Pass PC version of Call of Duty: WWII is particularly susceptible as it uses a peer-to-peer hosting model, unlike Steam versions which might have dedicated servers.
- Players are advised to avoid playing Call of Duty: WWII on PC via Game Pass until the issue is officially patched by Activision.

![Screenshot at 0:42: A notepad window appearing over Call of Duty gameplay, displaying a message indicating a successful Remote Code Execution (RCE) hack.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/ERlHfeVmq6g/00-00-42.png)

**Context:** The video discusses a critical security vulnerability affecting Call of Duty: World War II players on PC, specifically those playing through Game Pass. This issue allows malicious actors to gain remote control over other players' computers. The presenter, Ed, explains the technical details of how such exploits work, drawing parallels to a similar vulnerability discovered in older Call of Duty titles in 2017.

## Detailed Analysis

The video details a severe Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability impacting Call of Duty: World War II players on PC, particularly those accessing the game via Game Pass. This exploit allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on a victim's computer during gameplay. The presenter explains that this is likely a re-emergence of a buffer overflow vulnerability first documented in 2017 by Maurice Heumann, affecting older Call of Duty titles like Modern Warfare 2. This vulnerability arises because the game's networking code, especially in peer-to-peer hosted matches, allows a player to cause a buffer overflow on the host's system by sending specially crafted malicious packets. This grants the attacker full remote code execution capabilities. Unlike typical cheats that modify game states or inject external programs, this RCE exploit manipulates the game's inherent network handling, making it undetectable by conventional anti-cheat systems. The Game Pass version of WWII is highlighted as vulnerable because it relies on a peer-to-peer hosting model, where one player acts as the server, exposing their system to such attacks. The presenter advises players to avoid the game until Activision addresses this critical security flaw.

### The Current Threat

- Call of Duty WWII RCE: Players on PC (Game Pass) are reporting Remote Code Execution (RCE) exploits
- Attackers can run arbitrary code on victims' computers during gameplay
- This issue has surfaced recently, causing widespread concern among the player base

### Historical Context of COD Exploits

- Game hacking is not new, with cheats like wallhacks existing for years
- A similar RCE vulnerability was documented in Call of Duty games as early as 2017 by Maurice Heumann
- This older exploit leveraged a buffer overflow in the host's system during a match, allowing full remote code execution

### Understanding the Peer-to-Peer Vulnerability

- Many older games, including some Call of Duty titles, use a peer-to-peer networking model where one player acts as the host/server
- The host's computer runs additional code to manage game packets, creating a larger attack surface
- The RCE exploit likely manipulates this host-side code through crafted packets, leading to a stack-allocated buffer overflow

### Technical Mechanism of the Exploit

- The 2017 exploit involved reverse engineering the game's network protocol (similar to Quake 3's) to inject malicious packets
- Attackers use "Return-Oriented Programming" (ROP) to control the return pointer on the stack, redirecting execution to injected shellcode
- This allows actions like allocating memory, writing shellcode, and executing it on the victim's machine

### Why Anti-Cheat Systems Fail

- Traditional anti-cheat mechanisms primarily detect external programs or modified game files
- They are not designed to detect or prevent vulnerabilities within the game's fundamental networking code itself
- The exploit doesn't modify the game client but rather abuses how the host processes network data, making it invisible to anti-cheat

### Recommendations and Implications

- Players are strongly advised to avoid playing Call of Duty: WWII on PC via Game Pass due to the severe risk of RCE
- The vulnerability is likely present because Activision reused older, unpatched networking code in newer titles
- This highlights a significant security oversight in the game's architecture

![Screenshot at 0:00: A man with glasses speaking directly to the camera, introducing the topic of hacking.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/ERlHfeVmq6g/00-00-00.png)
![Screenshot at 0:24: A Twitter feed showing a Call of Duty: WWII gameplay video with a pop-up terminal and notepad, illustrating the RCE hack.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/ERlHfeVmq6g/00-00-24.png)
![Screenshot at 0:42: A close-up of the notepad pop-up during gameplay, explicitly stating "Marc E Mayer Just RCE'd your ass please contact Mitchell Silberberg and Knupp LLP".](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/ERlHfeVmq6g/00-00-42.png)
![Screenshot at 1:11: A blog post titled "Game Hacking reinvented? - A COD Exploit" from December 2017, providing historical context for the vulnerability.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/ERlHfeVmq6g/00-01-11.png)
![Screenshot at 1:46: A simple diagram illustrating a server-client network architecture with a central server and multiple clients.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/ERlHfeVmq6g/00-01-46.png)
![Screenshot at 3:48: A technical document showing the structure of client-to-server packets and Huffman compression details, explaining the game's network protocol.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/ERlHfeVmq6g/00-03-48.png)
![Screenshot at 5:06: A GitHub code repository displaying C++ code for a Call of Duty exploit, showing functions like `buildPayload` and various player commands.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/ERlHfeVmq6g/00-05-06.png)
![Screenshot at 6:01: A close-up of the C++ code showing specific commands like "player_sprintSpeedScale" and "player_sprintUnlimited", which can be injected.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/ERlHfeVmq6g/00-06-01.png)
![Screenshot at 9:20: A news article titled "CALL OF DUTY: WW2 PLAYERS REPORTING RCE EXPLOITS ON PC", confirming the recent resurgence of the issue.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/ERlHfeVmq6g/00-09-20.png)