Smash-hit Call of Duty game pulled offline for millions after shock X-rated pop-ups that cause your machine to crash
Players of Call Of Duty: WWII claim a number of strange and embarrassing glitches have flashed up on the Xbox PC version.
Advertisement
2
Gamers have shared screenshots of the apparent hack
Credit: x.com/vxunderground
2
Call of Duty: WWII has is one of the more popular titles in the franchise
Credit: Activision
This includes gay pornography, insulting messages popping up in the notepad app and loading malware on their machine, according to
"I JUST GOT HACKED PLAYING WW2! EVERYONE DO NOT PLAY WW2 ON GAMEPASS!" one user wrote on X.
"Someone is trolling gamers with Notepad pop ups, PC shutdowns, and gay pornography," another claimed.
Ethical hacker group VX-Underground also noticed that affected PCs have had their background bizarrely changed to "show a prominent lawyer who Activision hired to prosecute video game cheaters".
Advertisement
Read more about Xbox
Call of Duty publisher Activision has taken the game offline but not confirmed whether it's related to alleged hacks.
The Sun approached Activision for comment and was referred a company post on X.
"Call of Duty: WWII on PC Microsoft Store was brought offline while we investigate reports of an issue," the firm tweeted.
Fortunately, it appears that hackers are more interested in messing with people than trying to steal bank details.
Advertisement
Most read in Gaming
"The concern in this particular case is that this means an attacker is capable of deploying information stealer malware, a RAT (remote administration tool), or ransomware," VX-Underground added.
LG TVs now play Xbox games even without any console after upgrade
"Thankfully, it appears this attacker is primarily interested in memeing and f**ing with people."
Call Of Duty: WWII was released back in November 2017 and a commercial success, netting $500million / £368million in revenue within three days of launching.
The issue comes just days after Activision Blizzard owner Microsoft announced huge job cuts.
Advertisement
Some 1,900 people working for Activision and Xbox have been laid off, around 8 percent of the Microsoft's gaming division overall.
Mike Ybarra, who has served as Blizzard's president since 2022, has also decided to leave over the move.
Across all of Microsoft, more than 9,000 jobs have been cut globally.
Call of Duty cheating – what will get you banned?
Here's what you need to know...
There are plenty of ways to cheat on Call of Duty
Perhaps the most common hack is an aimbot – a piece of software that aims and targets enemies automatically for you
Activision also explicitly forbids the use of wallhacks, which modifies the properties of walls
For instance, wallhacking software could allow you to see enemies through walls
Typically using glitches to escape outside the normal bounds of the map is also considered to be cheating
Generally it's a case of using common sense: don't do anything that gives you an advantage that wouldn't have been intended by developers
Also, cheating on a sophisticated game like Call of Duty can be difficult – so if you're cheating, it's unlikely to have been an accident
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
13 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
EA is shutting down hugely popular racing game after 13 years with fans saying it ‘breaks my heart'
EA is shutting down a hugely popular racing game after 13 years, leaving longtime fans heartbroken. Rivals, part of the iconic Advertisement 2 The shutdown of Need for Speed Rivals is a reminder that online features, no matter how beloved, don't last forever Credit: Microsoft / Xbox The game's servers will be shut down in October 2025, meaning some features and achievements will soon be out of reach for good. Gamers in the UK and around the world have until 7 October 2025 to enjoy Need for Speed Rivals online. The shutdown will end access to multiplayer features and discontinue two Xbox achievements — Friendly Race and Buddy Bust — which both require online play with friends. Currently, only the Xbox One version has been listed for shutdown, but it's highly likely the Xbox 360 version will follow suit. Advertisement Read more on Technology EA hasn't confirmed it officially, but given past closures, the odds aren't good for the older console version. Players hoping to secure a full 1,000G completion should act fast. Friendly Race asks gamers to win a race against someone on their Friends list, while Buddy Bust requires busting a friend playing as a racer. These can only be done online — and time is running out. For those who don't have a friend still playing Rivals, groups on gaming forums like TrueAchievements are setting up sessions to help others complete the achievements before the cutoff date. Advertisement Most read in Tech But once the servers go down, those opportunities vanish. One fan wrote online: 'It breaks my heart. "This was one of the best NFS games for multiplayer fun.' Others called it 'the end of an era' and said it would be missed for its intense cops-vs-racers gameplay. Advertisement Need for Speed Rivals, released in 2013, was praised for blending single-player and multiplayer experiences seamlessly — a major innovation at the time. It remains playable offline, but the full experience, including crossplay events and leaderboards, will be gone. The game is currently available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate through EA Play, but once servers are shut, subscribers will no longer have access to the full online experience. The Xbox 360 version, meanwhile, is not backwards compatible, so players will need an original console to finish up any online trophies. Advertisement EA has been gradually retiring older titles to focus on new projects. Just this year, Mirror's Edge Catalyst, Crysis 3, and NBA Jam: On Fire Edition all had their servers closed. Anthem, the live-service sci-fi shooter, is also scheduled to go offline in early 2026. While the move makes sense from a business point of view, longtime players say it's frustrating when games with active fanbases are taken offline. Advertisement Some have even called for EA to open peer-to-peer options or private servers to keep these titles alive. The shutdown of Need for Speed Rivals is a reminder that online features, no matter how beloved, don't last forever. If you're planning one final ride, you'd better hit the gas — the finish line is in sight. 2 Gamers in the UK and around the world have until 7 October 2025 to enjoy Need for Speed Rivals online Credit: Alamy Advertisement
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Kneecap claim London Underground banned their poster citing 'widespread offence'
Kneecap have claimed they have been banned from advertising on the London Underground. The Belfast rap trio said they had no issue advertising on the Underground before their controversy over their support for Palestine. According to Kneecap, their poster has been banned due to 'widespread or serious offence to reasonable members of the public on account of the product or service being advertised, the content or design of the advertisement, or by way of implication.' The post reads: "We've been banned from advertising on the London Tube. How petty can political policing and interference get... "After using the tube to advertise loads of times for gigs, records and our movie, all without issue. The below poster has been rejected because: 'It is likely to cause widespread or serious offence to reasonable members of the public on account of the product or service being advertised, the content or design of the advertisement, or by way of implication.' "Speak out against genocide and they'll use every single angle they can to silence you. Join the IOF, murder kids, fly to London and nothing happens - you'll be welcomed and applauded," Kneecap claimed. Elsewhere, a host of musicians have said they will be supporting band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh - known by his stage name Mo Chara - at his next court hearing. He will appear at a court in London on August 20 where he stands accused of allegedly supporting a proscribed terrorist organisation. Irish musicians including Gurriers and rapper Maverick Sabre have said they will attend court to support Kneecap. The post on Thursday said British singer-songwriter Nadine Shah and Jelani Blackman would attend the hearing in a show of support along with a list of other "speakers and artists". And Scotland's First Minister John Swinney also responded to Kneecap's comments on Tuesday on stage at the O2 Academy after they were axed from this weekend's TRNSMT festival in the city following police concerns. Mo Chara asked the crowd: 'What's your First Minister's name?' He then reportedly swore before declaring: 'They stopped us playing TRNSMT but they can't stop us playing Glasgow.' During a visit to a hospital in Falkirk on Wednesday, the First Minister called for focus to shift to the issues Kneecap are raising. 'I think the most important thing at this moment is that we all focus on the issue that Kneecap are concerned about, which is the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza,' he said. 'I want to see a ceasefire implemented, I want to see humanitarian aid put into Gaza.' He added: 'I had a briefing yesterday from Unicef about the suffering of children in Gaza – it was literally impossible to listen to that, it's so awful. What we should be focused on, the most important issue, is ending the suffering in Gaza and getting a ceasefire and getting humanitarian aid into Gaza which is sitting on the border of Gaza today.' Referring to the fact he got 'a mention' at Tuesday's show he replied: 'What I'd say is that the last thing I want to be commenting on is about bands, I want people to enjoy their music and make their choices. 'But if bands say things that cause widespread concern, there shouldn't be a surprise to bands that I get asked about them.'
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
AIB pushes ahead with AI adoption
AIB has begun a wider roll-out of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to its workforce, partnering with tech giant Microsoft to drive innovation at the bank. But the new tools will not have access to customer data or systems, the bank said. Instead, the AI-powered tools are intended to take over repetitive tasks for staff, allowing them to concentrate on more specialised work. The capabilities are being extended to Microsoft productivity tools used by staff such as Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, and PowerPoint, and coding tool Github. The majority of the company's 10,000-strong workforce will have access to the technology, AIB said. 'We started the journey well over 12 months ago, where we had a model pilot of about 70 people in the organisation, a representative group,' explained AIB's chief technology officer Graham Fagan. 'We took a lot of learnings from that and built the group up to 1,000 people that properly represented the different teams across the organisation. The findings from that has brought us to this point now, where we're scaling it.' READ MORE AIB has become one of the frontrunners in embracing AI in Ireland's banking industry. Last year, it introduced a conversational assistant, called Abi, to customers to help with everyday banking questions across its phone and online banking systems. It also established of a centre of excellence for AI to explore how it could be used within the business. As part of that, the bank is using Copilot Studio to develop tailored AI solutions for the bank, such as enabling teams to rapidly synthesise customer insights from complex data sources to support faster, more informed decision-making. The bank is planning to introduce a secure, enterprise-grade AI coding tool with GitHub Copilot, enabling it to speed up software development. 'We'll keep our finger on the pulse with regards to global development,' Mr Fagan said. AI has become increasingly accessible to companies and their workers, with use of the technology surging in recent months. 'AIB is pioneering the adoption of AI in the Irish financial services sector, and we're proud to support them on this transformative journey,' said Catherine Doyle, General Manager, Microsoft Ireland. 'This strategic relationship, built over many years, reflects a shared commitment to innovation, trust, and responsible AI.' Research published by Microsoft and Trinity College Dublin predicts AI will add up to €250 billion to Ireland's economy by 2035. But there are concerns over the impact of the technology on the wider jobs market, as the technology takes over tasks that may have previously been performed by people. AIB said it remains committed to engagement with the Financial Services Union on the continued implementation of AI capabilities. The FSU has called on AIB to sign up to an agreed approach with the union on AI adoption, similar to one it has with Bank of Ireland. 'AI is advancing at a rapid pace. It is vital that unions, employers, regulators and legislators work together to ensure a fair and transparent implementation program,' FSU secretary general John O'Connell said.
