Unfortunately, living with cheaters is something that many of us have become accustomed to. EA SPORTS FC, League of Legends, VALORANT, Counter-Strike… cheaters are something we have to deal with on a daily basis. Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is no exception.
Although Activision takes it very seriously and has already banned 136,000 accounts for using cheats, it is still not enough.
As explained in a post on its official blog, they have banned more than 100,000 players for using unauthorized software. It doesn’t stop there, as they explained that “when a cheater is banned, our system detects other accounts they have regularly played with and generates reports that are then investigated.”
Unfortunately, Call of Duty and Activision ban accounts, not IP addresses, so these players can return to the COD servers by creating a new one. Consequently, they are not solving the problem at its root.
It’s complicated, but COD: BO 6 should start banning IP addresses
I understand that banning an IP address is complex, since you are removing almost any kind of access to a player who has paid for your product. However, if you want to eliminate cheaters at the root, you must take more forceful measures.
They are aware, since many users have asked them about it. “We’ve seen questions from the community about detection methods, such as IP-based banning,” they explain. “We don’t use IP-based bans to combat cheating because they tend to act against entire groups within a range that isn’t problematic. For example, a college campus or an internet cafe would be affected by a wave of IP-based bans when only a single machine would be targeted,” they say.
To a certain extent, they are right, but if they do not change their methodology they will not be able to stop cheaters. After all, in most establishments of this type there is not a single account connected simultaneously and/or over time.
If someone plays from home, they will almost always use the same account, but if they do so from a campus, there will be a lot of people connected at the same time and/or many different accounts throughout the week. With this in mind, I understand that they have enough tools to determine who plays from home and which IPs belong to a common access area.
In other words, they could (perhaps) separate them into groups little by little and then take more forceful action against those players who cheat from the same IP address and with a single account.
The fact is that banning accounts seems to be an insufficient measure. Especially when we see that, no matter how much time passes, cheaters always come back. They always find a way to return, so the problem is never solved.
What is an IP address and what happens if you ban it?
An IP address (Internet Protocol) is a unique identifier assigned to a device connected to a network. It functions as a kind of “address” that allows data to be sent and received between devices on the internet or on local networks. But what happens if an IP address is banned in a game? When a game’s server bans an IP address, it blocks all traffic coming from that IP. This has some consequences:
Inability to access the game from that IP
- The user cannot log in or interact with the server from that specific connection.
- If the user tries to log in, they will receive an access error or will not be able to load the game.
It affects all devices using that IP
- If the IP address is associated with a shared network (for example, a home WiFi), all devices on that network will be blocked.
Possible use of VPN or IP change
- IP banning can be circumvented by switching to a new IP (in some cases, by restarting the router) or using a VPN, making this method less effective for users who know how to avoid it.
Limitations of IP banning
- Dynamic IPs. Many internet providers assign dynamic IP addresses, which change frequently.
- Collateral damage. If the banned IP belongs to a shared network, other people who have not broken the rules are also affected.
- Easy evasion. With tools like VPNs or proxies, players can get new IP addresses to avoid the ban.
Unfortunately, what this means is that while banning an IP would reduce the number of cheaters by limiting access to many people who would not know how to circumvent this type of ban, it would not solve the problem altogether.
Knowing this, the ideal would be to combine IP bans with other methods, such as account banning, or use some authentication system that prevents a person from registering with different accounts over and over again when they are repeatedly banned. As you can see, the answer is not so simple, but something must be done.