> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pcm.game/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# VII. Operations & Security

> Sybil defense, the Ghost Player orchestrator, and GCP billing kill-switches.

## 7.1 Sybil Defense & Authentication (OAuth)

Because PCMTG relies on a dynamic global economy (GIPs) and a hidden ELO system, it is highly susceptible to Sybil attacks (players spinning up thousands of bot accounts to inflate their quadrant's GIP).

* **Authentication:** Anonymous login is strictly prohibited. All players must authenticate via Firebase Auth using high-friction OAuth providers (Google, Reddit, or Discord).
* **Account Banning:** If a bot network is detected, the Cloud Run Admin SDK instantly flags the OAuth UID, permanently zeroing out their ELO and stripping their accumulated GIPs from their quadrant's total.

## 7.2 The Ghost Orchestrator (Behavioral AI Bots)

To ensure the 60-second table loop remains frictionless, human players must never wait in an empty lobby.

* **Trigger:** A Node.js background service monitors the `ActiveTables` Firestore collection. If a human occupies a seat for > 5 seconds, the Ghost Orchestrator activates.
* **Injection:** It populates the remaining seats with "Ghost Players."
* **Behavioral Profiles:** Ghosts do not play randomly. They are assigned behavioral profiles based on their assigned quadrant:
  * *LibLeft Ghosts:* Highly volatile; statistically more likely to hit the "Based" button to force a Grand Consensus.
  * *AuthRight Ghosts:* Conservative; favor playing Policy Cards to freeze axes.
  * *AuthLeft Ghosts:* Focused on collective play; prioritize punishing lone-wolf defection.
  * *LibRight Ghosts:* High-risk; favor maximizing Euclidean distance shifts.

## 7.3 GCP Billing Kill-Switches

Because the backend scales to zero and can infinitely scale to thousands of containers, a malicious DDoS attack could theoretically generate massive Cloud Run and Vertex AI bills.

* **Budget Alerts:** GCP Cloud Billing is configured with strict thresholds (e.g., $50, $100).
* **Automated Kill-Switch:** If the budget exceeds 100%, a Pub/Sub event triggers a Cloud Function that instantly disables the billing account linked to the project, taking the system offline. We prioritize total downtime over unbounded financial liability.