Activision investigates cheat exploits in Call of Duty: Black Ops PS4/PS5 ports

Activision confirmed that the newly released PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 ports of Call of Duty: Black Ops and Black Ops II are being overrun by hackers. Modders exploited unchanged encryption carried over from the original PS3 versions, allowing players to copy save files, decrypt them on a PC and re‑upload altered data. The resulting exploits let users earn massive XP, reach max prestige in minutes, or trigger a "negative XP" bug that resets legitimate players below level 1, effectively locking them out of multiplayer.

In response, Activision and developer Iron Galaxy disabled the Domination and Ground War playlists on July 13, 2026, and rolled out a server‑side fix on July 14 that restored affected accounts to level 20. The company said additional mitigations will be deployed in future updates. Critics have also noted that the ports are low‑effort releases lacking modern enhancements and priced at $40 without DLC, prompting accusations of a cash‑grab.

The issue has drawn widespread attention across the Call of Duty community, with YouTuber Tdawgsmitty interviewing a modder who explained the technical details and the sale of services that modify player stats. Activision has pledged to continue investigating and addressing the vulnerabilities.