Activision, the publisher of the Call of Duty series, has denied reports that over 500,000 Activision accounts have been hacked. The alleged breach was first reported on by Twitter user oRemyy, before being confirmed by a number of content creators – including leaker Okami.
“Yeah, it’s legit guys. Change your Activision account passwords and add 2FA immediately,” tweeted Okami. “Apparently over 500k accounts have been breached already and it’s still ongoing.” Okami later noted that Activision accounts don’t offer two-factor authentication (2FA) but warned followers to keep an eye on their accounts.
Accounts being stolen
Dexerto reports that the log-in details of users are being shared publicly, allowing malicious parties to log into accounts and change the account details. This means that the original owner cannot access their own account, while the malicious party can either take the account for themself or sell it to someone else.
The alleged breach reportedly took place on 20 September, and since Activision accounts do not have two-factor authentication, it would have made the process of taking over these accounts much easier.
Dexerto also notes that if your Battlenet, PSN, Xbox, or other accounts are linked to your Activision account, you should consider unlinking these accounts as they could also be compromised. Any saved payment details are also worth removing as a precautionary measure.
Activision denies breach
Activision’s support team has explicitly denied the claims of a massive data breach. “Reports suggesting Activision Call of Duty accounts have been compromised are not accurate,” said Activision.
It explained that it always recommends players take all the necessary precautions to protect their accounts at all times. “You will receive emails when major changes are made to your Call of Duty accounts,” said Activision. “If you did not make these changes, please be sure to follow the steps provided.”
