[HACKED] Activision Responds to Claims Accounts Have Been Hacked [UPDATE]

Activision suffers a security breach, potentially compromising thousands of Modern Warfare, Warzone, CoD Mobile, and other player accounts.

[UPDATE: An Activision spokesperson has denied that any accounts have been comprised. The full has statement reads:

Activision Call of Duty accounts has not been compromised. Reports suggesting otherwise are not accurate. We investigate all privacy concerns. As always we recommend that players take precaution to protect their accounts at all times. Please visit our player support page for further information, including a helpful set of tips and step-by-step instructions: https://support.activision.com/articles/keeping-your-activision-account-secure)]

On September 20, Activision suffered a potentially large data breach according to reports from prominent Call of Duty community members like YouTuber Remy, leaving thousands of accounts possibly compromised. With these accounts connected to popular titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, players are being advised by second-hand sources to change their login information, as Modern Warfare accounts often contain details like Credit Card numbers.

Activision has not commented on the breach as of this writing, but several reports from Call of Duty community members are suggesting there have been over 500,000 compromised accounts. These accounts are reportedly having their login information posted to public online forums as hackers are copying the information and distributing it.

Several other content creators and leakers have corroborated early reports by Remy and others, according to news sites like Dexerto. The hackers are purportedly capable of generating 1,000 accounts every 10 minutes, according to YouTuber TheGamingRevolution on Twitter. Although Infinity Ward's Warzone does support two-factor authentication, Activision accounts do not naturally support the added security. Fans should watch their account for any strange activity or changes to tell if they have been affected.

With Activision accounts linked to several Call of Duty titles, this data breach could compromise both login and financial information for many users. To secure an account, players should change their passwords, unlink their accounts from other apps, and delete all saved payment details until the breach is confirmed to be contained.

Players who use the same password in multiple locations should update those accounts as well. It is common practice for hackers to use email and password combinations on multiple sites in an attempt to steal more information. Longer passwords with more complex, variable contents tend to be more secure in an online environment than identifiable words or phrases.

This breach goes to show the importance of multi-factor authentication, as personal information is a valuable commodity online, so unsecured accounts have been traded and sold in the past. Activision and other members of the gaming industry should take this as an opportunity to reinforce logins and protect their communities.

Because Activision has not publicly commented on the situation, it's unclear how large the issue might actually be, and containment progress is unknown. Changing one's password can help fans feel more secure in the moment, but they should remain vigilant in case the risk to fan accounts lingers.