A Significant Security Vulnerability Within CCP

Summary: EVE is a great game and CCP is a great company, but they have not addressed the important security issues that would leave them vulnerable to a potential Zombie Incursion.

Link: EVE Forums Link

I’ve been playing EVE for quite some time (despite the age of this character), and I’ve really come to enjoy the awesome universe that CCP has created. The backstory, the ships, the depth of everything and the player alliances are all pretty damn unique in the MMO world, lag or not. As such I would like to see CCP (and my) investment safe and sound, but my confidence in the ability for CCP to do this has been reduced somewhat after reading this article. In short, there is one security consideration that as far as I am aware has never been satisfactorily addressed. The threat of a Zombie Incursion.

Before I go on, I feel that I should discuss the natural and man-made anti-undead measures:

CCP Headquarters – Reykjavik, Iceland
Advantages:

Self-Sufficince – Iceland can produce much of its own energy, reducing the impact of a global societal collapse

Geographical Isolation – The fact that Iceland is a small landmass whose only entrances are by air or sea makes it less likely to be swamped by zombies (assuming the underlying virus does not spread beforehand)

Cold Climate – Zombies are hampered by extreme cold, as they lack the ability to regulate their body temperature. In addition, viral entities are hampered by cold

Low Population – The low population density can prevent zombie concentrations from reaching the critical mass at which the military can no longer contain them

Beer – The popularity of bear means the unpopularity of water, and viral agents cannot easily survive in beer but can easily survive in water

Disadvantages:

The Capital – Capital cities are more vulnerable to zombie infestations, possibly due to concentration of government administration that breeds panic and confusion when locally threatened

Limited Local Food Sources – Iceland must import much of their food from other nations, increasing the likelihood that viral agents or zombies could cross via sea

Limited Military – The Icelandic military hasn’t really won any wars lately, have they?

CCP Server Location – London, England
Advantages

Easy Fortification – Server buildings are geographically simple, making them easy to barricade

Ample Supplies – Supplies of food and ammunition are never far away

Powerful Military – The british military is quite competent, allowing them to deal with a Zombie Infestation well

Disadvantages

Population Center – London is a highly populated and dense city, leading to massive zombie hoards that are difficult to contain and barricade against

Extensive Ventiliation – Servers require lots of cooling, making them vulnerable to airborne viruses and power outages

IT Employees – IT employees are known for being physically weak and relatively timid during the daylight, which can be a problem considering that zombies are most active at night

CCP has serious security issues when it comes to protecting their HQ and Servers against a potential zombie infestation – an issue that is very relevant to me considering the investment I intend to make in this game and this character (well, my main at least). Zombies are a reality even if a remote one, and if they do not take the time to protect themselves than I cannot continue to play, as I cannot be confident that my effort would be lost in a single grisly night of terror. A certain other game has gone out of their way to ensure that their employees and players are well-informed regarding the threat of unlife, and while I know that CCP does not have the budget or developer time that Blizzard does this is an incredibly important issue that needs to be addressed. Thoughts?