EVE General Discussion

How big problem is alt infiltration for EVE corporations? I know that some corporations do not easily recruit people because risk of getting alt to corporation is very high. This is true especially if you are highly visible member of EVE community. I usually create ready ideas how to fix problems to EVE forums but for this problem I have no ready answers. That is why I created this open discussion thread about alt infiltration.

Topics for this thread are:
1. How big problem is alt infiltration for EVE corporations? Share your experiences and thoughts about this issue here.
2. What could be done to minimize damage from alt infiltration? Share your idea how recruitment of capsuleers could be more safe for corporations.

Discussion is open! Share your thoughts if you dare!

1) It happens mostly with big alliances and power blocks.
2) Nothing, there is no way to stop infiltration short of having a corp of only your alts. For example, just because someone has my full API key and my account is "clean" doesnt mean im not a spy, it just means im not a bad spy. I could have an alt in every major alliance in EVE, and you could never tell in game.

In fact i was thinking about this the other day. What if you had a corp or alliance in which your PVP main is in a corp or alliance with people's other pvp main. Then if you had your "isk making alt" on a different account and in a normal alliance.

So now you have this corp or alliance of pvpers and every one of them has an alt in another alliance. You just created an awesome intel network for your pvp alliance. Now you can PVP with impunity. Your not attached to any of the other alliances your just using them for a farm alt. Meanwhile your corp /alliance has intel on everyone, is in everyones TS, etc

And i got to thinking about how ingenious that would be... then i realized i just described PL.

Why is this a problem? Alts are people too you know!

I don't like your tone.

Its unrelenting. spying is all pervasive, awoxing is happenning, and someone really is out to raid your corporation hangers and wallets. God I love this game.

Not my style of play, but it takes all sorts to make this game.

Yes its a worry for recruiters such as myself, but hey, whats life without some risk eh?

1. Agree with the above, it happens all the time, unrelenting.

2. What they've done with it is what you do with anything that simply exists / is a factor: you just assume it's happening even if you don't see it, and operate as if it's happening.

There's "op.sec" (operation security):
- fleets are formed just before the event, rather than long in advance
- there are many fleets, keeping the big ships separate from the small / newbie ones
- the destination isn't disclosed, just vague "we're gonna do something, assemble in system x"
- FC's take control and move the fleet towards its destination without revealing the destination till the last moment

There's counter-intelligence:
- you infiltrate every other alliance because you know they have spies in your membership
- you keep track of WHEN secrets are revealed (compared to when they were announced), and who had access to the information
- you announce false information and keep track of when/where it gets revealed
- you use what your spies hear, and correlate with API data / names of characters, to try to figure out who the enemy spies are

There's security:
- careful recruitment interviews (as much as possible), or "recruitment is closed" but use satellite corps to secretly recruit and check out the newbies
- API checks to find alts, linked money or item transaction, or discrepancies between what is claimed ("I'm a newbie!") and assets
- no access to sensitive stuff; separate forums and channels for the directors etc., separate hangars, separate wallets, etc.

And, finally, there's "it's just a game":
- programs for free ships, ISK donations to new members, advice / mentoring
- ship reimbursement programs
- drunken / yolo fleets
- NPSI fleets (anyone not in your fleet is a valid target, even if they're from your alliance / all deeds are forgiven come Monday)
- forums used for bullshitting / jokes / posts related to any game / anything
- voice chat used for drunken yodeling, drinking contests, trivia games, music radio

It happens, and happens often. It's not as scary ad it seems when I you first start or it happens to you the first time. I've been through it a couple times.

Good recruitment practices and using common sense investigating potential hires are key. Don't be like my CEO and ignore everyone's warning flags and get your **** stolen out of the POS and blown up.

when it has an alt of its own

Corporate history and standings are generally sufficient to ferret out low-play-time alts. Also, if the player's SP does not match up with their age, then obviously they have been using training time on some other character.

Of course, there is always the possibility of a player that fully maintains two accounts and keeps them separate. Often such pairs are identifiable because they will appear in the same corporation together or otherwise do things that will lead to them being associated. If the owner keeps them fully separate, plays both regularly and religiously uses a VPN when connecting to voice servers, then a secret identity is possible, but this is quite a rare case.

If you accept young players into a corp, then there is always the possibility of a spy.

Check my campaign.

It's a big issue.

Everywhere I go my alts follow me.

And they aren't as nice as I am and always get me into trouble with corp leadership.