Anti-Cheat, TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot

0:01 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 on PC requires both TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot: "Players who do not meet requirements will be restricted from playing any online game mode", which in Modern Warfare 4 means Multiplayer and DMZ (Activision Support, Oct 21, 2026). The quickest fix is to run Activision's Call of Duty Secure Attestation Wizard, which tells you what is missing, then switch TPM 2.0 (Intel PTT or AMD fTPM) and Secure Boot on in your PC's UEFI/BIOS. The requirement is part of RICOCHET Anti-Cheat, Activision's anti-cheat system, which also hides enemy positions from cheats with Server Culling. Consoles are not affected. The clip is Activision's own tutorial, which opens on the requirement.

Quick facts

Sources: Activision Support, Oct 21, 2026; Call of Duty, Sep 29, 2026; Game Rant, Oct 3, 2026.

What TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are

Activision describes TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module) as "an industry-standard, hardware-based security feature built onto CPUs or motherboards that verifies the PC's boot process has not been tampered with", and Secure Boot as the feature that "makes sure a PC can only load trusted software when Windows starts", as Dexerto quotes it (Dexerto, Aug 18, 2026). Together they make it harder for low-level cheats to load before the game does. The same requirement applies to Black Ops 7 and Warzone, but there a PC without them is only locked out of some modes, including Ranked Play; in Modern Warfare 4 it is locked out of all online play (Activision Support, Oct 21, 2026).

Activision has required them since the beta: the beta patch notes made both mandatory for every online mode (Call of Duty, Sep 1, 2026), and the PC post before launch confirmed "TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are required to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 on PC" (Call of Duty, Sep 29, 2026).

Step 1: run the Secure Attestation Wizard

3:06 Before opening the BIOS, check whether your PC already passes. Activision's support page offers the Call of Duty Secure Attestation Wizard as a .zip (version 1.3.0, updated Oct 21, 2026):

1. Download the wizard from Activision's support article and extract the .zip.
2. Double-click CODSecureAttestationWizard.exe, accept the terms and run the scan.
3. "System compliant" means you are done and can delete the wizard. "System not compliant" lists what to change.

The wizard's possible findings, and what each means (Activision Support, Oct 21, 2026):

Windows 11 PCs likely have both features on already, because Windows 11 requires them; Windows 10 PCs may need changes if TPM is off or an older TPM (1.0 to 1.2) is active (Activision Support, Oct 21, 2026).

Step 2: enable TPM 2.0

1:54 TPM 2.0 is switched on in the UEFI/BIOS, and the menu names differ by motherboard. Activision's requirements: an Intel 8th Gen or newer processor with Intel PTT, an AMD Ryzen 2000 series or newer with AMD CPU fTPM, or a discrete TPM chip (Activision Support, Oct 21, 2026). Dexerto's steps (Dexerto, Aug 18, 2026):

1. Press the Windows key and search for Change Advanced Startup Options.
2. Under Advanced startup, select Restart now.
3. Choose Advanced options, then UEFI Firmware Settings.
4. Open the tab named something like Advanced, Security or Trusted Computing.
5. Intel: enable Intel PTT (or Security Device Support). AMD: enable AMD CPU fTPM.
6. Save and exit.

0:30 To check, press Windows + R, type tpm.msc and press Enter: "The TPM is ready for use" under Status means it is on, while "Compatible TPM cannot be found" means it is off or unsupported.

Step 3: enable Secure Boot

2:38 Secure Boot needs UEFI boot mode, not Legacy, and a GPT system disk, not MBR (Activision Support, Oct 21, 2026). Then, per Dexerto (Dexerto, Aug 18, 2026):

1. Restart into UEFI Firmware Settings as in step 2.
2. Go to the Boot tab.
3. Set Secure Boot to Enabled.
4. Save and exit.

1:03 To check, press Windows + R, type msinfo32, open System Summary and look for BIOS Mode: UEFI and Secure Boot State: On. "Unsupported" means your motherboard may not offer it; check its manual.

1:30 Activision's own video tutorial on enabling TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot is embedded in its support article and was first posted with the beta PC guide (Call of Duty, Aug 19, 2026). Activision warns that changing UEFI/BIOS settings improperly can cause boot failures and recommends your motherboard maker's manual or support if you are unsure.

If it is enabled but the game still says no

• Update the motherboard BIOS. Activision's top tip is a firmware update when TPM 2.0 is on but the game keeps prompting (Activision Support, Oct 21, 2026). Dexerto reports that some AMD systems with TPM firmware version 3.x.0.x fail Call of Duty's check until the BIOS is updated; tpm.msc shows the Manufacturer Version (Dexerto, Aug 18, 2026).
• Attestation failures. Some PCs fail Microsoft Azure Attestation because of firmware, hardware or operating system problems; Activision said in the beta that it was working with Microsoft and motherboard makers on it (Call of Duty, Sep 1, 2026).
• Windows 10 version. Call of Duty needs Windows 10 22H2 or later, even though TPM 2.0 itself works from 20H2.

RICOCHET Anti-Cheat

RICOCHET is Call of Duty's anti-cheat system. For Modern Warfare 4 Activision describes it as multi-layered: server-side detections, hardware-based protections such as TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, investigations and legal action, plus account security with two-factor authentication and email verification (Call of Duty, Sep 29, 2026).

Team RICOCHET's Sep 18 report put numbers on the campaign before launch: more than 70,000 new hardware bans in the preceding month, more than 375 reseller operations disrupted, more than 80 cease-and-desist demands, and help shutting down 31 primary cheat vendors. It called cheating a "multi-billion-dollar illicit business" and mentioned a black market in "Ranked Play-ready accounts" (GamingTrend, Sep 18, 2026). As of Oct 25, 2026 Activision had not published ban numbers for launch week.

Server Culling against wallhacks

0:09 Server Culling is a RICOCHET feature that stops the server sending your PC or console the position of enemies you cannot see. Wallhacks read that location data to draw players through walls; with Server Culling, each map has custom-built occlusion layers, and the server uses them to decide when to send or withhold an enemy's position (Game Rant, Oct 3, 2026). Legitimate players should notice no difference. Game Rant reports it covers every Modern Warfare 4 Multiplayer map at launch, DMZ, Outposts and all Season 1 content across modes. The clip is Activision's explainer: an enemy behind a wall shown to the server but not sent to the player, then a map's occlusion layers drawn as a blue grid.

Activision explained it in an official 76-second video, "Combatting Wallhacks with Server Culling | Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4", posted on the Call of Duty YouTube channel on Oct 2, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Does MW4 require TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot? Yes, on PC. Without both, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 blocks every online mode, including Multiplayer and DMZ.

How do I check if TPM 2.0 is enabled for MW4? Run Activision's Secure Attestation Wizard, or press Windows + R, type tpm.msc and look for "The TPM is ready for use"; Modern Warfare 4 needs version 2.0.

How do I enable Secure Boot for MW4? Restart into UEFI Firmware Settings through Windows' Advanced startup, set Secure Boot to Enabled on the Boot tab, and save; Modern Warfare 4 also needs UEFI boot mode and a GPT disk.

Does MW4 work on Windows 10? Yes, Modern Warfare 4 runs on Windows 10 version 22H2 or later, as long as TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are enabled.

Do consoles need TPM 2.0 for MW4? No. The TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot requirement applies only to Modern Warfare 4 on PC (Steam, Battle.net and Xbox on PC).

What is Server Culling in MW4? Server Culling is a RICOCHET Anti-Cheat feature in Modern Warfare 4 that withholds enemy positions from your game when they are hidden behind walls, so wallhacks have nothing to show.

Sources

• How to enable TPM 2.0 & Secure Boot for Modern Warfare 4, Dexerto, Aug 18, 2026
• Call of Duty: NEXT and Modern Warfare 4 Beta: Early Intel, PC Specs, Pre-loading, and More, Call of Duty, Aug 19, 2026
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Beta Patch Notes, Infinity Ward, Sep 1, 2026
• The Cheating Ecosystem is a Multi-billion-dollar-market: Here's how #TeamRICOCHET is taking it on, Call of Duty (#TeamRICOCHET), Sep 18, 2026
• Activision publishes new RICOCHET anti-cheat update a month away from Modern Warfare 4, GamingTrend, Sep 18, 2026
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 PC Trailer, Tech Updates, and More, Call of Duty, Sep 29, 2026
• TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot PC Tutorial | Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4, Call of Duty, Aug 14, 2026 (video)
• Combatting Wallhacks with Server Culling | Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4, Call of Duty, Oct 2, 2026 (video)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Officially Reveals 'Server Culling' Anti-Cheat System, Game Rant, Oct 3, 2026
• Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 and Secure Boot for Call of Duty, Activision Support, Oct 21, 2026