In the Space Administration HQ mission, a set of large screens in the satellite control room display a window of code showing how hackers took down the NOA's main terminal. They used the real-life Nmap network scanner tool and executed a script called "sshpwn", which uses a security exploit named "SSHv1 CRC32". This is a reference to a scene from the 2003 film "The Matrix Reloaded", where Trinity uses Nmap to execute a fictional self-written script called "sshnuke" to take down a power grid with the SSHv1 CRC32 exploit. While the sshnuke script was created for the movie, SSHv1 CRC32 is a real vulnerability for Secure Shell Protocol version 1.0 discovered in February 2001.

The odd text descriptions for the starting gear were inspired by Swedish military veteran and developer on the game Rasmus Kunstlicher and his experiences whilst serving in the army. Kunstlicher had served 11 months in the Swedish military and stated that the equipment they were given wasn't reliable and would often frustrate them.