Call of Duty WWII Pulled from Game Pass After Hackers Hijack PCs with RCE Attacks

PC players of Call of Duty: World War II got more than they bargained for this weekend — some even had their entire systems hijacked during live matches.

Activision has removed the PC version of the 2017 title from the Microsoft Store and Game Pass following multiple reports of remote code execution (RCE) attacks, where hackers allegedly took control of players’ computers in real time.

The chaos began shortly after the game’s June 30 release on Xbox Game Pass. By July 5, Activision’s official X account confirmed the PC version had been pulled due to an "issue"—but stopped short of giving details.

Players quickly filled in the blanks.

In viral clips circulating on social media, users show their games freezing mid-match as command files begin running in the background. In one clip, the hacker taunts the player with a message:

“You just got RCE’d.”

The message even bizarrely references a Los Angeles-based law firm, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP — an odd footnote in what many are calling one of the most serious game-side vulnerabilities in recent memory.

Other affected players report their computers being forcibly shut down or their desktops being altered to display pornographic images.

What's the deal with Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP? Connection, or random?

🔒 What’s Really Going On?

According to researchers at MalwareBytes, the exploit stems from Call of Duty’s peer-to-peer networking system, commonly used in older games once official dedicated servers are retired. While this helps keep aging titles online without corporate support, it also opens a massive security hole, allowing bad actors to piggyback on direct connections between players.

“The hacking of older titles is an open-air secret in the CoD community,” said MalwareBytes researcher Pieter Arntz.

This isn’t a new problem. The Call of Duty franchise has long struggled with security, and RCE exploits were documented as far back as six years ago, particularly in Steam-based multiplayer lobbies.

🧠 MainEvent.News Spin: Why This Matters

Look — Call of Duty has never been immune to hackers. But what we’re seeing here crosses into serious cybersecurity territory. We’re not just talking about cheaters ruining matches with aimbots — this is about players having their entire machines hijacked during gameplay.

Activision hasn’t provided a full explanation yet, and that silence is troubling for a franchise with one of the largest user bases in the world.

But there’s a bigger question gamers — and the gaming industry — need to ask:

Why are multi-billion-dollar companies still relying on peer-to-peer networking for legacy titles, knowing it puts players at risk?

If old CoD games are known hunting grounds for hackers, then selling or giving them away on Game Pass without proper security audits is reckless at best, and negligent at worst.

For now, avoid launching CoD: WWII on PC, and keep your antivirus software updated.