Eve Online Client Source Code Leaked

An anonymous reader writes to tell us that the game client source code for the popular MMO, Eve Online, has been leaked via torrent. In addition to the source code the user also posted a lengthy chat transcript with someone from CCP customer support. While the end goal may have been to call attention to the continuing security issues within Eve (and ultimately themselves), there are probably better ways of getting through to support. Unfortunately, CCP seems to be responding with the usual knee-jerk reaction of banning everyone breathing a whisper of this incident. I wonder if any large MMO company will ever be brave enough to calmly address an issue rather than wielding the ban-hammer.

Comments

Re:this is going to be so great

[Umuri]

Let me give you a little history lesson.
Back in the dark ages, ya know, the 90s, there was a little game called Ultima Online.

Heard of it? I hope so, it was one of the original MMORPGs.

Every client ever released for that game had all of it's packets decrypted, and the encryption scheme broken for keys, usually within 24-48 hours. Everytime they updated.

Add to that that people edited the client to do whatever they wanted, sometimes with other programs hooking in and altering packets, others by directly altering the assembly of the client.
Many people tried to exploit bugs in the game that way, but most failed, and everytime someone did find one, it was usually fixed relatively quickly. Malformed packets went from "all the rage" and the way to bug up a game to relatively worthless within a span of a month, barring a few new uses that popped up every so often from bad new code introduced.

Having the source code only simplifies this a little for the people who really care, and it doesn't really enable them to do anything they couldn't already.

Oh, also, while i'm at it. Did you know ultima online had a special client for staff characters? And that the binary for that client was leaked as well?

OH NOES! But wait! Ultima online used good security measures and correct privelege systems, so the client was worthless for anything a normal player couldn't do. :)

Summary: This isn't new, and it's happened before on other games. Except in the past most games were already so well understood by their communities that the source would add almost nothing except a little ease and some time saved duplicating a better version of the client when they stop upgrading.

Add to that, if this causes ANY security issue with EVE, then the people who coded the game should get in trouble, not the players. Good coding practices prevent all trouble the code could possibly do. You ARE checking for privelege levels and sanitizing your inputs, right?