Call of Duty is cracking down on Cronus Zen and XIM Matrix in a new anti-cheat update targeting third-party devices.

Ahead of Black ops 7 season 2 launch, Call of Duty has announced improved detections to two of the most nefarious devices on the market.

Third-party adapters like cronus xen and XIM matrix  have been a persistent headache for Call of Duty developers for years. Because the hardware is sold openly through major retailers and big-box stores, Activision can’t simply lean on cease-and-desist tactics the way it does with traditional cheat software makers.

The devices let players run custom macros and scripts that reduce recoil, automate inputs, and take advantage of aim assist. This affects players on every platform, making them a major thorn in the side for anyone playing by the book.

Now, Activision has made its stance clear: “These devices are not permitted in Call of Duty. They are cheating tools, even if they masquerade as accessibility devices.”

Call of Duty bans Cronus Zen & XIM Matrix

In a blog post , CoD detailed how it was going about preventing players from using the third-party tools.

“Unapproved third-party devices like Cronus Zen and XIM Matrix have no place in Call of Duty. Stopping these devices takes more than looking for a specific piece of hardware because they are designed to hide, adapt, and change configurations to avoid simple detection,” they explained.

In Season 2, RICOCHET Anti-Cheat is going to start flagging and blocking unauthorized hardware and the accounts tied to them.

The new detections don’t look at what hardware a player has connected. Instead, they study how inputs actually behave. The system tracks timing, consistency, and reaction patterns to separate real human movement from automated or scripted actions. That data helps flag recoil control, aim tracking, and precision that go beyond what a normal controller or mouse can realistically produce.

Since devices like Cronus Zen and XIM Matrix can be endlessly customized, there isn’t one clear fingerprint to target. Rather than chasing individual setups, the anti-cheat focuses on spotting broader patterns of machine-assisted behavior, allowing it to catch abuse even as scripts and configs evolve.

“These systems are designed to evolve, adapt, and expand until input modification devices no longer provide an advantage in Call of Duty,” the team stated.

The devs further warned that this “is not a one-and-done solution” but want to eventually make it so these devices no longer work in Call of Duty.

Black ops 7 Season 2 is set to go live on February 5 and if you’re someone who has been turned away due to XIM and Cronus Zen cheaters, this might be the best time to jump back in.