TECH NEWS – Valve recently announced new security measures in response to a recently discovered vulnerability that put many users at risk of having malicious software disguised as updates installed on their systems.

As the largest online marketplace for PC games, hosting games from indie developers as well as AAA studios, Steam is naturally a prime target for online attacks. Not long ago, hackers compromised several Steam developer accounts, allowing them to disguise malware as game updates. Valve responded by immediately notifying less than 100 affected users. While the current incident did not cause significant damage, it did highlight a serious security vulnerability in Steam.

To prevent similar incidents in the future, Valve will soon require developers to undergo two-factor authentication before any game update. Steam Developer Partners will be required to have a phone number associated with their account, and Steam will send them authentication codes via SMS. Similarly, two-factor authentication will be required for game updates and to invite new members to Steamworks developer groups.

Valve also emphasizes in the Steam post that they are aware that not all independent developers have access to mobile devices. However, they stress that if they want to update games or give new users access, they will need to receive some form of SMS.

The new procedures to be implemented in the near future will only affect updates to major versions of already released games, which Steam automatically installs on users’ machines. The changes will go into effect on Tuesday, October 24, but Valve is already encouraging developers to enable two-factor authentication to avoid access problems later. The company has also indicated that it may introduce two-factor authentication for additional Steamworks features in the future.

The average Steam user will likely not notice the changes, but we hope these new measures will better protect the platform and its users from future security risks.

Source : GameRant