Modern Warfare 4 Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 Fix for PC

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Modern Warfare 4 requires both TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot to be enabled for online play — Ricochet anti-cheat uses them to verify Windows booted through a trusted, untampered path. If you are seeing a Secure Boot error or a “secure attestation failed” message, the fix is almost always a BIOS setting rather than anything wrong with the game. This guide checks both in Windows first, then enables them in BIOS, and covers the awkward cases (Legacy BIOS mode, missing fTPM, and the AMD stutter caveat).

Modern Warfare 4 Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 Fix for PC

This is a boot-path requirement, not a hardware-power requirement. A brand-new PC can fail it and a seven-year-old one can pass.

Step 1 — Check what Windows already reports

Do this before touching BIOS. Half the time only one of the two is actually missing.

Check TPM:

  1. Press Windows + R, type tpm.msc, press Enter.
  2. Look for “The TPM is ready for use” and Specification Version: 2.0.
  3. “Compatible TPM cannot be found” means it is disabled in BIOS, not absent.

Check Secure Boot:

  1. Press Windows + R, type msinfo32, press Enter.
  2. Check two rows: Secure Boot State and BIOS Mode.
What msinfo32 showsWhat it meansWhat to do
Secure Boot State: On, BIOS Mode: UEFICorrectThe problem is elsewhere — jump to step 4
Secure Boot State: Off, BIOS Mode: UEFIJust needs enablingEnable Secure Boot in BIOS (step 3)
Secure Boot State: Unsupported, BIOS Mode: LegacyWindows installed in legacy modeConvert to GPT first (step 5)
Secure Boot State: Off, BIOS Mode: LegacySame as aboveConvert to GPT first (step 5)

Step 2 — Enable TPM 2.0 in BIOS

The setting is rarely called “TPM”. Look for the vendor name:

  • AMD systems — AMD fTPM or AMD CPU fTPM, usually under Advanced → AMD fTPM configuration or Trusted Computing.
  • Intel systems — Intel PTT (Platform Trust Technology), usually under Advanced → PCH-FW Configuration or Trusted Computing.
  • Discrete TPM module — if your board has a physical TPM header module, set Security Device Support to Enable and select the discrete option.

Save, reboot, and re-check tpm.msc. Step-by-step instructions with the exact menu paths for each vendor:

Step 3 — Enable Secure Boot in BIOS

Only enable Secure Boot after confirming BIOS Mode reads UEFI in msinfo32. Enabling it with a legacy-mode Windows install will leave the machine unbootable until you switch it back.

  1. Enter BIOS and switch to Advanced mode if your board defaults to a simple view.
  2. Find Secure Boot under Boot or Security.
  3. Set OS Type to Windows UEFI mode.
  4. If Secure Boot shows as “Not active” with keys missing, use Restore Factory Keys or Install Default Secure Boot Keys.
  5. Set Secure Boot to Enabled, save and exit.

Vendor walkthroughs:

Also disable CSM (Compatibility Support Module) — Secure Boot cannot be active while CSM is enabled.

Step 4 — Still getting “secure attestation failed”?

If tpm.msc says ready and msinfo32 says Secure Boot State: On, but Modern Warfare 4 still refuses online play, work through these in order:

  1. Reboot fully. A cold boot, not a fast-startup resume — the attestation reads state captured at boot.
  2. Update your motherboard BIOS. Older firmware sometimes reports TPM measurements that the anti-cheat rejects. This is the most common fix once Windows itself reports both as fine.
  3. Clear the TPM only as a last resort. In tpm.msc → Clear TPM. If you use BitLocker, suspend it and save your recovery key first — clearing the TPM without doing so can lock you out of your drive.
  4. Repair the game’s anti-cheat component through the launcher rather than reinstalling the whole game.
  5. Check for a virtual machine or sandbox. Ricochet blocks virtualized environments; MW4 will not run in a VM.

Step 5 — If BIOS Mode says Legacy

Windows is installed on an MBR disk, so Secure Boot cannot be enabled until the disk is converted to GPT. Microsoft’s mbr2gpt tool does this in place, without reinstalling:

mbr2gpt /validate /allowFullOS
mbr2gpt /convert /allowFullOS

Run both from an elevated command prompt, /validate first. If validation fails, stop — do not run the conversion. After a successful conversion, enter BIOS, switch boot mode from Legacy/CSM to UEFI, then enable Secure Boot.

Back up anything important before doing this. The conversion is generally reliable, but it modifies the partition layout of your boot drive.

The AMD fTPM stutter caveat

Worth knowing before you flip fTPM on: some Ryzen systems develop a periodic system-wide stutter after enabling AMD fTPM, caused by the firmware TPM’s periodic access to SPI flash. It shows up as a brief freeze every few minutes, in games and on the desktop alike.

AMD fixed this in an AGESA update, so the answer is to update your motherboard BIOS to a version carrying that AGESA or newer. If your board has a discrete TPM header module, using that instead of fTPM sidesteps the issue completely. Full detail in the AMD fTPM stutter fix.

Why Call of Duty requires this at all

Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 are not there to check your hardware is fast enough. They let Ricochet verify a chain of trust: that the firmware loaded a signed bootloader, that the bootloader loaded a signed kernel, and that no unsigned driver was inserted underneath the operating system.

That matters because the most capable cheats are the ones that load below the game — as kernel drivers or bootkits — where a user-mode anti-cheat cannot see them. Requiring a verified boot path removes the easiest place to hide. The broader explanation is in why anti-cheat needs Secure Boot and TPM, and the trade-offs of kernel-level anti-cheat generally are covered in is kernel-level anti-cheat safe.

Frequently asked questions

Does Modern Warfare 4 require Secure Boot and TPM 2.0?

Yes. Modern Warfare 4 requires both TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot to be enabled for online play on PC, including the beta. Ricochet anti-cheat uses them to verify that Windows booted through a trusted path that has not been tampered with. Without both enabled you will be blocked from every online mode, regardless of how strong the rest of your PC is.

How do I fix the Secure Boot error in Modern Warfare 4?

Run msinfo32 and check that Secure Boot State reads On and BIOS Mode reads UEFI. If BIOS Mode says Legacy, Windows is installed in legacy mode and Secure Boot cannot be enabled until you convert the disk to GPT with mbr2gpt. If BIOS Mode is UEFI but Secure Boot is Off, enable it in your BIOS under Boot or Security, save, and reboot. Then relaunch Modern Warfare 4.

How do I check TPM 2.0 for Modern Warfare 4?

Press Windows + R, type tpm.msc and press Enter. The status should read 'The TPM is ready for use' and the Specification Version should be 2.0. If it says a compatible TPM cannot be found, the module is disabled in BIOS — enable AMD fTPM on AMD systems or Intel PTT on Intel systems, save and reboot, then check tpm.msc again.

What does 'secure attestation failed' mean in Modern Warfare 4?

It means Ricochet anti-cheat could not verify your PC's boot path, almost always because Secure Boot or TPM 2.0 is disabled or only partially configured. Confirm TPM 2.0 is ready in tpm.msc and Secure Boot State reads On in msinfo32. If both look correct and the error persists, update your motherboard BIOS, since older firmware sometimes reports attestation data the anti-cheat rejects.

Does enabling TPM cause stuttering on AMD systems?

It can. AMD fTPM has a known stutter issue on some Ryzen systems, where periodic accesses to the firmware TPM cause brief system-wide hitches. AMD addressed it in an AGESA update, so the fix is to update your motherboard BIOS to a version with that AGESA or newer. If your board has a discrete TPM header module, using that instead of fTPM also avoids the problem entirely.