System security

A star system's Security Level refers to the presence of NPC security forces such as faction police and CONCORD. It is a number ranging from -1 to 1. In the game, it's displayed as rounded to the first decimal point. Star systems are also grouped into security classes which define several game mechanics most importantly of player versus player engagements:

• High security space (also highsec, high-sec, high) refers to space with a security level between 0.5 and 1.
• Low security space (also lowsec, low-sec, low) refers to 0.1 to 0.4.
• Null security space (also nullsec, null-sec, null) refers to -1 to 0.
• Wormhole space and Pochven have the security level of -1.

When players refer to the security of a system, they usually rather only refer to those classes. Therefore it's common to refer to the number itself as true sec. True sec doesn't only determine the security class but also things such as mission payouts or average PI quality. The security level of a player's current system is always displayed in the System Information display on the upper left of the screen, both in space and while docked.

Security level should not be confused with security status, which is an attribute attached to a player character.

Known space

There are three general classifications of systems in known space (also commonly referred to as k-space by players) based on system security: High Security, Low Security, and Null Security.

Empire space

Empire space is the name given to the regions in which the four main NPC factions hold sovereignty (High Security and Low Security). In Empire space, whether high or low security, stealth bombers can't use bombs and players cannot deploy bubbles.

High security

High Security systems are those with a security level of 0.5 to 1.0. CONCORD will react to hostile actions between pilots, with the response time ranging from almost instant in 1.0 space to up to 19 seconds in 0.5 space. Players also commonly use the terms High, HS, High-sec, Highsec, Hi-sec, and Hisec.

In these systems, stargates may be patrolled by NPC CONCORD, customs, faction police and/or faction navy ships who will fine or attack enemies of the faction and criminals. Stargates and stations will have sentry guns. Aggression (i.e. committing a Criminal-level offense) will provoke a response from CONCORD and any nearby sentry guns. Aggression resulting in the destruction of another player's ship and/or pod will result in a loss of security status.

Low security

Low Security systems are those with a security level of 0.1 to 0.4. Players also commonly use the terms Low, LS, Low-sec, Lo-sec, Lowsec, and Losec.

In these systems, stargates and stations will have sentry guns (although fewer than in Highsec), but CONCORD will not react to hostile actions between pilots, although any nearby sentry guns will still open fire on the attacking player(s) and unprovoked attacks will cause losses of security status.

Null security

Null Security systems are those with a security level of -1.0 to 0.0. Players also commonly use the terms Null, NS, Null-Sec, and 0.0 (pronounced "zero zero", "zero dot zero", or "oh dot oh"). The name originates from a time when instead of showing negative security status the displayed statuses were rounded to 0.0.

These systems are essentially lawless and no NPC organizations will respond to aggression, nor will actions of any kind result in a loss of security status. In Null-Sec the gloves are off: stealth bombers can use bombs and players can deploy bubbles; players frequently fly under not-blue-shoot-it ('NBSI') rules of engagement.

Null security space can further be split into NPC Null-Sec and claimable sovereign Null-Sec.

NPC Null-Sec space

NPC Null-Sec is space where the sovereignty is claimed by NPC factions, similar to normal 'Empire' space, and therefore cannot be claimed by capsuleer alliances.

Regions classified as NPC Null-Sec:

• Curse, claimed by Angel Cartel
• Great Wildlands, claimed by Thukker Tribe
• Outer Ring, claimed by Outer Ring Excavations (ORE)
• Stain, claimed by Sansha's Nation
• Syndicate, claimed by Intaki Syndicate
• Venal, claimed by Guristas Pirates

Individual constellations classified as NPC Null-Sec:

• 38G6-L within Pure Blind, claimed by Sisters of EVE
• N-K4Q0 within Geminate, claimed by Society of Conscious Thought
• Phoenix within Fountain, claimed by Serpentis
• U-7RBK within Pure Blind, claimed by Mordus Legion
• XPJ1-6 and 6-UCYU within Delve, claimed by Blood Raiders

Claimable Null-Sec space

Main article: Sovereignty

In the rest of Null-Sec, sovereignty is claimed (or contested!) by capsuleer alliances. Any stations in claimable Null-Sec will be player-owned and will usually only allow their owners' allies to dock.

A long, long time ago...

University policy, until March 2014, was that University pilots were not allowed to enter claimable Null-Sec, unless in a fleet lead by an ILN Officer, in order to preserve the University's neutrality. That changed in March 2014, after a successful 1-month experiment, and Azmodeus Valar mailed out "[O]ur month long test of increased Sov Null access has been a success. We will be continuing it indefinitely. This means that anyone can lead a fleet into sovereign null security space for PvP purposes. Do not engage in PvE activities in Sov Null space, and do not participate in structure or sovereignty battles." See this forum thread for more details. This was later updated to allow PvE activities as well, see EVE University's Rules of Engagement.

A regularly-updated map of player-owned territory is available on the external SovMap website

Regions classified as Claimable Null-Sec:

• Branch
• Cache
• Catch
• Cloud Ring
• Cobalt Edge
• Deklein
• Delve (some systems owned by The Blood Raider Covenant)
• Detorid
• Esoteria
• Etherium Reach
• Fade
• Feythabolis
• Fountain (some systems owned by Serpentis)
• Geminate (some systems owned by The Society of Conscious Thought)
• Immensea
• Impass
• Insmother
• Malpais
• Oasa
• Omist
• Outer Passage
• Paragon Soul
• Period Basis
• Perrigen Falls
• Providence
• Pure Blind (some systems owned by Mordu's Legion and Sisters of EVE)
• Querious
• Scalding Pass
• Tenal
• Tenerifis
• The Kalevala Expanse
• The Spire
• Tribute
• Vale of the Silent
• Wicked Creek

Wormhole Space

Main article: Wormhole space

In terms of security mechanics, Wormhole space ("w-space" or "j-space") is similar to Null-Sec: CONCORD does not monitor what happens in wormhole pockets, players can use bombs and bubbles at will and aggression will not impact player security status.

W-space also functions differently from known space ("k-space") in that players do not appear in the Local chat channel until they speak in it. This means there could be 1 player or 100 players in a wormhole system and you would not be able to tell the difference just by looking at the local window.

Pochven

Main article: Pochven

Following the Triglavian Invasion, 27 systems were cut off from Empire Space, and connected to each other forming the new Triglavian-controlled Pochven region. The systems in this region have similar rules to Wormhole space: CONCORD does not monitor activity, Bombs and Bubbles are allowed, Aggression does not impact Security status, and players do not appear in Local Chat until they speak.

Game Mechanics affected by System Security

Various game mechanics are affected or limited by system security. These include:

• Asteroid types found in asteroid belts. More lucrative asteroids are generally found in lower-security systems.
• General difficulty of rat spawns, including belt and gate rats. More difficult rats are generally found in lower-security systems.
• General difficulty of cosmic anomalies and cosmic signatures. More difficult sites are generally found in lower-security systems.
• Reward level of missions. Greater LP rewards for the same mission are given by agents in lower-security systems.
• Specific types of wormholes will only form in specific classes of space.
• In 0.5 space and below the moons can be mined with refineries.
• Extracting raw resources for Planetary Industry. Greater resource abundance is generally found in lower-security systems.

High security space

• CONCORD destroys any criminal player.
• NPC navies will chase players with very low faction standing.
• Player with a a sufficiently low security status (below -2.0) may be attacked by NPC faction navy ships.
• True capital ships (i.e. ships that specifically require the Capital Ships skill) may not enter high security space.
• Cynosural fields cannot create beacons for jump drives.

Low security space

• CONCORD no longer responds, however NPC guns on gates and stations will respond to illegal aggression.
• Player-Owned Starbases do not require Empire Charters to operate.

Null security space

• PvP aggression does not change player security status.
• Items flagged with the Banned in Empire Space attribute can now be used, including launching bombs, anchoring bubbles, and firing doomsdays.
• Sentry guns do not take any actions towards players who aggress other players.

Wormhole space

• Local chat does not display all capsuleers currently in the system, only those that have recently spoken in Local.
  • Frequent and heavy use of the directional scanner is recommended.
• No stargates are present, wormholes are the sole means of travel.
• As truesec -1.0, w-space has the highest concentrations of planetary resources.
• Aggression timers do not restrict jumping through wormholes as they do with stargates and docking. However, every individual wormhole has a one-way 5-minute 'Polarization' timer on it, which restricts multiple repeated jumps through it.
• Cynosural fields cannot create links to other systems; jump drives cannot be used to enter or leave systems in wormhole space.

Pochven

• Local chat does not display all capsuleers currently in the system, only those that have recently spoken in Local.
• The original stargates in the system are replaced by non-functional Disrupted Gates. A new set of Triglavian stargates exist, connecting to other systems within Pochven.
• The region can only be entered or exited via Wormholes, or via Pochven Filaments. These Filaments cannot be activated by anyone with a Capsuleer Combat Logoff Timer, and activating a filament triggers a 15-minute Capsuleer Combat Logoff Timer.
• Systems are considered truesec -1.0.
• Stations and stargates do not have traditional gate guns. However, they may or may not have multiple Entropic Disintegrator Werposts, which will attack any pilots with negative Triglavian Collective standings.
• Aggression timers do not restrict jumping through wormholes, however they do restrict stargates and docking.
• Cynosural fields cannot be lit within Pochven and so jump drives cannot be used to enter the region. However, capital ships in Pochven can use their jump drives to permanently leave the region.

Anchoring

The security level of a system may limit what may be anchored in that system.

• 0.9 - 1.0: Containers may NOT be anchored. Starbases and starbase structures may be anchored except for structures requiring anchoring corp to have system sovereignty.
• 0.5 - 0.8: Containers, starbases and starbase structures may be anchored except for structures requiring anchoring corp to have system sovereignty.
• 0.0 - 0.4: All containers and starbase structures may be anchored, except structures requiring anchoring corp to have system sovereignty.
• -1.0 - 0.0: All containers and starbase structures may be anchored, assuming that anchoring corp has system sovereignty. Player-built stations may be constructed in systems where the corp building the station has sovereignty (as of this writing, player-built stations are completely indestructible and are limited to one station per system).

True security

A given system's security level is actually a real number between -1.0 and 1.0 to 5 decimal places (this is known as the system's True Security Level, True-Sec, or Truesec). It is rounded and displayed as the system's security level according to the following rules.

• If the true security is in between 0.0 and 0.05 the security is rounded up to precision.
• Otherwise round to precision.

Many security related mechanics use the true security instead of the rounded security status, however. A lower True-Sec system has better mission pay-outs than a higher True-Sec system, even if the displayed sec status is the same.

The true security is not visible anywhere in game, instead it can be found in the official datadump or from ESI API. Many third party mapping tools such as Dotlan also show the true security.

A long, long time ago...

In the past, truesec values in the range (0.0, 0.5) were rounded half up, i.e. rounded down to 0.0 because all numbers in that range are below 0.5. This was a bug, because EVE considers all systems above a truesec rating of 0.0 to be lowsec but the game displayed their security level as "0.0". This bug not only caused some confusion (there were sentry guns within apparently Null-Sec systems) but also some problems in the form of inadvertent security status loss in what seemed like Null-Sec. This bug was fixed in the Revelations expansion , and the game now uses the rules above. This ensures that any system displayed as "0.0" is truly Null-Sec. Some third-party utilities may not know of the above rules, and so may incorrectly identify some lowsec systems as Null-Sec.