How to change your Activision account password to stop Warzone hacks

[jwplayer br5AuoVJ]Despite denying rumors that hundreds of thousands of Activision Call of Duty and Warzone accounts were hacked, Activision has encouraged users to safeguard their accounts and change passwords.

Better safe than sorry. It was initially reported on September 21 and 22 that around 500,000 CoD accounts were hacked, spurring a frenzy of concern from the game’s active player base. While Activision has since denied such a major data breach actually occurred, they have recommended various steps users can take in the spirit of caution.

Until Activision’s assurances, a variety of reputable CoD content channels had publicized the rumors, which they deemed to be reputable. It’s unclear how significant hacks truly were, but nonetheless it’s good to take care and maximize your account’s security.

How to change your Activision account password

1. Access your Activision account on their website or through a linked system
2. Navigate to “Profile,” then “Basic Info,” and select “Edit” next to the Password option
3. Confirm your password and enter a new one, following Activision’s “strong password” guidelines (ensuring that the password is not one shared by any of your other accounts)

Changing your password is a key preventive step and also key if you fear your account has been compromised.

• Read more: Twitch streamer deliberately exposes his Warzone cheats live

But there are numerous other steps you can take if you are worried that your account has been hacked or if you simply want to be more careful moving forward.

Additional Activision account security measures

1. Unlink all accounts linked to your Activision account until they too have been properly secured (at which point they can be re-linked)
2. Do not buy, sell, or share your account
3. Do not sign in on devices shared with others
4. Like No. 2, do not connect your account to any websites or the like that offer in-game services or items

Infinity Ward / Activision

Call of Duty: Warzone boasts millions of active players, making data breaches a particularly sensitive affair.

Your Activision account can be tied to up to eight other services (Playstation, Battle.net, XBOX Live, Steam, Nintendo, Facebook, Twitter, and Twitch), meaning it should be relatively easy to access and change your password, but also somewhat susceptible to breaches of those platforms. 

• Read more: Symfuhny locked out of Warzone account after possible hack

Although it appears that the rumored hacks were vastly overblown, this should still serve as a decent “fire drill” for internet security. If you’re worried that your passwords for any of the aforementioned services are weak, this is an easy push to go ahead and protect those accounts.