An old war strategy game became the latest battlefield in cybersecurity this week, as Microsoft shipped a fix for a remote code execution flaw in the remastered version of the 25-year-old classic Age of Empires II. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-50663, allowed an attacker to seize control of a victim's computer simply by sending a malicious game invite. Main Developments Microsoft patched the flaw on Tuesday as part of a historic Patch Tuesday release that addressed a record number of security bugs across its product lines. The company credited its use of artificial intelligence for helping both internal teams and external researchers discover vulnerabilities at an unprecedented scale. Security researchers at Rapid7 detailed the exploit, explaining that joining an attacker's lobby and accepting a custom game invite triggered the remote code execution. A successful attack allowed hackers to drop malicious files onto the target machine, effectively granting full system takeover. Read also: 5 ways Apple Maps ads differ from Google's approach Background Age of Empires II, originally released in 1999, received a remastered edition in recent years. The game's multiplayer component, which allows players to host and join lobbies, became the attack vector in this case. A demonstration video posted on X showed how the exploit worked in practice. No evidence has emerged that hackers exploited this bug in the wild before the patch. However, video games have historically been an effective malware distribution channel, as attackers can target large player populations to steal passwords or install ransomware. Why It Matters The vulnerability highlights how even beloved legacy games can become security risks when their online components aren't hardened against modern attack techniques. Gamers who regularly accept invites from strangers may be particularly exposed, as the attack required no action beyond joining a lobby. Microsoft's use of AI to accelerate bug discovery also signals a shift in how the company approaches vulnerability management, potentially leading to more frequent and larger patch batches in the future. What's Next Users of Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition should ensure their game is updated to the latest version through Microsoft's patch delivery systems. Security researchers continue to monitor for any signs of attempted exploitation now that the vulnerability details are public.