CoD: Malware Attacks Affect MW2 (2009) PC Servers

CoD: Malware Attacks Affect MW2 (2009) PC Servers

28. July 2023 by miranda angeles

It has recently been reported that MW2 (2009) PC servers have been affected by malware attacks. As a result, these servers have suffered a crash.

Malware Attacks Affect MW2 PC Servers

Due to a worm-like malware that has the power to spread just by starting a game, the Steam servers of CoD: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) have been shut down. These servers have been shut down one month after the virus was reported through the Steam forums on June 26.

According to the information posted by the Steam gaming community, the virus spread once users mistakenly joined the “hacked lobbies” on the MW2 servers. As a response to this serious problem, the game’s developers decided to close the servers. In turn, the developers have launched an investigation into this problem.

Although the virus has not yet been openly mentioned, the problem is likely malware that spreads from player to player. Therefore, a percentage of users who connect to the original MW2 servers are affected by this problem. About 600 players can still play it simultaneously on maps such as Showdown. However, that number is likely to be reduced by the virus.

According to statistics from SteamDB, MW2 has not experienced more than 1,500 simultaneous players over the past three years. But, it is of utmost importance for game developers to take care of their users, so they are investigating the problem to minimize the severity of the virus.

Virus hidden in game files

The malware reported by the players has a great power of propagation since it only needs the infected user to join a server. Then this user can infect thousands of PC users without knowing it. So there may be thousands of people with the malware, as about 600 players connect to MW2 servers daily. According to player reports, the malware is hidden inside the game files and has the name “dsound.dll.”

Recall that Activision sent some cease-and-desist letters for different servers to end their operations a few months ago. For example, X Labs received one of these letters, forcing it to shut down its operations. Activision said these third-party sites did not provide a secure barrier to viruses. However, the older CoD games had solid anti-virus and anti-cheat defenses.

Then, a few months later, users of older Cod titles were affected by logging into the official servers. So, for now, the continuity of MW2 (2009) remains to be seen. If the developers do not get a solution to the problem, this title will likely end.