An online-game hacker claimed last week that the source code for the sci-fi role-playing game EVE Online had been leaked and, as proof, posted the file to several peer-to-peer services.

The anonymous person, who repeatedly criticized the game's maker CCP during a chat posted online, claimed that software flaws in the program had allowed numerous players to create bots that could automate game play. The hacker offered to help the company close the holes, if they would admit that the code had software vulnerabilities.

"So you insist that security patches are applied to client and client is secure and non-exploitable?" the hacker, who used the name "Abuser," said in a chat with an apparent CCP developer. "Maybe i should release a small hack with portion of eve sourcecode to eve forums that will exploit something? or you will continue to talk that everything is fine?"

The game's developer, CCP, however, claims that the person likely reverse engineered the code for the game's client. The client is written in Python, a high-level programming language, which can be easily decompiled into readable code, the company stated in a statement sent to SecurityFocus. The possession of the code does not mean that the game's security can be more easily circumvented, because the developers wrote the client-side code knowing that the software would likely be reverse engineered, the statement said.

"Access to the source code for the EVE client exposes no security vulnerabilities, has no privacy protection issues, and poses no threat to our customers' billing information," the company said in its statement. "The server-side interface used by the client is carefully protected to ensure that no abusive or unwanted information is transmitted to or from the EVE system."

The theft of a game's source code is rare. In 2003, Valve Software acknowledged that someone has stolen the source code for its popular game, Half Life 2. Eight months later, the FBI made several arrests in the case.

Hacking and online gaming seemingly go together, however. Microsoft continues to have problems with account pretexters on its Xbox Live service, and other online games, such as the popular World of Warcraft, have had to deal with the prolific use of bots.

EVE Online maker CCP has not treated the issue lightly. Posting the code, a link to the code, or discussing the issue on the company's forums has not been tolerated and will likely result in the person being banned from the game, a community manager told forum members. However, there has been no mass bannings from the game, contrary to media reports, the company said in its statement.

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